Predictors of Attrition for a Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) Blended Learning Training Program

• NCJ Number: 249372
• Author(s): Debra Patterson, Stella Resko
• Date Published: January 2015
• Length: 10 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: Delivery and Evaluation of Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) Training Programs

Annotation

Since participant attrition is a major concern for online continuing education health care courses, the current study sought to identify factors that predicted health care professionals completing the online component of a sexual assault forensic examiner (SAFE) blended learning training program (12-week online course and 2-day in-person clinical skills workshop).

Abstract

Results indicate that 79.3 percent of the enrolled professionals completed the online component. The study also found that clinicians who work in rural communities and those who were interested in a 2-day clinical skills workshop were more likely to complete the online course. In terms of when attrition occurred, the study found that participants who were motivated by the 2-day clinical workshop, those who worked in a rural community, and participants interested in the training program because of its online nature were more likely to complete more of the online course. Blending an online course with a brief in-person clinical component may serve as a motivator for completing an online course, because it provides the opportunity to develop clinical skills while receiving immediate feedback. Participant attrition appears to be less of a concern for rural clinicians because this modality can reduce their barriers to accessing continuing education. The study used a Web-based survey to examine participant characteristics, motivation, and external barriers that may influence training completion. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to examine the predictors of training completion, and the Cox proportional hazards (Cox PH) regression model helped determine the factors associated with the timing of participant attrition. (Publisher abstract modified)