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We’ve been busy getting ready for the 2020 Education Forum and hope you are looking forward to it as much as we are. To help you start planning your week, here’s a taste of some of the offerings.

Assessment

���㽶��Ƶ’s Assessment Team has a lot to share with education sessions and a virtual booth. This is the perfect opportunity to get up-to-date on all things assessment-related.

���㽶��Ƶ End of Rotation™ Exams: What You Need to Know During the COVID-19 Pandemic  
Tuesday, October 20, 3:20-4:10 p.m. ET
The session will explain different types of remote proctoring, security concerns, and special considerations for grading ���㽶��Ƶ’s End of Rotation exams.

Integrating Cultural Humility and Mindfulness in Test Item Writing
Wednesday, October 21, 3:20-4:10 p.m. ET
This session will focus on how bias and stereotypes show up in item writing, how to identify them, and how to correct them. This session will be limited to 50 participants. Registrants will be asked to log into the Forum’s virtual platform and build their schedule so they can pre-register for this session.

The ���㽶��Ƶ End of Curriculum^TM exam was launched in January 2020 and is available to all members who meet our new eligibility requirements. If you need a quick refresher on the purpose of the exam and how it was developed, we recommend that you watch Test Your ���㽶��Ƶ End of Curriculum^TM Exam IQ, a 20-minute video that will be available on-demand at your convenience. And last but not least, we cannot forget that it’s the 25^th Anniversary of �ʴ��䰭�鴡��®. To mark this important milestone, we’ve created a short recording of 5 Facts Every PA Educator Should Know about PACKRAT, which will also be available on-demand. 

And, of course, the Assessment Booth is back again this year. Come visit us virtually — the team will be available each day to answer any of your questions about ���㽶��Ƶ assessment products.

Research

The Education Forum has become the leading venue for learning about the newest research and scholarship produced by PA educators. After competitive peer review, 17 research briefs will be presented over the course of the Forum covering topics ranging from predictors of PA student matriculation to the impacts of scope of practice laws on PA wages. Find sessions that pique your interest by searching the “research brief” track in the agenda. In addition to the research presented by your colleagues, ���㽶��Ƶ’s Research Team is offering four varied sessions that you won’t want to miss. Whether you’re a research wizard, looking for inspiration, or just testing the waters, we think you’ll find these sessions enlightening.  

AAPA-���㽶��Ƶ Research Fellows Presentations
Tuesday, October 20, 3:20-4:20 p.m. ET  
Delve into the latest research from our outgoing 2019-2020 AAPA-���㽶��Ƶ Research Fellows; then meet our incoming 2020-2021 ���㽶��Ƶ Research Fellows and hear about their new research projects. The outgoing fellows, Kari Bernard, PhD, PA-C, and Vanessa Bester, EdD, MPAS, PA-C, will present their preliminary findings from their research endeavors. Our incoming fellows, Adrian Banning, DHSc, MMS, PA-C, and Stephanie Neary, MPA, MMS, PA-C, will share their research questions and plans for what they will be pursuing over the coming year. This is a great opportunity to not only hear from the current and future leaders in PA research, but also to learn about how you can be part of the next cohort of fellows.

From Class to Clinic: Research and Data from the Four Orgs
Wednesday, October 21, 3:20-4:40 p.m. ET
For the second time, experts from the four PA organizations will convene to share their latest research findings with the PA education community. ARC-PA Assistant Director Rachel Carlson, EdD, PA-C, will kick things off with a timely discussion of “ COVID-19 & ARC-PA by the Numbers.” ���㽶��Ƶ Research & Data Analyst Ryan Chitwood, MS, will share the results of his research on “Predictors of Applicant Pool Diversity During the Physician Assistant Admissions Cycle.” Then, NCCPA Director of Research Andrzej Kozikowski, PhD, will follow with “Does NCCPA Certification Help in Updating Medical Knowledge? Perspectives of Alternative to PANRE Pilot Participants.” Finally, AAPA Senior Director of PA and Industry Research and Analysis Noël Smith, MA, will present her talk titled: Your PA Can… This is set to be a high-quality session fit for any PA educator.

Q&A with Poster Authors
Tuesday, October 20, and Wednesday, October 21, 6:35-7:25 p.m. ET
This year, you won’t have to choose between attending an interesting talk or checking out a research poster – 67 research e-posters will be available for you to peruse at any time. Then you can learn more about the research during these two interactive sessions where poster authors will present their work and engage in Q&A.

We Are Researchers: Ask Us Anything
Wednesday, October 21, 5:40-6:30 p.m. ET
In past years, budding researchers were given the opportunity to connect with research experts during the popular “Research and Publishing Made Easier” sessions at the Forum. This year, we are offering a similar opportunity through the “We Are Researchers: Ask Us Anything” Q&A panel. The panel will feature David Asprey, PhD, PA-C; Carolyn Bradley-Guidry, DrPH, MPAS, PA-C; Richard Dehn, MPA, PA-C; Tamara Ritsema, PhD, MPH, MMSc, PA-C; and Mary Warner, DBH, PA-C, researchers whose expertise and achievements include publishing research, editing and peer-reviewing journals, and gaining national recognition as grant awardees. During this session, attendees will be able to ask the panelists whatever research-related questions they might have. Alternatively, interested participants may submit questions before the session by emailing them to research@���㽶��Ƶonline.org.

Remember to put these research and assessment events on your calendar — and to check out the , which will be available in the next few days. We look forward to “seeing” you soon!

���㽶��Ƶ Assessment & Evaluation Specialist Denise Rizzolo, PhD, PA-C, contributed to this article.