Title: Curriculum Enhancement Tool for Promoting Teaching of Evidence-Based Practice
1Curriculum Enhancement Tool for Promoting
Teaching of Evidence-Based Practice
- A Presentation on Research and Empirical
Applications for Curriculum Enhancement in Social
Work (REACH-SW) - Laurie Brockmann, MSW, MPH
- March 17, 2009
2Brief Background
- The growing focus across health and human service
professions on evidence-based practicedriven by
policymakers, payers, consumers, and
professionalsprovides strong incentives for
social workers to make better use of research
methods and findings to enhance their social work
practice. - Social work schools cannot begin to train
students in every evidence-based intervention. - REACH-SW is designed to help educators provide
students with the skills and experience to
incorporate evidence-based practice into all
aspects of their practice.
3Three Interactive CD-ROMs
- Instructors of Bachelors-Level Students Edition
- Instructors of Masters-Level Students Edition
- Advanced Doctoral Students or New Instructors
Edition - Objective To support social work faculty in
teaching students lifelong skills needed to find,
assess, and apply EBP in real-world settings.
4REACH-SW .
- Supports social work faculty in helping students
to - Understand importance, value, benefits, and
limitations of evidence-based practice (EBP)
approaches - Learn how to conduct EBP as a process (Gibbs
7-step model) in real-world settings - Learn how to find, evaluate, implement, and adapt
evidence-based interventions - Develop critical thinking skills as a lifelong
learner - Increase scientific literacy
- Infuse evidence-based practice into every course
5Product Demonstration
- Presenting REACH-SW for Instructors of
- Masters-Level Students
6Module Content
- REACH-SW defines evidence-based practice as the
integration of the best research evidence with
client values and the practitioners individual
expertise. - Module Content is structured around Gibbs (2003)
seven steps to conducting EBP in social work. - Four Module Content sections provide information
and knowledge to effectively and appropriately
integrate EBP content into courses. - Module 1 Defining Research Evidence
- Module 2 Finding Research Evidence
- Module 3 Assessing Research Evidence
- Module 4 Applying Research Evidence
7Infusion Approach
- REACH-SW provides faculty the background
information they need to know to effectively
teach the application of EBP within a variety of
social work courses, including - Micro and Macro Practice
- HBSE Foundations
- Program Evaluation
- Policy Analysis
- Introduction to Social Work Practice
- Advanced Social Work Practice
- Introduction to Social Work Research, and many
others - REACH-SW materials are not intended to be used
solely in research methods classes or courses
whose core topic is EBP
8REACH-SW and Infusion
- New content (e.g., EBP content using REACH-SW
resources) can be infused into social work
foundation courses in a variety of places, such
as - Course descriptions
- Course objectives
- Course outlines
- Lecture outlines
- Class assignments/activities
9Module Content
- The four Module Content sections function as a
comprehensive, module-based tutorial for faculty
to provide background information and knowledge
to effectively and appropriately integrate EBP
content into courses. - Each Module Content Includes
- Overview of Module
- Learning objectives
- Text and video case examples
- Links to relevant Module Resources
10Four Modules
- Module 1 Defining Research Evidence
- Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Defined
- The Benefits of Using EBP in Social Work Practice
- Historical Development of EBP as it Relates to
Social Work - Module 2 Finding Research Evidence
- Define a Research-to-Practice Question
- Plan for and Conduct a Search of Evidence and
Literature - Conduct a Document Search
11Four Modules, cont.
- Module 3 Assessing Research Evidence
- Hierarchy of Evidence
- Evidence Credibility
- Reading Research Reports
- Clinical Significance of Evidence
- Applicability of Evidence to Current Practice
Situation - Module 4 Applying Research Evidence
- Applying Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Processes
- Evidence-Based Interventions (EBI)
- Communicating With Clients About EBP
- Organization and Systemic Issues to Consider When
Implementing EBP - Using Research Evidence to Inform Practice
12Module Resources
- Each Module Resources section holds dozens of
interactive activities and resources to promote
faculty infusing the module content into existing
courses (core/foundation and elective courses). - Faculty are encouraged to download and customize
for use in their courses. - Each Module Resources Section Includes
- Video case vignettes
- PowerPoint slide presentations
- Lecture notes
- Student assignments
- Handouts
- Case examples
- Classroom activities
13Project Team
- Funded by National Institute of Mental Health
- Content Development Partners
- Joan Zlotnik, Anita Rosen
- Advisory Panel
- Edward Mullen, Enola Proctor, Wynne Sandra Korr,
Mary Ruffolo, Betsy Schafer Vourlekis - Special Project Advisors/Trainers
- Edward Mullen, Aron Shlonsky, Catherine Tompkins
- Guest Editors and Module Authors
- Edward Mullen, Enola Proctor, Phyllis Solomon,
Deborah Gioia, John Brekke, Haluk Soydan - Organizational Partners
- BPD, CSWE, GADE, IASWR, NADD, SSWR
14Supplemental In-Person Training Workshop
Department-Wide Training
- Entire faculty (or large subset) are trained on
use of REACH-SW at their campus. - This option has been used in context of larger
curriculum overhaul/revision. - Past trainers have been Ed Mullen and Aron
Shlonsky. - We work with department or school ahead of time
to customize training to desired objectives and
meet unique needs of faculty and school.
15The REACH-SW Training Experience
Department-Wide TrainingCollege of Social Work,
University of Tennessee November 2007Karen
Sowers, Ph.D. Dean and ProfessorUniversity of
TennesseeCollege of Social Work
16Training Participant Testimonials
- It was great to learn something new to help
demystify EBP and incorporate it into our
curriculum. - Hope you guys are getting great feedback on the
project. Im enjoying it. It just makes me think
and approach courses differently already. - Overall, this was the best training Ive been to
this year. Thank you!
17REACH-SW Evaluation
- N 35 Instructors from diverse Social Work
programs around the nation - N 243 Students (B.S.W. and M.S.W.)
- Study Group Assignments for Faculty
- Self-Guided Instruction CD-ROM only (no
in-person training) - Individual Training CD-ROM individual training
session - Training-of-Trainer CD-ROM ToT Training
- Control Group No REACH-SW materials
18Participating ProgramsMore than 150 applications
from faculty at programs around the nation for 35
spots
- University of Texas at Austin
- Methodist University
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Southern University
- Arizona State University
- Florida Atlantic University
- Florida State University
- Springfield College
- Southern Ct. Sate University
- NC State University
- University of Hawaii
- Smith College
- Boise State University
- Univ. of North Carolina Wilmington
- Calif. State University Long Beach
- Ohio State University
- Portland State University
- Missouri State University
- New York University
- Bennett College for Women
- University of Maryland at Baltimore
- California University of Pennsylvania
- Simmons College
- University of Chicago
- Loma Linda University
- University of South Florida
- University of Denver
- San Jose State University
- University of Central Missouri
- Edinboro University
- Savannah State University
- Hawaii Pacific University
- Hunter College
- University of Minnesota
- University of Tennessee
- Hunter College
19Student Participants
- N 243 (up to 9 students from each of the 35
participating instructors) - n 187 experimental n 56 control participants
- 64 B.S.W and 36 M.S.W. students
- Mean age of 29 years (SD 8.1) (range 19 to 58
years) - 89 female
- 56 Caucasian, 20.3 African American, 11.6
Latino/Latina, 4.6 Asian, 1.7 American Indian,
5.8 did not specify
20Student Knowledge About EBP
- Students in experimental groups demonstrated
larger increases in knowledge from pretest to
posttest compared to controls (p lt .05). - 2. Students in all experimental groups
demonstrated significant increases in knowledge
from pretest to posttest (p lt .01). No one
REACH-SW training modality demonstrated a greater
impact on student knowledge than another.
21Faculty Pre/Post Measures
- Faculty Knowledge of EBP
- Faculty Self-Efficacy for Teaching EBP
- Faculty Feedback on REACH-SW (experimental only)
- REACH-SW Tracking Survey (experimental only)
22Instructor Results Knowledge of EBP
Time 1 Pretest Mean (SD) Time 2 Posttest Mean (SD) Variance Between Times 1 and 2 Mean (SD)
Self-guided 13.75 (1.83) 15.13 (2.30) 1.37 (3.66)
Individual 12.78 (1.79) 15.00 (2.24) 2.14 (1.86)
Training-of-trainer 12.00 (2.45) 15.00 (3.50) 3.00 (2.18)
Experimental (combined) 12.81 (2.10) 15.04 (2.68) 2.21 (2.67)
Control 10.89 (1.90) 11.78 (1.20) 0.89 (2.37)
23Self-Efficacy for Teaching EBP
Time 1 Pretest Mean (SD) Time 2 Posttest Mean (SD) Variance Between Times 1 and 2 Mean (SD)
Self-guided 891.25 (354.90) 1163.75 (150.80) 272.50 (249.67)
Individual 833.75 (166.04) 1012.86 (163.68) 216.67 (145.01)
Training-of-trainer 836.67 (418.63) 1055.56 (175.22) 86.25 (236.34)
Experimental (combined) 853.20 (322.34) 1079.17 (169.22) 189.55 (226.49)
Control 996.67 (129.13) 1046.67 (157.96) 50.00 (156.60)
24Instructor Impressions
Item Mean (SD) Agree or Strongly Agree
The information presented on the CD-ROM is clear and easy to follow. 4.5 (0.6) 95.9
The information presented on the CD-ROM is comprehensive. 4.3 (0.9) 79.2
The CD-ROM is applicable to curricula in existing social work courses. 4.4 (0.6) 95.8
The CD-ROM is appropriate for use with social work students at this level. 4.3 (0.6) 95.8
The information and activities on the CD-ROM can be easily integrated into existing social work courses. 4.3 (0.8) 91.6
The CD-ROM would help instructors teach social work students about evidence-based practice. 4.4 (0.6) 91.6
The CD-ROM would help students learn about evidence-based practice. 4.5 (0.6) 95.8
The CD-ROM helps me feel more comfortable teaching about evidence-based practice. 4.4 (0.9) 87.5
As an instructor, I would use the CD-ROM with social work students. 4.5 (0.8) 87.5
I would recommend the CD-ROM to other social work instructors. 4.6 (0.8) 91.6
- Note The Feedback Questionnaire uses a 5-point
Likert scale with possible responses ranging from
1 to 5. Four is agree and 5 is strongly
agree. All items are coded in the positive
direction so higher scores indicate more positive
feedback.
25Barriers/Logistical Difficulties
- Of the 390 weekly instructor reports (26
instructors x 15 weeks in the semester 405), we
received only 19 reports of any barriers or
difficulties instructors faced regarding use of
REACH-SW materials inside or outside the
classroom. Reported barriers included - Not having enough prep time to infuse REACH-SW
into courses - Not having enough class time to use REACH-SW
materials with students - Belief that REACH-SW content did not suit the
elective courses taught (reported only twice) - Most frequently reported
26Evaluation Results
- REACH-SW is a user-friendly tool that instructors
can readily use to effectively infuse EBP content
and principles into bachelors and masters
social work curricula. - Little formal training or technical assistance is
required, but such added support may be useful to
some in developing infusion skills and being able
to practice infusing content. - Instructors who use REACH-SW find content to be
highly applicable to curricula, appropriate for
students use, and easily integrated into course
materials.
27Evaluation Results, cont.
- Students whose instructors use REACH-SW materials
in their courses may learn and retain more
information about EBP than those whose
instructors do not use the program. - Faculty who use the REACH-SW may learn more about
EBP and experience higher levels of self efficacy
for teaching EBP than those who do not use the
program.
28To Purchase CDs, Request Trainings, or For More
Information
- See me after the presentation
- REACH-SW CDs on display
- Brochures and pricing lists available
- Visit Web site at www.danya.com/reach
- Order REACH-SW at this site, find information on
future trainings, or request a training - E-mail or call
- REACH-SW_at_danya.com
- Cynthia Baker, Ph.D., REACH-SW PI, (301) 404-7101
- Laurie Brockmann, M.S.W., M.P.H., (301) 910-1404
29Pricing
- Individual REACH-SW Program 150
- Choose CD-ROM (BSW, MSW or New Instructors
Edition), includes Users Guide - Complete REACH-SW CD-ROM set of 3 400
- 3 CD-ROMs BSW, MSW and New Instructors Edition,
includes 3 Users Guides - Bulk pricing available (as low as 90/CD)
- Department-wide trainings pricing varies by site,
number of faculty, and trainers - Pricing available upon request
30Q AThank you for your attention.