PQUAD FAQS
What is PQUAD?
PQUAD stands for Positive Peer Pressured Productivity. It is a proven dual-incentive model to leverage the power of positive peer pressure to increase the academic productivity of a group through transparency and gamification.
PQUAD.ORG is a website which allows you to run this program for your faculty and/or learners.
What are the two incentives?
The first incentive is awareness of your peers’ work. PQUAD.org will allow you to see a board of the recent submissions and acceptances of your institution’s colleagues academic work. This increased transparency and awareness of the work of your direct peers can lead to new opportunities for peer mentorship, increased motivation, and formation of new collaborations.
The second incentive is a weighted lottery. Points are awarded at various levels based on the type of academic submission (an abstract submission may be worth 1 point, a poster acceptance 2, oral presentation 3, etc.) These points translate into lottery tickets for cash prizes awarded at intervals determined by your institution. The more points you have, the more chances you have to win.
Unlike traditional incentive models which reward only the top performers and do little to motivate those who are (far)less productive, the element of chance allows even someone with one abstract submission a chance to win the drawing (albeit a proportionally smaller chance).
How are points determined?
The administrator for your institution will set point values before contests with escalating points based on various categories. An example of a point breakdown can be found below, but note your institution’s contests might include points for mentorship, lectures given, grants, etc.
What happens if I win a contest?
Your institution will set cash prizes for various contests. As the points translate into raffle tickets, the more points you have the greater chance you have of winning one of the drawings which may have multiple levels of prizes. Your institution administrator may choose to have the winners’ points reset to zero for the next contest, with everyone else’s points rolling forward.
Does PQUAD work?
In the initial pilot in the Division of Hospital Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, fifteen hospitalists participated and saw gains in nearly all categories of submission/acceptance compared to the prior year. Below is a poster presented at the Pediatric Academic Society Meeting in 2016; manuscript is under review.
What can I see on my personal page?
You’ll be able to see your points for the current contest in the upper right portion of the screen. You can also input current entries which will add to your point score for the current contest, see your all-time PQUAD submissions to track progress and make end of year academic reviews easier (you can download an excel file!), and see leaderboards for the current contest and all time for your institution.
Who is shown on the leaderboards?
As the goal of PQUAD is to increase transparency and collaboration through awareness of peers’ work, it is important to be able to see how others are doing. The leaderboards for faculty contests have been defaulted to show only the top 50% of point totals as to not potentially provide undue embarrassment for those with minimal entries. In resident/student contests, however, where any work if it is? often above the expectation of the program, all residents with positive points are showcased.
How do I run PQUAD at my institution?
Email info@pquad.org to receive information and pricing for running PQUAD for faculty and residents at your institution.