Lab Safety in the Hospital Setting
This scenario-based eLearning experience is a conceptual project designed to help a new laboratory technician make decisions regarding health and safety guidelines successfully in a risk-free environment.
Audience: new laboratory technician at local hospital
Tools Used: Articulate Storyline 360, Vyond, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe AfterEffects, Javascript, Midjourney
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Analysis
I utilized a conglomerate of the SAM and ADDIE model in the design and development of this course beginning with the analysis stages. As a science teacher myself I’m required to complete a lab safety, blood borne pathogen, and sharps training biannually. This coupled with the work of a SME helped me define the following course outcomes:
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Employees will stop bringing food and/or drink into the lab area.
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Employees can accurately identify when to report possible blood borne pathogen transmission.
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Employees will utilize the ideal procedure for handling sharps in the hospital or lab setting.
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Employees will utilize the best disposal receptacle for various lab scenarios as these often vary lab to lab.
I worked with the SME to determine the learner characteristics and learning gaps. We identified the following characteristics:
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More than half of lab techs hold an Assosciate’s degree.
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Nearly a 30% of lab techs hold a Bachelor’s degree.
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Most new lab techs in this program are in their early 20s or early 40s.
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All new lab techs have previously received an extensive training on these safety procedures both in school and in orientation.
Design
Unlike the ADDIE model the SAM model begins prototyping and designing sooner rather than later. I knew I needed at least three scenes to accomplish the stated outcomes. Those scenes included outside the hospital, inside the hospital lab, and a safe food storage area. I began designing outside the hospital.
1. Finding image of local hospital
2. Rmeoving sidewalk/erasing cluds to provide dimension for the scence
3. Using Adoe Illustrator's trace fucntion to create a simple vector version of the image
4. Simplify shapes and shadows/change colors/used blend feature
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​The color design was pulled from the local hospital’s website. Care was given to brand colors first with complementary colors added in.
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Action Mapping
Step #1: Define the Business Goal(s)-The first step for creating an action map is to define the business goal(s). This is the measurable action we hope to see as a direct result of our training
Step #2: Identify the Actions-Here I defined the specific actions learners need to take or perform in order to achieve the business goal we defined in the prior step.
Step #3: Design Practice Activities-Here I brainstormed scenarios that addressed our learning outcomes. Two scenarios were sent to the SME for each goal and the best scenario was included in the diagram below.
Step #4: Identify the Minimally Necessary Information-The final step of action mapping is to identify the minimally necessary information the learner needs to have to successfully complete the action items.
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Develop
I developed simple action sequences utilizing a storyboard and storyline first to begin the iterative process. This allowed me to make dynamic changes before investing extensive resources. The storyboard design was curated to be in line with recommendations to enable learners to “learn by doing”. The course begins with minimal information and plunges the learner into the conversation scenario.
This story-driven approach puts the learner immediately into the “action.” It is more engaging than a traditional approach which simply presents the learner with relevant facts. Medical workers will need to navigate conversations, not recite the definitions of the protocol. For this reason, the scenario focuses on the actual behaviors and decisions that the client wants from the employees.
The Text-Based Storyboard with scenes features question prompts and choices. The correct choice is shown in green, realistic distractors in yellow, and clearly incorrect choices in red. I incorporated a mentor to provide assistance and simulate the guidance of the new employee’s actual lab mentor. The mentor slide is activated when the learner clicks on the mentor circle.
Selecting an incorrect choice would require the learner to try again after filing a health and safety report.
Implementation
I used Articulate Storyline 360 to create an interactive prototype using the visual mockups and storyboard to establish the scenario’s programming. The prototype consisted of the title screen, scenario introduction, mentor introduction, and the first question’s correct and incorrect consequences.
I incorporated smooth fading transitions and crisp animations for each prompt and slide element to maintain narrative immersion. I also prototyped custom animating the initial scene introducing Max and the lab.
With the basic framework for the project established, I shared the prototype seeking feedback on the look, feel, and overall experience of the scenario. The reception was positive and I made minor adjustments to sound effects and javascript animations.
Evaluation
Using xAPI to track learner behaviors enhances the course design and improves future updates.
Answer Tracking: xAPI lets us track every answer a learner selects, not just their final score or pass rate. This way, we can identify which questions are most challenging or which incorrect options are most misleading. Such insights help adjust question difficulty or pinpoint areas needing extra explanation.
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Time Tracking: xAPI also tracks the total time spent on the course and the time spent on each question. This data helps assess the course's difficulty, engagement level, and whether some questions need more contemplation or if quick answers lead to mistakes.
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Resource Use Tracking: Whenever a learner uses a course resource or revisits the course after using these resources, xAPI records this. Analyzing this data shows if and how resource use affects scores and identifies if revising materials improves performance.
Features
The following were featured throughout the project:
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Prescriptive Feedback: For each question, the learner can access a mentor providing prescripting feedback and scaffolding where necessary. For those learners who simply need to demonstrate mastery this allows them to bypass the presentation of information.
Audio Elements but not voiceover: There was consistently positive feedback with regard to the sound effects included. Participants were not interested in voice over effect which increased apathy and disengagement throughout the process.
Confetti Javascript: The use of the confetti animation was a nice touch but shouldn’t be featured in a full size project more than once every two minutes per user feedback.
Gamification: I incorporated the success meter as light gamification to help boost learner engagement and contextualize the progress of the module. A more advanced branching scenario would feature a meter that goes both up and down in order to parallel the intended worker progress report.