Composition: 

The committee’s membership shall reflect the diversity of ACAPT member institutions. The suggested composition of the Education Research Committee is a minimum of one member from each:

1. A minimum of 1 member should be a Director of Clinical Education
2. A minimum of 1 member should be a Program Director
3. All members should hold additional affiliations within APTA Academy Special Interest Groups, ACAPT Institutes, or ACAPT Task Forces, with a focus on advancing physical therapy education research. 
4. All committee members must be from ACAPT member institutions.
5. All committee members should have demonstrated contributions to educational research (this could take several forms, not just publications)
6. At least one member from a public institution
7. At least one member from a private institution

The board shall appoint one of the above individuals to serve as Chair of this committee.  The committee will also have an ACAPT board member liaison.

Term:  The chair of this committee is appointed by the Board of Directors at the beginning of the term. There is a 3-year term limit for committee members and no committee member may serve more than two consecutive terms without board approval. 

Elected/Appointed:  All committee members will be appointed. The appointee must be an “Individual Member” of an ACAPT member institution, as defined in the ACAPT bylaws.

Charge:  The charge of the Education Research Committee is to build the body of active and engaged education researchers within the academic physical therapy profession.  The goals include, but are not limited to:

• To enhance awareness and participation in the PT Education Research Network and its related activities;
• To increase the number of Education Research Mentors and ensure their active engagement through the promotion of mentorship opportunities within the Network;
• To increase the number of individuals engaged in education research;
• To facilitate the development of the body of education researchers in physical therapy education;
• To facilitate and encourage collaborative educational research efforts between institutions;
• To support and lead where possible in the strategies for implementation of the recommendations from the Education Research Strategy Meeting sponsored by the Education Leadership Partnership;
• To encourage participation in MERC and GAMER workshops, and other non-dues revenue opportunities identified by the committee;
• To identify opportunities for grants in education research;
• To guide programs for increased scholarship;
• To promote and support institutional cooperation and collaboration;
• To summarize the current work in this arena in the context of which group is doing what, identify strengths and any gap areas, and suggest recommendations to the ACAPT Board as related to ACAPT’s future strategic priorities.
• To work collaboratively with all leaders within ACAPT, APTA, the Academy of Physical Therapy Education, and other outside stakeholder groups; and

The Model of Excellence for Physical Therapist Education (Jensen et al, 2018) and the dimensions, elements, and transformational areas for promoting excellence in physical therapist education framework (Jensen et al, 2017, p. 883) adopted by the Education Leadership Partnership will be referenced to guide the committee’s work;

General Responsibilities: The Education Research Committee will

1. Advise the Board of Directors on matters pertaining to ACAPT’s and its members’ education research needs and opportunities.
2. Work closely with the Board Liaison and Executive Director to develop plans, and identify resources and timelines.
3. Interact with ACAPT leadership and other stakeholder groups to facilitate and coordinate the implementation of ideas and solutions.
4. Develop and propose a budget by the date requested by ACAPT’s Treasurer to accomplish goals and objectives.
5. Make recommendations to the Board of Directors for appointing members as needed to assist in planning and on-site management of the programs.
6. Submit written reports regarding programming when requested.
7. Coordinate advertising and marketing initiatives to promote education research

Qualifications: 

The committee chair must be an active or life member in good standing with a particular interest in education research and possess strong organizational skills.  All members of the committee shall be active members of ACAPT.

Evaluation: 

The Board of Directors will have an opportunity to evaluate the committee yearly. The goal of the evaluation process is to ensure the functionality of the committee and that the goals and objectives are always relevant to ACAPT’s strategic initiatives.

Copyright Assignment:

Members of the Committee will be required to execute an assignment of copyright to ACAPT before the commencement of the work to be completed as part of the purpose and objectives of this Committee.

Education Research Committee References

Committee members

Chair: Jody Eckert, University of Mary

Board liaison: Patrick Pabian, University of Kentucky

• Jamie Greco, Duke University
• Tara Dickson, Tufts University - Phoenix
• Rebecca Bliss, University of Kansas
• Laurie Neely, University of Central Florida
• Pamela Reynolds, Gannon University

Term:  The chair of this committee is appointed by the Board of Directors at the beginning of the term. There is a three-year term limit for committee members and no committee member may serve more than two consecutive terms without board approval.  

In the initial formation of the committee, the chair and one half of the committee will serve a three-year term and the remaining appointed members will serve a two-year term.  This will help to facilitate staggered terms so that historical knowledge will not be lost between appointments.

Elected/Appointed:  All committee members are appointed.  Each appointee must be an individual member of an ACAPT member institution.