Geisel Academy of Educators & Scholars - Foundational Skills Series for Educational Research - Can't I Just Write it up? The Importance of Conceptual Frameworks

Sunday, February 22, 2026, 4:00 PM - Thursday, February 22, 2029, 5:00 PM

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), ACPE Contact Hours (1.00 hours), ANCC Nursing Contact Hours (1.00 hours), ASWB Social Work Credit(s) (1.00 hours), CDR Dietetic CPEU(s) (1.00 hours), CME-Designated Participation Credit (1.00 hours)

This session addresses a common question among health science & professions educators (HSPEs): "Can't I Just Write it Up?" Participants will discover why conceptual frameworks are essential to rigorous education research. The session explains what conceptual frameworks are, provides concrete examples, and demonstrates how they guide every step of the research and writing process. Through interactive exercises, participants will practice applying frameworks to education research problems. The content will enable participants to develop a conceptual framework for their own research project, providing an essential foundation for scholarly work.

Presenters

Courtney Vengrin, PhD, MS
Director of Assessment
Office of Assessment, Evaluation and Accreditation
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Alka Dev, DrPH, MHS
Assistant Professor of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Slides:

https://dh.cloud-cme.com/assets/dh/PDF/2026/The Importance of Conceptual Frameworks-Slides.pdf

Handout:

https://dh.cloud-cme.com/assets/dh/PDF/2026/Handouts/Participant Workbook - Can't I Just Write It Up.docx

1. Explain conceptual frameworks, including two examples relevant to educational research.
2. Apply conceptual frameworks to a health professions education research problem through guided practice.
3. Describe how conceptual frameworks are used during each step of the research and writing process.

In support of improving patient care, Dartmouth Health is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. 

American Medical Association (AMA)
Dartmouth Health designates this Enduring Material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
Dartmouth Health designates this Enduring Material for a maximum of 1.00 ANCC contact hours. 

Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
Dartmouth Health designates this knowledge-based activity for a maximum of 1.00 hour. Credit will be provided to NABP CPE Monitor within 60 days after the activity completion.

UAN JA0000201-0000-26-009-L99-P | UAN JA0000201-0000-26-009-L99-T

Social Workers (ASWB)
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Dartmouth Health is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 1.00 general continuing education credits.

Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)
Completion of this RD/DTR profession-specific or IPCE activity awards CPEUs (1 IPCE credit = 1 CPEU).
If the activity is dietetics related but not targeted to RDs or DTRs, CPEUs may be claimed which are commensurate with participation in contact hours (1 hour/60 minutes = 1 CPEU).
RDs and DTRs are to select activity type 102 in their Activity Log.

Pharmacists/Pharmacy Technicians Account Setup
If you wish to apply for ACPE credit, you will need to enter your NABP ePID# and Date of Birth in your CE Profile by following these steps:

• Log in to Dartmouth Health's CE portal.

• From the My Account Menu select Profile.

• Enter your Date of Birth (Month and Day)

• In the Credentials section, select NABP ePID# from the drop down and enter your ID number

• Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click Submit

Social Worker Account Setup
If you wish to apply for ASWB credit, you will need to enter your license number in your CE Profile by following these steps:

• Log in to Dartmouth Health's CE portal.

• From the My Account Menu, select Profile.

• Ensure your degree and profession are accurately reflected

• Enter the state license type, License #, and Expiration date

• Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click Submit

All other learners may claim CME-designated participation credit. Consult your professional licensing board regarding the applicability and acceptance of CME-designated participation credit for programs certified for credit by organizations accredited by Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Education.

Registration/Requirements for Successful Completion
You may claim credit for successful completion of this online course. In order to claim credit, you must follow these steps:

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2. Register for the activity.

3. Click the Content/Tests tab and then View Content to view the recording. View the entire presentation.

4. Complete the Post-Test (attestation - return to the Content/Tests tab to find it).

5. Click the Complete Evaluation button, or click My Account in the menu bar; then click Evaluations.

6. Complete and Submit the Evaluation.

   
   Bibliographic Material

• Lin CY, Updegraff JA, Pakpour AH. The relationship between the theory of planned behavior and medication adherence in patients with epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav. 2016 Aug;61:231-236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2016.05.030. Epub 2016 Jul 6. PMID: 27390026.

• Ma, B., Li, Z., Sun, S. et al. Behavioral characterization of critical thinking in higher education: perspectives from the theory of planned behavior. High Educ 90, 739–759 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-024-01348-1

• Skoglund E, Fernandez J, Sherer JT, Coyle EA, Garey KW, Fleming ML, Sofjan AK. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to Evaluate Factors That Influence PharmD Students' Intention to Attend Lectures. Am J Pharm Educ. 2020 May;84(5):7550. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7550. PMID: 32577029; PMCID: PMC7298223.

Provider Contact Information
Provider contact information for questions regarding accreditation of the activity:

Center for Learning and Professional Development
ACE Office
Dartmouth Health
[email protected]

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Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

Dartmouth Health adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education.  Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including planners, faculty, authors, or others are required to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies^.  All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

^Ineligible Company is any entity whose primary business purpose is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.