EFFECTIVENESS OF LEARNING CAPSULES IN INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS TRAINING

Introduction:
Learning capsules are audio-visual didactic resources that are currently booming within the teaching community and are intended to be used as a complement to classes or subject notes. In spite of this, there is no consensus in the literature on the denomination of this resource. In addition there are few interventions that evaluate its effectiveness and even less in the nursing environment.

Aim:
To know and analyze the interventions dedicated to evaluate the effectiveness of the learning capsules in the teaching environment, in order to carry out an intervention to the effect and evaluate their ability to improve the learning of students of the Degree in Nursing.

Methodology:
Two-step study:
1) Literature review of the scientific literature between 2008 and 2017 in Dialnet, Scopus and Wos databases.
2) Convergent parallel mixed study, with randomized controlled trial, with an experimental group and a control group and pre-posttest measures and qualitative analysis.

Results:
Phase 1: of the 16 interventions analyzed the satisfaction level was the most widely studied variable, being measured in six occasions, in other cases the variable that was evaluated was the rate of suspended and approved, or even both. In only two cases the video was presented face-to-face in the rest, the videos were available online on virtual platforms. In addition, three of the interventions were developed at a distance, the rest being face-to-face. Phase 2: statistically significant differences (z=-4.448, p=0.000) were found between the empathic mean scores obtained in the pre and posttest measurements in both the experimental group (Mean=1.958, DS=4.035) and in the control group (Mean=1.818, DS=3.174). Likewise, statistically significant differences (z=-4.011; p=0.000) were observed between the posttest empathy scores of the control and experimental groups. In addition, statistically significant differences (z=-2.085; p=0.037) were observed in the mean of the control group (1.42) and experimental (1.75) in the posttest. In contrast, these results were not found for continuous assessment tests in both groups [(z=-1.249, p=0.212), (z=-0.324, p =0.746), (z=-0.638, p=0.524)]. Also in the satisfaction survey, 79.5% of the students agreed that the capsules favored the understanding and acquisition of competences.

Discuss/ Conclusions:
All the interventions analyzed show that the learning capsules are useful for secure knowledge. In our case, we have found that the learning capsules have contributed satisfactorily in the student's learning for the acquisition practical skills, but at the theoretical level no statistically significant differences have been found and therefore it has not been possible to prove their usefulness.