The University of Alaska Anchorage offers an online IRB training course through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program. The course modules were selected by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to cover issues relevant to Human Subjects Research at UAA.

This training meets the federal requirements for training in human subjects protections. We suggest that you remember your login, so you can always go back in and complete the training as time allows and maintain access to your training records. 

Access to the CITI IRB training course

The training course can be accessed on CITI Program’s website.

1. Click the "Register Here" link on the main page.
2. Select "University of Alaska Anchorage" as your participating institution from the drop down men, and complete the registration process.
3. In the CITI Course Registration page, enter your contact information. If you do not have a UAA identification number, enter "0000000" (no quotation marks).
4. Once you've completed registration, click on the "Courses" link at the top of the page. This will display CITI courses that you have not started or may have already completed.
5. If you have not selected any courses, or need to take additional courses, click the "Add a Course" link under "Learner Tools" at the bottom of the Courses page.
6. After you have clicked "Add a Course", you will see questions that relate to all the CITI training courses available for UAA personnel. Under Question 1, check EITHER of the first two boxes:
   1. The first option is Social-Behavioral-Education Human Subjects Research; this option applies to the majority of research UAA conducts.
   2. The second option is Biomedical Human Subjects Research for UAA researchers whose activities use biomedical methods or are conducted in biomedical settings.
      
      Either of the first two options satisfies the UAA IRB's requirements for researcher training.
      
      
   3. NOTE: For those researchers using data from HIPAA Covered Entities, there is an additional requirement: Research Under HIPAA Using PHI.
      
      
7. Save the CITI Human Subjects Research Training certificate upon completion for future reference. You will need to upload this on IRBNet when submitting a new project or being added to an existing project. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I see a lot of courses offered that do not pertain to human subjects research. Do I have to complete any other courses for IRB training?
A: No. If a) your instructor requires you to complete human subjects training for a course or b) you are submitting a study for IRB review, complete the course titled "University of Alaska Anchorage Faculty, Staff and Students - HSR".

Q: How long does it take to complete the online training through UAA?
A: The training can take approximately 6-10 hours to complete. You must pass the course with a minimum 80% score on the quizzes.

Q: Do I have to complete the course in one sitting?
A: No. You can save and complete sections of the course as long as you remember your CITI username and password.

Q: How long is my training certificate good for?
A: An IRB Training Certificate is good for three years.  You must include this certificate when submitting a proposal to the IRB. The Principal Investigator must also include training certificates for all others involved with implementing the research when submitting a proposal for review.

Q: What happens when my online training expires after three years?
A: Once your CITI training course in human subjects research has expired, you will be able to complete a refresher course using the original login and password. If you are unable to login, you can access your original login information by clicking the "Forgot login information" link on the front page.

Q: How do I save a PDF copy of my certificate to my computer?
A: If you click “Records” on the top of the page after you have logged in, you should see records of all the courses you have completed. Next to the latest listing of completed training under “Basic/Refresher Course in Human Subjects Research - University of Alaska Anchorage Faculty, Staff and Students - HSR”, click “View-Print-Share”, then click “View/Print” under “Completion Report”. Depending on your browser, it should open automatically or download automatically to your downloads folder. Be sure you have it saved to your computer, so you can upload into IRBNet later.

Q: If one of my research collaborators, associates, or assistants completed IRB training through an outside institution, will the UAA IRB accept it?
A: Yes. If the training certificate is within the three year period and addresses the same or similar training topics, the UAA IRB will accept the certificate. However, all UAA faculty, staff, students, and employees who conduct human subjects research should complete the UAA IRB training.