Abstract:

Behavioral health care professionals often tend to avoid implementing evidence-based research into practice. Many practitioners are exposed to evidence-based practice through infrequent experiences with continuing education events. Continuing education serves as the primary modality for updating information to substance abuse treatment providers. Many providers attend these sessions because they are required to, and use these sessions as opportunities to socialize rather than learn. Thus, addiction research remains largely isolated from those it is intended to inform. Implementing an internet-based learning modality as a continuing education option for behavioral health practitioners will help bridge the gap between the findings of evidence-based practice and the dissemination of knowledge to practitioners. During the Fall, 2009 semester a study was conducted by recruiting undergraduate students from entry-level psychology courses to participate in one of two randomly assigned conditions. In the experimental condition the subjects (n=50) were exposed to an internet-based session in which they received education via the computer about the foundations of addiction. The control group (n=50) received the same information in typical lecture format. The internet-based sessions contained the same material as the lecture format, and were created using presentation software known as Viewlet Builder 6 (Qarbon Software). All subjects were given a pre-test prior to exposure to the information and a follow-up post-test. Data were analyzed using a 2 Way ANOVA. The statistical analyses tested the basic hypothesis that information is transmitted at least as well using the internet as in conference format. Subjects were also given exit interviews. Based on both quantitative and qualitative data, necessary adjustments were made to the internet-based training and conference format. Data analysis using SPSS-X indicated that in all cases, post-test scores were significantly higher than pre-test scores, indicating that both forms of education were effective. Additionally, it was found that subjects in the Internet-based groups had post-test scores comparable to those in the lecture group. These findings indicate that the use of Internet-based training is as effective as the traditional conference format.

In the spring of 2010, a follow-up study with a similar framework will be conducted. Addiction counselors will be recruited from Partner Agencies. They will be randomly assigned to either attend a Continuing Education Forum or engage in Internet-based programs providing access to the same information. Subjects will be given a pre-test and a post-test. It is hypothesized that the subjects in the internet-based condition will learn more efficiently, and be more likely to implement new information. In the first experiment, the expectation was that the two groups would learn equally well. In Experiment 2 it is felt that the Internet–Based Group will learn more efficiently since they are attending to material in an interactive form, with no opportunity to socialize instead. Additionally, the providers in the Internet group will have the opportunity to go back to the online material after completion of the study, making it more accessible, and more readily used. As a result of this study, it is hoped that internet-based learning will become a more commonly used method of continuing education for behavioral health care providers.

Keywords:

Learning, Internet, Continuing education.