Building Prevention Capacity Using Online Conferencing

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Building Prevention Capacity Using Online
Conferencing

• Wendi L. Siebold, MA, MPH
• Senior Research Associate
• EMT Associates, Inc.
• 1752 NW Market Street, 402
• Seattle, Washington 98107

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Focus for Today

• Learn specific ways to utilize online training as
  a prevention capacity-building tool across long
  distances
• Understand ways that online learning can
  facilitate project collaboration between rural
  and urban communities

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Basics of Online Conferencing

• What, when and how to use it

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What is Online Conferencing?

• Online technologies provide the ability to
  participate in training courses and discussion
  groups with a live trainer or consultant directly
  from the participants own computer
• Also provides the ability to have up to 15
  students in a virtual classroom or hundreds of
  attendees in a meeting

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Effectiveness of Online Conferencing

• Online meetings and trainings are
• Accessible
• Understandable
• Helpful for building stakeholder relationships
• Useful for building their knowledge and skills
• Useful to their work

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Going Green

• Automatic calculator tracks CO2, cost, and travel
  reductions accrued by meeting online rather than
  traveling

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When To Use Online Conferencing

• Use on a project-by-project basis, and objectives
  are tailored to the needs of each project.
• In general, online conferencing has the following
  objectives
• Participant learning of new skills and knowledge
• Facilitate collaboration between project partners
• Utilize a mixed learning style environment to
  facilitate increased capacity building

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When To Use Online Conferencing

• Large meetings
• www.emtevents.org can host up to 1000
  participants at one time.
• Good for distributing information to large
  groups.
• Use the chat feature for feedback and
  discussion.
• Small meetings
• www.emtlive.org can host up to ___ participants.
• Good for more interactive conversations, shared
  web or document browsing.

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Connecting Rural Communities

• Using online conferencing for smaller group
  meetings and collaboration

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Connecting Rural Communities

• The accessibility of online conferencing makes it
  an ideal tool for rural and isolated settings
• Connects across geographically isolated
  communities
• Allows for meetings that would otherwise be
  canceled due to budget limitations (e.g.,
  government partners)
• When connected with other online networking sites
  (like SharePoint or My Prevention Community), it
  is a cost-effective way for practitioners to
  access resources and build relationships
  nationwide

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Connecting Rural Communities

• The myth of inaccessibility
• Rural communities are often the most well
  connected to the internet cable and internet
  are a lifeline to the outside world
• Internet usage can play an important role in
  building social capital in rural communities
• Outages happen, but they are rare
• Dillingham, Alaska compared to Kiana, Alaska

For more info see Cook-Craig, P., Lane, K.,
Siebold, W. (Submitted). Building the Capacity of
States to Ensure Inclusion of Rural Communities
in State and Local Primary Violence Prevention
Planning. Journal of Family Social Work.
Stern, M. and Adams, A. , 2008-07-28 "Do Rural
Residents Really Use the Internet to Build Social
Capital? An Empirical Investigation" Paper
presented at the annual meeting of the Rural
Sociological Society, Radisson Hotel-Manchester,
Manchester, New Hampshire. 2009-05-23 from
http//www.allacademic.com/meta/p238616_index.html
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Highlights From EMTs Rural Projects

• EMT is using online conferencing to build the
  capacity of prevention practitioners and
  stakeholders across Alaska, Montana and
  Washington

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What type of projects?

• Alaska Montana
• Domestic violence prevention project builds
  preventing planning and evaluation capacity of
  local domestic violence agencies, community
  coalitions, and state coalitions
• Washington
• Convening statewide advisory group of domestic
  violence agency Executive Directors to review and
  revise state standards for emergency shelters

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How was it used?
Seattle

• Monthly Coordinator Calls (6 locations per
  meeting)
• Monthly Technical Assistance Trainings
• Quarterly State Steering Committee Meetings
• Special Workgroup Meetings

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What capacities were built?

• How to conduct a local and state needs assessment
• How to interpret local and federal data
• Writing goals and outcome statements
• Developing logic models
• Introduction to process and outcome evaluation
• Introduction to survey design and data collection
• Organizational capacity-building for prevention
• Asset Mapping Explanation and Examples
• Group Facilitation Methods An Overview
• Introduction to Getting to Outcomes and
  Empowerment Evaluation

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Coolest features of these trainings

• Interactive graphics highlighter and pointer
• Shared web browser
• Record the meeting
• Cache of meeting resources and materials to link
  to later (connect with SharePoint or My
  Prevention Community)
• Pictures brought us together
• Chat builds community and keeps participants
  engaged

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Pictures and Live Streaming
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Chat
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Connecting to SV Prevention
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What did workgroups do?

• Viewed internet data sources for prevalence
  statistics and demographic data
• Revised goals and outcomes of state prevention
  plan
• Viewed example prevention curricula and campaign
  materials
• Reviewed table of data sources and evaluation
  measures
• Hosted guest speakers and expert trainers

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How was it used?

• Reviewed findings from statewide data collection
• Reviewed draft revisions to state standards
• Project updates and debriefing

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Tips and Resources
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Tips

• Pictures of participants are mandatory for small
  meetings
• Use all the bells and whistles (major strength of
  online conferencing)
• The leader of the call needs to be familiar with
  the features of the technology
• The call is only as good as the expectations set
  for it
• Helps to have one facilitator (to engage in
  conversation) and one organizer (to field
  technical questions on the side)
• Dont over explain the technology train your
  group and go from there

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Tips

• Always make a hard copy of the meeting materials
  available prior to the meeting. Consider
  numbering the presentation slides.
• Tell participants if you are recording the
  meeting, and how they can access the recording
  later
• Remind people they can access meeting materials
  from their invitation (and follow-up) emails
• Keep slides simple, pictures are okay

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EMT Media

• Go to www.emtmedia.org for training video clips
  you can embed into your personal website (even
  FB!)
• iLinc offers trainings
• www.emtevents.org can host up to 1000
  participants at one time

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Questions?
Contact information Wendi Siebold, Ph.D.
Candidate 206-962-0260 wendi_at_emt.org