Impact of e-learning and role play-based training on psychology students' communication skills: a feasibility study

Given the importance of communication skills in the psychologist-patient relationship, several training programs have been proposed. Cumulative microtraining (CMT) has shown positive impacts on communication skills in previous studies.

The aim of this naturalistic pre-post study was to test the feasibility of a hybrid CMT program and obtain preliminary data on its impact on communication skills in French-speaking third-year psychology students. The training included an e-learning curriculum and role plays. Pre-post measures included recorded peer-to-peer role plays and self-assessments by participants themselves using the Calgary Cambridge Grid (n = 38) and assessed by an independent rater (n = 29) with a checklist focused on objective behaviors and the CARE questionnaire measuring perceived empathy.

The results showed increases in most communication skills at different levels. Summarizing, paraphrasing, and structuring skills were significantly increased after training (all P ≤ 0.001), as were self-reported measurements (all P < 0.001), and empathy and confidence assessed by an independent rater (all p < 0.05).

This study provides new evidence on the impact of CMT, including e-learning and role plays, on both self-rated assessments and assessments by an independent rater who measured communication and empathy in a population of French-speaking students. These findings highlight the importance of implementing such instruction in initial training despite the cost involved. It demonstrates the feasibility of its inclusion in university curriculum, facilitated by the adaptation of theoretical aspects of teaching in e-learning.