Providing Professional Development through Interactive, Game-Based, E-Learning Modules

Background:

Over recent years, there has been an increase in paraprofessionals providing service to students with disabilities. The literature suggests that training for paraprofessionals about evidence-based practices (EBPs) for students with ASD has been minimal, and when it does occur it tends to be in the form of workshops with little follow-up. The Supporting paraprofessionals-teachers Use of Evidence-base practices with Learners having Autism (STELA) research development grant focuses on developing a professional development model for elementary paraprofessionals working with students with ASD. In Phase 1 of the project, the STELA research team conducted a survey and classroom observations of paraprofessionals to guide initial development of the STELA model.

Objectives:

1. Determine professional development needs and preferences for elementary paraprofessionals working with students with ASD.
2. Examine frequency and fidelity of use of foundational evidence-based practices (EBPs) of paraprofessionals working with students with ASD.
3. Describe how data informed the development of the STELA modules
4. Demonstrate the use of STELA e-learning modules

Methods:

Mixed methods were used to address these questions and inform the iterative development process of the STELA professional development model. The research team collected survey data from 209 elementary paraprofessionals working with students with autism that represented 24 different states/territories across the United States. Research staff observed 20 paraprofessionals’ use of foundational EBPs. They used partial interval coding during a 2-hour observation, noting the presence or absence of each EBP and rating the fidelity of EBPs. The research team examined descriptive data including means, standard deviations, and ranges.

Results:

See Table 1 for a summary of key data from the survey. The survey results showed that 93% of paraprofessionals identify a need for professional development on specific EBPs, but identified limited time (25%) and lack of offered training (22%) as barriers.

Based on proportion of intervals, the paraprofessionals used least to most prompting (mean=51%) and reinforcement (mean = 36%) the most. Paraprofessionals used visual schedules (mean=3%) and visual cues (mean=6% of intervals) less. Time delay was not used by any of the observed paraprofessionals. The paraprofessionals rarely collected data (mean = 3%) or facilitated peer interactions (mean < 1%).See Table 2 for a summary of key data from the classroom observations.

Conclusions:

The research team analyzed the data to develop the initial protocol for the STELA model and prototypes for the targeted EBPs. The STELA model consists of (1) in-person workshops for paraprofessionals and supervising teachers (overview of autism, roles and responsibilities, teaming and communication), (2) e-learning modules that introduce foundational EBPs, and (3) performance feedback cycles between paraprofessionals and supervising teachers. For example, the survey data indicated that e-learning modules needed to be brief, and thus were designed to take 30 minutes. Also, the team used the observation data to determine which EBP steps may have needed more support (e.g., data collection).

Discussions will focus on creating e-learning modules using an iterative, instructional design process through negotiating the balance between feasibility and efficacy and the challenges associated with incorporating feedback while maintaining project timelines.