Protecting Our Own Final

Protecting our Own: Using Blended Learning to Push Training Out for Public Health Preparedness & Disaster Response Efforts Presented by: Cheryl L. Engle, M.A. The Ohio State University USA

Introduction “ We certainly live in uncertain times marked by global terrorism, recurring natural disasters, and pandemic influenza” (President George W. Bush, 2003)

Problem Statement The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (2007) acknowledge that the “…current worker shortages and the graying workforce… can result in a gap in both the leadership and institutional knowledge of state health agencies…” and reiterate the workforce shortage by saying that “…more than 50% of states cite the lack of trained personnel as a major barrier to our nation’s preparedness…” (State Public Health Employee Worker Shortage Report, 2007)

Study Population Incident Commanders First Responders American Red Cross volunteers Medical Reserve Corps volunteers Public Health Nurses

Conceptual Framework Moore’s (1995) Theory of Transactional Distance “… universe of teacher-learner relationships that exist when learners and instructors are separated by space and/or by time” (p. 22) Covington and Simpson (2006) Views on Disaster Preparedness Efforts Contend that disaster preparedness, as an area of inquiry, is dynamic and in a constant state of flux. Each new world event teaches us more about the grassroots community and the mobilization process by which individuals respond to national disasters. No single theory, or set of theories, can be identified as the core concepts upon which disaster preparedness plans and practices are based.

TAM Model (2003) Gefen, Karahanna, and Straub (2003) Technology Acceptance Model Fundamental to this model, the initial adoption and/or acceptance of IT technology as a driving force which influences the potential and continued use of online training and blended learning opportunities. Examined reactions using two constructs (Davis, Bagozzi, & Warshaw, 1989): Perceived usefulness (PU) Perceived ease of use (PEOU)

TAM Model (2003) Perceived self-expressiveness Perceived ease of use (PEOU) Perceived usefulness(PU) Attitudes towards use Intention to use Perceived self-expressiveness Perceived ease of use (PEOU) Perceived usefulness (PU) Intention to use Figure 1: Extended TAM Model Attitudes towards use

Distance Modalities Training and mobilization at a distance VBrick ‘live’ webcasts Vodcasts and archival video-on-demand Podcasts Adobe Captivate online tutorials GoToMeeting (G2M) and GoToWebinar (G2W) VoiceThreads

OCPHP Program Offering #1 Planning P Process for a Type 3 Incident Adobe Captivate online refresher tutorial Followed by a regional 8-hour face-to-face classroom training Refresher tutorial hosted at: http://glennschool.osu.edu/planningP Pre-test evaluation hosted on OhioTRAIN ( https://oh.train.org ) In-class observations and participant self-assessments during F2F trainings Post-test evaluation hosted on OhioTRAIN

Public Health Nursing Surge NATIONAL RELEASE: The Training Trail to Competence in Disaster Surge Train-the-Trainer (Stanley, Polivka, Gordon, Taulbee, Kieffer and McCorkle, 2008) OCPHP Program Offering #2 GoToMeetings (G2M) to introduce training to each state’s POC Delivered initial VBrick ‘overview’ vodcasts to roll-out the curriculum Recorded Vbrick vodcasts for (4) training modules posted to CPH video repository at http://vod.cph.ohio-state.edu for trainers Hiking Workshop component 8-hour classroom training Monthly conference calls to maintain communication and interaction with partners while doing the Trail Guide self-study (CD-ROM)

Psychological First-Aid: Helping Others in Times of Stress OCPHP Program Offering #3 Delivered as (4) ‘live’ webcasts to American Red Cross volunteers in April, 2008 Archival vodcasts housed in the CPH video repository for future volunteers Final program evaluation administered electronically on OhioTRAIN Future goal to roll-out volunteer training using VBrick during disasters

Methodology Quasi-Experimental Design Posttest Only with Nonequivalent Groups (Cook and Campbell, 1979) Analyzed descriptive statistics across three programs Final program evaluation housed on OhioTRAIN at https://oh.train.org

Results 1 Summative results were based on a 5-point Likert-type rating scale: (5=Strongly agree) (4=Agree) (3=Neutral) (2=Disagree) (1=Strongly Disagree) 63.6% 36.4% 30.9% 39.4% 12.7% 16.9% My preferred learning style is: Face-to-face (F2F) At a distance Hands-on activities Group exercises Mobile technologies 4.400 3.607 The web-based tutorial fulfilled my refresher training needs prior to attending the classroom session. PERCEIVED EASE OF USE (PEOU) 4.700 3.339 The quality of my learning experience was enhanced by using technology. 3.339 Distance delivery fulfilled my training needs. 3.642 I liked being able to complete the ‘Planning P’ tutorial prerequisite via webcast. 4.200 3.375 The webcast/ tutorial was easily accessible from the comfort of my desktop. Psychological First Aid (VBrick) PHN Surge (VBrick) Planning P (Captivate + F2F) Technology-enhanced learning items 1

Results (cont.d) 1 Summative results were based on a 5-point Likert-type rating scale: (5=Strongly agree) (4=Agree) (3=Neutral) (2=Disagree) (1=Strongly Disagree) Good – Very Good Rate the overall quality of the course. 3.392 I consider myself to be an early adopter of learning at a distance. 5.000 I would enroll in another OCPHP distance education course offering. 5.000 I appreciate the self-directed nature of this training opportunity. PERCEIVED USEFULNESS (PU) 4.333 The vodcast provided an opportunity for critical thinking and self-reflection. 4.667 The vodcast broadband quality was appropriate for my learning. 3.667 4.333 4.667 4.333 The following factors influenced my decision to train others in PHN Surge: The webcast format The opportunity to teach other public health nurses The course content The blended learning nature of the course Psychological First Aid (VBrick) PHN Surge (VBrick) Planning P (Captivate + F2F) Technology-enhanced learning items 1

Discussion Continued efforts are needed to right-size the future EMS workforce and the important role of research in accomplishing this end. Dr. Jeff Runge (2008), U.S. Department of Homeland Security, postulates that “…in the future, the gap between supply and demand will drive the economy and federal programs; whereas, research has the power to draw the attention of Congress” (EMS Workforce for the 21 st Century Project, Third Annual Stakeholders Meeting, Washington, D.C.)

Cheryl L. Engle, M.A. Learning Environment Manager Office of Workforce Development College of Public Health The Ohio State University 1212 Kinnear Road Columbus, Ohio 43212 U.S.A. Office: 614.688.4493 [email_address] Contact Information Go Bucks!

References Association of Schools for Public Health. (February, 2008). Confronting the public health workforce crisis: ASPH statement on the public health workforce. Retrieved on the World Wide Web on September 7, 2008 from http://www.asph.org/UserFiles/PHWFShortage0208.pdf . Association of Schools for Public Health. (February 27, 2008). More than 250,000 additional public health workers needed by 2020 to avert public health crisis [Press Release]. Washington, DC. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on September 5, 2008 at http:// www.asph.org/UserFiles/FINALASPHWorkforceRelease.pdf . Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. (2008). State public health employee worker shortage report: A civil service recruitment and retention crisis. Retrieved on the World Wide Web on September 8, 2008 from http://www.astho.org/pubs/Worker-Shortage-Booklet.pdf . Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. (2007). State of public health: Workforce survey results. Retrieved on the World Wide Web on September 8, 2008 from http:// www.astho.org/pubs/WorkforceReport.pdf . Covington, J. and Simpson, D. M. (August, 2006). An overview of disaster preparedness literature: Building blocks for an applied bay area template. University of Louisville Center for Hazards Research and Policy Development. Retrieved from the National Resource Center on Advancing Emergency Preparedness for Culturally Diverse Communities on September 7, 2008 at http://www.diversitypreparedness.org/Topic/Subtopic/Record-Detail/18/pageIndex__8/resourceId__16143/ . Davis, F.D., Bagozzi, R.P., and Warshaw, P.R. (1989). User acceptance of computer technology: a comparison of two theoretical models. Management Science, 35, 982-1002.

References (cont’d.) EMS Workforce for the 21st Century: A national assessment. (2008). Retrieved from the World Wide Web on September 8, 2008 from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at http:// www.nhtsa.dot.gov / . EMS Workforce for the 21st Century Project. (May 8-9, 2008). Third Annual Stakeholder Meeting held in Washington, D.C. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on September 7, 2008 from http://www.ems.gov/portal/site/ems/menuitem.5149822b03938f65a8de25f076ac8789/?vgnextoid=dc4a10d898318110VgnVCM1000002fd17898RCRD . Gebbie, K. Rosenstock, L. and Hernandez, L. (2003). Who will keep the public healthy? Educating public health professionals for the 21st Century. Board on Health Promotion and Prevention, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on September 7, 2008 from http:// www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn =030908542X . Gefen, D. Karahanna, E. and Straub, D. (2003) Trust and TAM in online shopping: an integrated model. MIS Quarterly, 27(1), 51-90. Moore, M.G. (2005). Distance Education: A Systems View, Second, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Stanley, S., Polivka, B., Gordon, D., Taulbee, K. Kieffer, G. and McCorkle, S. (2008). The ExploreSurge trail guide and hiking workshop: Discipline-Specific Education for Public Health Nurses. Public Health Nursing, 25(2), 166-175.

The author would like to acknowledge the support of Dr. Sharon A.R. Stanley and Ms. Nichole R. Lemin from the Ohio Center for Public Health Preparedness; Dr. Marjorie Kukor from the American Red Cross; and Ms. Robin Franz from the Franklin County Medical Reserve Corps for their willingness to implement blended learning strategies in their preparedness and disaster readiness curricula. A special thanks to Ms. Michelle Baker, Graduate Research Associate, from the Office of Workforce Development and Ohio Center for Public Health Preparedness for her dedication and intellectual curiosity in granting my research inquiries. Acknowledgements                                           E-Learn World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, & Higher Education, Las Vegas, Nevada USA, November 17-21, 2008

Protecting Our Own Final

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Protecting Our Own Final