Internet-based technologies in navigator training and support: A pilot study in the context of secondary stroke prevention

Training new navigators and supporting the continuing education needs of practicing navigators is an essential but time- and staff-intensive process. Using anytime/anywhere, online technologies to engage navigators in learning may enhance program efficiency. Learner participation in training design, however, is a key principle governing the creation of products that will be relevant and useful to target learners. Training developers worked in partnership with two seasoned navigators to create proof-of-concept, problem-based learning scenarios that navigators could access online and review anywhere/anytime from their mobile handheld devices. Scenarios addressed navigation competencies in the context of the navigators' actual experience working with stroke patients in the largely underserved, Washington, DC urban environment. Navigators portrayed themselves in the scenarios, which interwove both English and Spanish language interactions with patients, consistent with the local community. The final product was offered online in a structured format as a video blog. Navigators-in-training viewed the online scenarios and interacted with one another and navigation team members to supplement and enrich in-person mentoring. Scenarios were also uploaded to YouTube as a series of vignettes optimized for anywhere/anytime mobile viewing. Preliminary evaluation data gathered from semi-structured interviews with navigators who interacted with the training scenarios will be presented. Topics addressed include translating navigation competencies to local navigation contexts, “literacy neutrality” and its particular significance in multi-lingual communities, and the development of web-based learning materials using low-cost, readily accessible, media technologies.