SBIR-STTR Award

Barriers related to time, cost, and fidelity continues to impede the adoption and effective implementation of evidence-based substance use prevention curricula. To promote effective use of evidence-based programs by educators in schools, Keneko Communications will create a prototype of a skills-based teacher training CD-ROM to implement Keepin' It Real, a culturally-based substance use prevention curricula which has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing tobacco, alcohol and marijuana use in middle school youth. The aim of this Phase I project is to establish the technical merit and feasibility of producing and using interactive CD-ROM training and online training support for preparing teachers to implement the Keepin' It Real curriculum with fidelity. Three objectives guide the design: 1) Evaluate the capability and level of interest of schools to use the interactive CD-ROM training and online implementation support; 2) Produce a prototype CD-ROM mini-module to prepare teachers to teach a key skills-based activity from the curriculum; and 3) Evaluate teachers' satisfaction, performance and acceptance of the CD-ROM for teacher training. Twenty teachers will use the CD-ROM. Results of their experience will be collected through paper/pencil surveys and telephone interviews using a structured protocol.

Thesaurus Terms:
DVD /CD ROM, drug abuse education, drug abuse prevention, educational resource design /development, interactive multimedia, substance abuse adolescence (12-20), alcoholism /alcohol abuse prevention, curriculum, marijuana abuse, secondary school, tobacco abuse prevention, training aid clinical research, human subject

When teachers have the comfort, confidence and skills to implement Keepin' It R.E.A.L (KIR), an evidence-based, 10-session drug resistance curriculum, they are more likely to implement with fidelity, therefore increasing the chances of positive student outcomes. However, the reality is that time, travel and cost barriers prevent most teachers from receiving face-to-face skills-based curriculum training and the practice that instructional mastery requires. Training delivered via the World Wide Web or CD-ROM, eliminates the time, travel cost and practice barriers to effective curriculum training. Many current online educator trainings are limited in their effectiveness to teaching knowledge, but not instructional skills, while skills are necessary for effective curriculum implementation. Through innovative development of online training for instructional skill acquisition is the opportunity for high quality modeling, skill discrimination, and practice. Further, training sections can be repeated, even during curriculum implementation. This project will develop Teachin' it REAL (TIR), a skill-based online training to prepare middle school teachers to implement KIR with comfort, confidence, skill and fidelity. A randomized controlled trial will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the online training to prepare teachers to lead KIR with fidelity. Teachers (225) from throughout California will be randomly assigned to one of three experimental training conditions: 1) online training, 2) one-day training, and 3) no training. Teacher comfort, confidence, skill and fidelity while implementing KIR will be measured. Phase I found that teachers and administrators had interest in online training, (specifically CD-ROM) and schools had the technology needed. A prototype was developed to prepare teachers to lead a key activity using one of the essential educator skills to effectively lead the curriculum. A national sample of teachers found the prototype useful and effective. Phase I demonstrated that online teacher training for KIR was technologically, instructionally, and commercially feasible. We expect the teachers in the online training condition to implement KIR with greater fidelity than the one-day and no training teachers. We also expect that teachers will enjoy participating in the training and perceive it as effective. In Phase III, TIR will be marketed to schools and after-school programs using direct catalog mailers, websites and listserves, exhibits at conferences, evidence-based program lists, and white papers