Online training: perceptions and experience

COVID-19 created unique challenges and Health Services Laboratories (HSL), in partnership with UCL, supported the government’s response to the pandemic through the development of a COVID-19 PCR test and creation of a purpose built COVID-19 testing laboratory. The creation of this new laboratory resulted in large-scale recruitment of a new group of staff, who would all need to be trained and be competent in a matter of several weeks.  Made even more challenging due to the training needing to take place while the laboratory space was still being built.

                A training programme was developed consisting of instructional videos demonstrating both the use of a safety cabinet and the various stages of the COVID-19 test. Each topic had an online course available on our workplace Learning Management System ‘Sonic Learn’. Staff were required to complete these online courses before attending a ‘practice laboratory’ where they then had a chance to undertake the procedure in a safe environment under direct supervision.

                The traditional approach to laboratory training can often be captured by the familiar phrase ‘see one, do one, teach one’. A trainee observes a process, while the trainer explains the steps and principles behind the process. They then move on to perform the process themselves under direct supervision of the trainer, and then undergo a competence cycle

                I aimed to review the use of these instructional videos within laboratory training with the anticipated benefit that use of this type of multimedia would reduce the resource needed to train staff.

                Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning¹ which states that people learn better from a combination of words and pictures, rather than words alone, provided the theoretical framework for this study. This theory embeds three assumptions about how an individual receives and assimilates information; these are:

• Dual-Channel assumption – information processed via two channels, the visual (eyes) channel, and the auditory (ears) channel.

• Limited Capacity assumption – can a limited amount of information at any one time be processed in any channel?
• Active Processing assumption – humans engage in active cognitive processes to create connections between the information they have received.

 

Understanding the principles of this learning theory is important when designing multimedia content and evaluating its effectiveness. The Dual Channels assumption reminds designers that multimedia content can include both audio and visual elements, as information presented solely in a visual or audio format does not enable the learner to engage with the content effectively. However, the Limited Capacity assumption, where learners are limited in the amount of information they can process at any given time, warns against presenting too much information at once. A learner can either read text or watch a procedure but cannot do both at the same time; this cognitive overload can result in reduced learning, and this situation is described as the ‘split-attention effect’.²

                Putting this theory of learning into the context of laboratory training, it is not proposed that a state of competence can be achieved through multimedia learning alone, but research has shown this to offer the best learning gains when used as part of a blended learning approach.^3,4

                Following a process of informed consent, participants who had completed the online courses were asked to complete an online questionnaire and participate in a semi-structured interview to gather their experiences and view of these courses.

 

 

A summary of key points

Accessibility – 100% of participants to the question confirmed they had no issues accessing the videos. This supported the choice of using Sonic Learn as the delivery mode for this learning.

Length of Videos – The duration of the videos in this study ranged from 2 minutes 53 seconds to 5 minutes 14 seconds (mean 4 minutes 26 seconds). Participants overwhelmingly stated that the length of the videos was ‘just right’.

Confidence – Participants, in response to the question ‘How helpful did you find these videos?’ demonstrated a consistent opinion that they were very helpful.

Resource – Participants were asked if they thought completing the course reduced the amount of face-to-face training they needed to be competent. Results indicated a majority thought the videos did reduce the amount of face-to-face training needed. However, it was widely felt that this could only ever support face-to-face training, and not replace it

                Based on the conclusions drawn from the data above, it was possible to propose a revised training and competence cycle including the use of instructional videos. This study showed that the timing and placement of instructional videos within the training cycle is crucial, and I have shown that they are best used as a preparatory activity prior to undertaking practical training.

Wendy Leversuch CSci FIBMS

 

References

1. Mayer RE. Multimedia Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021.
2. Mayer R E, Moreno R.  Nine ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia learning. Educational Psychologist 2003; 38 (1): 43–52. doi: 10.1207/S15326985EP3801_6.
3. De Vries LE, May M. Virtual laboratory simulation in the education of laboratory technicians–motivation and study intensity. Biochem Mol Biol Educ 2019; 47 (3): 257–62. doi: 10.1002/bmb.21221.
4. Smith CL, Coleman SK, Ferrier C. Employer and work-based student perceptions of virtual laboratory teaching and assessment resources. Work Based Learning e-Journal International 2019; 8 (1): 53–70 (http://wblearning-ejournal.com/currentIssue/4%20Smith%20amended%20final.pdf)

 

 

About Wendy Leversuch

Wendy Leversuch is a biomedical scientist who initially specialised in haematology and blood transfusion before moving into the field of education and training. Wendy has worked as a training officer in the laboratory, as the Deputy Head of Education at the IBMS, before moving to Sonic Healthcare UK, which provides pathology services across 20 sites to both the NHS and private sector as the Head of Learning and Development. Wendy’s current area of interest is in how the use of eLearning can be used to support laboratory training.