Building Prevention Capacity Using Online Conferencing

1. Building Prevention Capacity Using Online Conferencing Wendi L. Siebold, MA, MPH Senior Research Associate EMT Associates, Inc. 1752 NW Market Street, #402 Seattle, Washington 98107

2. Focus for Today • Learn specific ways to utilize online training as a prevention capacity-building tool across long distances • Understand ways that online learning can facilitate project collaboration between rural and urban communities

3. Basics of Online Conferencing What, when and how to use it

4. What is Online Conferencing? • Online technologies provide the ability to participate in training courses and discussion groups with a live trainer or consultant directly from the participant’s own computer • Also provides the ability to have up to 15 students in a virtual classroom or hundreds of attendees in a meeting

6. Effectiveness of Online Conferencing • Online meetings and trainings are: • Accessible • Understandable • Helpful for building stakeholder relationships • Useful for building their knowledge and skills • Useful to their work

7. “Going Green” • Automatic calculator tracks CO2, cost, and travel reductions accrued by meeting online rather than traveling

8. When To Use Online Conferencing • Use on a project-by-project basis, and objectives are tailored to the needs of each project. • In general, online conferencing has the following objectives: • Participant learning of new skills and knowledge • Facilitate collaboration between project partners • Utilize a mixed learning style environment to facilitate increased capacity building

9. When To Use Online Conferencing • Large meetings • www.emtevents.orgcan host up to 1000 participants at one time. • Good for distributing information to large groups. • Use the ‘chat’ feature for feedback and discussion. • Small meetings • www.emtlive.org can host up to ___ participants. • Good for more interactive conversations, shared web or document browsing.

10. Connecting Rural Communities Using online conferencing for smaller group meetings and collaboration

11. Connecting Rural Communities • The accessibility of online conferencing makes it an ideal tool for rural and isolated settings • Connects across geographically isolated communities • Allows for meetings that would otherwise be canceled due to budget limitations (e.g., government partners) • When connected with other online networking sites (like SharePoint or My Prevention Community), it is a cost-effective way for practitioners to access resources and build relationships nationwide

12. Connecting Rural Communities The myth of inaccessibility • Rural communities are often the most well connected to the internet – cable and internet are a lifeline to the “outside world” • Internet usage can play an important role in building social capital in rural communities • Outages happen, but they are rare • Dillingham, Alaska compared to Kiana, Alaska For more info see: Cook-Craig, P., Lane, K., Siebold, W. (Submitted). Building the Capacity of States to Ensure Inclusion of Rural Communities in State and Local Primary Violence Prevention Planning. Journal of Family Social Work. Stern, M. and Adams, A. , 2008-07-28 "Do Rural Residents Really Use the Internet to Build Social Capital? An Empirical Investigation" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Rural Sociological Society, Radisson Hotel-Manchester, Manchester, New Hampshire. 2009-05-23 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p238616_index.html

13. Highlights From EMT’s Rural Projects • EMT is using online conferencing to build the capacity of prevention practitioners and stakeholders across Alaska, Montana and Washington

14. What type of projects? • Alaska & Montana • Domestic violence prevention project – builds preventing planning and evaluation capacity of local domestic violence agencies, community coalitions, and state coalitions • Washington • Convening statewide advisory group of domestic violence agency Executive Directors to review and revise state standards for emergency shelters

15. How was it used? • Monthly Coordinator Calls (6 locations per meeting) • Monthly “Technical Assistance Trainings” • Quarterly State Steering Committee Meetings • Special Workgroup Meetings Seattle

16. What capacities were built? • How to conduct a local and state needs assessment • How to interpret local and federal data • Writing goals and outcome statements • Developing logic models • Introduction to process and outcome evaluation • Introduction to survey design and data collection • Organizational capacity-building for prevention • Asset Mapping: Explanation and Examples • Group Facilitation Methods: An Overview • Introduction to “Getting to Outcomes” and Empowerment Evaluation

17. Coolest features of these trainings • Interactive graphics – highlighter and pointer • Shared web browser • Record the meeting • Cache of meeting resources and materials to link to later (connect with SharePoint or My Prevention Community) • Pictures brought us together • “Chat” builds community and keeps participants engaged

18. Pictures and Live Streaming

19. Chat

20. Connecting to SV Prevention

21. What did workgroups do? • Viewed internet data sources for prevalence statistics and demographic data • Revised goals and outcomes of state prevention plan • Viewed example prevention curricula and campaign materials • Reviewed table of data sources and evaluation measures • Hosted guest speakers and expert trainers

22. How was it used? • Reviewed findings from statewide data collection • Reviewed draft revisions to state standards • Project updates and debriefing

23. Tips and Resources

24. Tips • Pictures of participants are mandatory for small meetings • Use all the bells and whistles (major strength of online conferencing) • The leader of the call needs to be familiar with the features of the technology • The call is only as good as the expectations set for it • Helps to have one facilitator (to engage in conversation) and one organizer (to field technical questions on the side) • Don’t “over explain” the technology – train your group and go from there

25. Tips • Always make a hard copy of the meeting materials available prior to the meeting. Consider numbering the presentation slides. • Tell participants if you are recording the meeting, and how they can access the recording later • Remind people they can access meeting materials from their invitation (and follow-up) emails • Keep slides simple, pictures are okay

26. EMT Media • Go to www.emtmedia.org for training video clips you can embed into your personal website (even FB!) • iLinc offers trainings • www.emtevents.org can host up to 1000 participants at one time

27. Questions? Contact information: Wendi Siebold, Ph.D. Candidate 206-962-0260 wendi@emt.org