Online Introduction to Clinical Trials

Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit’s Online Introduction to Clinical Trials is a practical four-week course on how randomised clinical trials are designed and run. It runs from 2 to 27 November 2026, entirely online through Microsoft Teams, mixing self-paced recorded lectures with live tutor-led sessions.

The course is aimed at researchers planning or contributing to trials, healthcare professionals in clinical research, trial managers, research nurses, coordinators and data managers, statisticians new to trials, and postgraduate students interested in trial methodology. It focuses on large multicentre randomised trials, covering both drug trials and complex interventions, so it is a good fit for anyone working on, or hoping to join, a dementia trial team.

What the course covers

Module 1: Trial design looks at why trials are needed, key design principles, randomisation and control groups, minimising bias, choosing outcomes, sample size, and the place of qualitative research, health economics and patient and public involvement.

Module 2: Trial conduct covers protocol development, regulatory, ethical and governance approvals, setting up multicentre trials, recruitment and retention, safety reporting, data management and monitoring, and how results are analysed, interpreted and reported.

The course does not cover non-randomised or observational designs, or trials of diagnostic tests.

How it works

You get 21 pre-recorded lectures, 12 live one-hour sessions with NCTU tutors, and supporting resources and activities. Materials are available before the start date so you can work at your own pace. The live sessions are optional but strongly encouraged, and the course is content-rich, so plan time to engage across the four weeks.

Cost and booking

The early bird rate has now closed. Standard rates are £227 for people living in a low or middle-income country (DAC list), £360 for University of Nottingham School of Medicine students and staff, £410 for other University of Nottingham students and staff and for NHS employees, and £450 for everyone else. Full refunds are available if you cancel more than two weeks before the start.

Book through the University of Nottingham online store, and send any questions to ctu@nottingham.ac.uk. NCTU also runs a short course on qualitative methods in clinical trials.