Two NIU faculty members received a $25,000 research grant from the Office of Research Integrity to create an online module on research mentoring and collaboration.

Murali Krishnamurthi, director of NIU’s Faculty Development, and Dan Cabrera, multimedia coordinator for NIU’s Faculty Development, will create the module to be used by both students and faculty. The module will contain content information and educational games on research mentoring and collaboration, Krishnamurthi said.

This is the second research grant the duo has received. Krishnamurthi and Cabrera received a $25,000 grant in 2003 to create an online module about data management. Krishnamurthi and Cabrera’s first module can be found at http://www.niu.edu/rcrportal.

The purpose of this second module will be to educate students and faculty on the appropriate behaviors and rules of participation to be used in mentoring and collaboration projects, Krishnamurthi said. The module also will identify troubling issues and advise students and faculty on how to minimize their mistakes while conducting research, Cabrera said.

Research misconduct has become an important issue in today’s world, Krishnamurthi said.

“Some cases [of research misconduct] are very significant to people’s lives,” Krishnamurthi said. “There can be serious consequences.”

Faculty members are consulted to help with the project, Cabrera said. NIU faculty provide positive and negative research experiences in order to give the duo background information.

Jim Ciesla, NIU associate professor of allied health, helped with the first module and will help on the second one.

“Researchers are always busy,” Ciesla said. “And [Krishnamurthi and Cabrera] are giving them easily accessible resources.”