Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-12-2018
Department 1
Management
Abstract
Preparing competent staff is a critical issue within the camp community. This quasi-experimental study examined the effectiveness of an online course for improving staff competency in camp healthcare practices among college-aged camp staff and a comparison group (N = 55). We hypothesized that working in camp would increase competency test scores due to opportunities for staff to experientially apply knowledge learned online. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyse the cross-level effects of a between-individuals factor (assignment to experimental or comparison group) and within-individual effects of time (pre-test, post-test #1, and post-test #2) on online course test scores. At post-test #2, the difference in average test scores between groups was ~30 points, with the treatment group scoring lower on average than the comparison group. Factors that may have influenced these findings are explored, including fatigue and the limited durability of online learning. Recommendations for research and practice are discussed.
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
DOI
10.1080/14729679.2018.1488147
Version
Post-print
Recommended Citation
Garst, Barry. A., Gagnon, Ryan. J., and Brawley, Alice. M. "Efficacy of Online Training for Improving Camp Staff Competency." Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning (2018).
Required Publisher's Statement
The original article can be found on the publisher's website: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14729679.2018.1488147