20100926 - Harmons, Usability Study of Postconference Online Selfassessment...

A usability study of a postconference online selfassessment program for health care professionals by Harmons, Eric M., M.A., Texas Woman's University, 2005 , 49 pages; AAT 1428775 My Interest: 1) Usability analysis/study. 2) QUIS – Questionnaire User Interface Survey. 3) Phone interview. 4) Post-conference online assessment. 5) Blackboard Academic Suite. Action: To read the Dissertation in the future. Motivation Continuing education (CE) conferences are widely used by professionals for the enhancement of clinical proficiency. Professionals view these types of educational activities as a vital means to enhance their professional practice and maintain clinical competency. The current environment of continuing education conferences revolves around a single-phase (didactic only) approach to learning. Current literature supports the notion of a multi-phased approach to enhance the learning experience for the lifelong learner. Research Goal The purpose of this study was a pilot usability analysis of a post-conference online selfassessment, developed within a Blackboard Academic Suite(TM) (Blackboard) classroom. Methodology The Questionnaire User Interaction Survey (QUIS) and phone interviews were utilized to assess the user interaction satisfaction with completing the self-assessment program. Results Discussion The overall response of participants to the system was a mean of 7.86 (scale from 1--9) across all the categories of usability. Based on the results, the Blackboard system is viewed by healthcare professionals as an effective medium for delivering an online self-assessment. Participants felt the self-assessment provided an effective tool to reflect on the presented material and direct their learning. Comments: Softcopy Dissertation is scanned version; cannot copy and paste; difficult to blog about it.