Using Streaming Video to Build Micro-Skills for Sexual Health Educators Sexual risk behaviors continue to place adolescents at risk for HIV infection, other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unintended pregnancy. U.S. adolescents account for nearly 50% of the cases of STIs each year, which is unsurprising given that only 59% of teens report using a condom at last sex. In the effort to reduce teen pregnancy, HIV and STIs a variety of evidence-based interventions and promising curricula are being implemented in schools across the U.S. with sex and/or HIV education mandated in 37 states. Regardless of the curriculum, the quality of the instructor skills to lead the curriculum activitie is vital. Unfortunately, nearly one third of teachers responsible for sexuality education report receiving no training in this area and the vast majority of those who teach sexuality education are not sexuality educators (physical education teachers actually account for the largest number of those providing sexuality education). This Phase I SBIR project will address this critical gap i the training of educators by developing and testing a highly focused micro-skills video library and learning-community (SkillFlix) to build and support the skills sex educators need to lead teen pregnancy prevention and HIV prevention programs effectively. The subscription-based, mobile friendly, site will provide video modeling of critical educator micro-skills in a way that i highly engaging, instructionally sound, and encourages repeat and continued use for reinforcement. When complete, the site will include more than 1,000 video clips, grouped into skill clusters, such as engaging youth in sensitive discussions, managing difficult behaviors, monitoring small group work, creating a safe and inclusive learning environment, that each visually demonstrate a micro-skill in 30 seconds - 2 minutes. Other features include tailored video recommendations, accompanying instructions and printable learning materials, like and comment functions, a learning community that allows user video upload and encourages educators to constructively assess the skills demonstrated in the video. Phase I will test feasibility by: 1) conducting formative research to further understand the needs of educators; 2) developing the content for 50 micro-skills within two skill clusters and producing the associated videos; 3) developing the prototype subscription based web site, including establishing the technology infrastructure; and 4) conducting a pilot evaluation to determine possible impact of the resource on skills with a small number of educators. In phase II the project will complete development of additional videos, add features such as learning groups-moderated groups of educators who can upload their skills in action and get reviews and guidance from other educators. Phase II will conclude with a large scale evaluation of the resource in real world settings, in which the resource is provided to teachers nationwide and their skills are evaluated in comparison to a control group of educators.
While the rate of teen pregnancy in the U.S. is on the decline, it is still one of the highest in the developed world. Although 15-24 year olds are only 25% of the U.S. sexually active population, they account for nearly 50% of the 19 million new cases of STIs each year, with only 60% of sexually active 15-19 year olds reporting condom use at last intercourse. Prevention programs can reduce rates of sexual intercourse, unprotected sexual intercourse, and teen pregnancy among youth. However, effectiveness of these programs rely on effective program implementation which in turn is partially dependent on the training and skills of the educator facilitating the program. Teachers are not routinely trained on the topic during credentialing and most have not been trained on the skills required for implementation of the complex elements of these types of programming, possibly reducing program impact. This project, SkillFlix, will teach educators the skills they need through a series of video-based micro skills trainings and the development of an educator community providing the opportunity for review of individual educator skills. This may lead to improved implementation of sexual health risk reduction programs, which in turn would ideally lead to a reduction in teen pregnancy and STI rates.
