Using Adaptive Computer-based Instruction to Teach Staff to Implement a Social Skills Intervention.

Area of Science:

• Behavioral science
• Educational technology
• Applied psychology

Background:

• Effective staff training is crucial for delivering social skills interventions.
• Traditional training methods may not always be scalable or accessible.
• Computer-based training offers potential for standardized and flexible learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Train-to-Code (TTC) software for teaching social skills intervention administration.
• To assess if TTC can improve staff competency in implementing intervention procedures.
• To explore the potential of TTC for distance training applications.

Main Methods:

• An adaptive, computer-based training software (Train-to-Code) was utilized.
• Participants learned to identify effective and ineffective video models of intervention steps.
• A multiple-probe across participants design compared pre- and post-training in vivo probes.

Main Results:

• All participants demonstrated increased scores from pre-training to post-training.
• The Train-to-Code software successfully taught the administration of the social skills intervention.
• Participant performance improved, indicating software effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Train-to-Code is an effective tool for training staff in social skills intervention administration.
• The internet-based nature of TTC supports its use in distance training scenarios.
• Results have implications for improving staff training in applied community settings.