SELF-STUDIES: DEALING WITH BACKLASH (PART 1)

It is that time of year in our organization-time for everyone to complete all the safety topics and other required information. So, perhaps you will not be surprised when I tell you that I was accosted by an angry manager complaining bitterly about a self-study on delegation that was mandatory for department heads and above. It was too long; each page loaded onto the computer too slowly; the directions were not clear. I was not responsible for this particular self-study, but I went to my computer, got on the intranet, and checked it out. And you know what? She was absolutely correct.

If your organization is like most, it uses self-studies extensively to teach required didactic content such as safety, Joint Commission requirements, basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and so on. Because of financial pressures, many institutions have cut teaching staff, and self-study is a cost-effective method for getting information to employees. Not only are you not paying an instructor, you also do not have to pay staff to attend class or pay someone to replace them while they attend.

It sounds great, but unfortunately, the problems associated with self-studies can be serious. If you have ever conducted tests of learning styles (there are several tools available), you discovered that many people-and the majority of nurses-learn best from hands-on/demonstration/practice approaches. Being lectured to or reading written material scores much lower in effectiveness. In fact, in every hospital group I have ever assessed, reading written material tested dead last among all the learning styles. (Just so you know, I have no axe to grind here, I was one of the few people tested who actually learn best from and enjoy reading self-study materials.)

Since there is little chance in eliminating the financial stresses leading to increased self-study use, how can we overcome the expressed dislike of and difficulties with the self-study method? I believe that there are three variables that have great impact:

1. Length

2. Clarity

3. Making technology work for you

Length. Especially when writing self-studies that cover required safety topics, length is always a balancing act. If you create a short lesson for each topic, the employee logs on to a daunting list of things to be completed. (I say log on because most organizations have put these studies on computer, but a long paper index is just as daunting.) If you combine topics (e.g., electrical safety/fire safety or disaster management/hazardous materials), you run the risk of ending up with pages and pages of unbroken information.

As ho-hum as it sounds, starting with clear objectives can keep the self-study on target and as brief as possible. List only what has to be covered-there is no more vital place for "need to know, not nice to know." Then, write only the information required to meet those objectives. This sounds ridiculously basic until you read almost any self-study ever written (yes, I am including ones I have done also). Each of us is tempted to add some interesting tidbits that we found fascinating; won't everyone be equally fascinated? So, we succumb to temptation and end up with longer and longer self-studies leading to bored learners. I admit that I favor more shorter studies than fewer longer ones. I would rather hear employees say, "There were a lot, but they went fast" than hear complaints about having to slog through too many pages per study, but that is a personal thing.

Clarity. After cutting the information to an absolute minimum, lay it out page by page on a computer or by spreading pages on a table-however you best visualize things. Presenting information clearly involves layout, organization, and reading level. Short paragraphs, bulleted lists, and keeping multisyllabic words to a minimum-we all know the basics (and yet how easy it is to forget some of them when in the throes of composition). As you review the content you have written, lay it out in the most logical, concise way you can. Double check for clarity and flow as ruthlessly as you check spelling and grammar. Please do not rely on spelling programs or any other computer tool to do this. They are far from foolproof, as many of us have discovered to our embarrassment. Once the final content and organization are perfect, have the self-study read by fellow educators and a few members of the target audience-and ask for ruthless feedback. Then, take it home and ask a member of your family with no hospital experience to read it. If the content is clear and understandable to all your reviewers, you probably have a winner.

In the next column, we will talk about the use of technology to add interest to self-studies, as well as some of the pitfalls attached to its use. Until then, best of luck with all your self-studies.