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School of Medicine Columbia

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Education Research Program

The Office of Research invites applications for the Education Research Program, a new internal funding mechanism designed to support hypothesis-driven research that generates evidence to improve education. This program recognizes that meaningful educational improvement requires the same scholarly rigor we apply to biomedical research: clearly stated hypotheses, sound methodology, and measurable outcomes.

Program Overview

The Education Research Program supports faculty-led, hypothesis-driven projects that test specific claims about how educational interventions, strategies, or tools affect learning outcomes or educational processes. Successful applications will: 

  • Propose and test a clearly articulated hypothesis about improving educational outcomes, including student learning, satisfaction, and enjoyment; educator efficiency and experience; or any measurable aspect of the teaching and learning process.
  • Employ a rigorous methodology with a defined evaluation plan to generate evidence for or against the hypothesis.
  • Produce scholarly deliverables suitable for peer-reviewed publication and/or presentation, as well as practical outputs (e.g., new curricula, assessment instruments, instructional tools, or pedagogical frameworks) that can be implemented to improve education.
  • Demonstrate potential impact that extends beyond a single course or cohort to inform the broader field of education.

The program is open to all educational contexts and is not limited to medical education. Projects may involve learners at any level and may address any discipline represented within SOMC and its affiliated programs. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in educational innovation is encouraged but not required. 

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.

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