Translational_Research_Group_Overview.docx

Translational Research Group (TRG) Overview Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning (CAOCL) October 2015

TRG was established in 2010 to help mitigate a gap in Marine Corps research and science advising from fieldwork-focused social sciences. The group is organized around concepts from translational research in medicine and action research in the social sciences. These concepts emphasize producing results that can be quickly transitioned from the research product into implementation or use by practitioners. It differs from applied social science research in that control of research questions and design is retained by the scientists. TRG continues to perform its core missions of research and advising, but now also supports CAOCL as described below.

Activities

Core missions: Research and Science Advising TRG’s core missions are the production of research results from independently designed, rigorously conducted scientific research and scientific advising. Research results and advising support are provided to decision-makers in Marine Corps organizations ranging from MCU to HQMC and OSD.

The group’s research is focused on Marines and Marine Corps programs and processes. Examples of research projects include an ethnographic study of Marine perceptions of stress and resilience and a fieldwork-based assessment of culture education and training. TRG also occasionally selects projects of interest to broader DoD audiences, such as an interview-based project looking at lessons learned from the 2014-2015 Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa and a multi-method project examining challenges in military organizations’ ability to leverage scientific expertise and research results. Samples of past research outcomes are available on CAOCL’s public website.

The group also supports the Marine Corps by providing science advising. Advising activities may be related to the implementation of TRG research results, but are often broader in scope, involving problem framing, expertise selection, and review of research proposals and claims.

CAOCL support: assessment, culture general, and instruction

TRG supports CAOCL’s assessment activities in three ways

· Conducting qualitative assessment research.

· Advising CAOCL’s education and training sections on the most effective ways to conduct program and individual learner assessments.

· Supporting the Director of Research in the management of CAOCL’s overall assessment platform and production of organization-level assessment deliverables.

TRG support to CAOCL’s efforts to develop and integrate culture general concepts and skills into education and training programs includes, but is not limited to:

· Developing and refining the conceptual basis for culture general curricula.

· Advising sections on the prioritization of culture general concepts and skills for different curricula.

· Production of learning outcomes, curricular materials, and testing/evaluation materials.

TRG also provides occasional instruction for CAOCL and schoolhouses. Instruction may take several different forms, such as a training brief, an MCU elective, or a guest lecture. Instructional activities are undertaken based on government assessment of demand signal, available expertise, and other requirements.

Administration

Management and Decision-Making TRG is led by CAOCL’s Director of Research who reports to Director, CAOCL. Research projects and other TRG activities are selected by the Director of Research, subject to approval by Director, CAOCL.

Deliverables TRG deliverables include, but are not limited to white papers, scholarly publications, literature reviews and annotated bibliographies, briefs, curricular inputs, program/policy inputs, “quick look” reviews of scientific topics, classes, meeting/conference after action reports, and lectures. Physical deliverables for advisory activities are limited due to the sensitive nature of some advising requests. However, all TRG researchers inform the Director of Research prior to engaging in advising work.

Qualifications Personnel supporting TRG are not traditional “subject matter experts” in culture and language. Rather than providing a capability based on topical knowledge they already possess, TRG researchers provide the capability to develop new scientific knowledge across a broad range of topics.

The most successful researchers have very strong educational and experiential backgrounds in theory, method, and research design. Because the TRG capability emphasizes knowledge developed through fieldwork methods, PhD level education in certain disciplines is preferred. The specific disciplines emphasized include cultural anthropology, human or cultural geography, sociology, and social or cross-cultural psychology. TRG does occasionally have support personnel at the MA level or with degrees from other scientific disciplines if the details of their education, experience, and accomplishments demonstrate that they have the necessary scientific expertise or can support a different aspect of TRG’s work.

Current Leadership

Kerry Fosher, PhD Director of Research, CAOCL kerry.fosher@usmc.mil | 703-432-1504

TRG Overview October 2015