Lessons Learned: Using Mobile Technology to Deliver Tailored Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Training for the U.S. Air Force in a Resource Limited Environment (Preprint)
Authors: Eckhoff Randall , Boyce Matthew , Watkins Rebecca , Kan Marni , Scaglione Nichole , Pound Leah , Root Meghan 
Published: August 2022

BACKGROUND

Advances in mobile technology over the last 10 years have expanded its usage in scientific research. However, there are challenges in creating a reliable system for intervention content delivery and/or data collection in an environment with limited internet connectivity and limited staffing capacity. The Sexual Communication and Consent (SCC) study utilized tablets to provide individualized Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) training in a classroom environment that was both technologically and support staff limited.

OBJECTIVE

We developed the SCC Basic Military Training (BMT) app and a separate Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) app to support individualized training within the new SCC program. This paper presents the functionality, protocols, challenges, and feasibility of deploying mobile technology into a military educational environment with limited resources.

METHODS

We developed both mobile apps targeting the Apple iOS ecosystem using the Personal Health Informatics and Intervention Toolkit (PHIT), a cross-platform software development kit that facilitates research-oriented mobile application development. The BMT app provided a screening instrument that routed the trainee into one of five specific intervention programs. During the 2nd and 4th weeks of basic military training, trainees received program specific tailored tablet training, combined with universal, interactive classroom training, led by qualified instructors. The SARC app, used to deliver supplemental content to a subgroup of trainees, was made available for voluntary and private use at the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator’s office on base. All anonymous data were manually transferred onto laptops where the data were aggregated into files, and securely transferred to project staff for analysis. The study was conducted at Lackland Air Force Base Joint Base San Antonio with 10,140 trainees participating.

RESULTS

8,537 trainees completed both sessions of the SCC program and a series of evaluative assessments. Of the 190 SCC classes taught, only one class was unable to complete tablet training due to an Apple licensing-related technology failure. The 360 study tablets were distributed across 3 classrooms (120/classroom) and were handled over 20,000 times with no reports of breakage or requiring replacement. Wi-Fi access limitations exacerbated the complexity of Apple licensing re-validation and the secure transfer of data from the classroom to project personnel. Instructor staff’s limited technical knowledge to perform certain technical tasks was challenging.

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrate the feasibility of deploying a mobile app for tablet-based training in a military educational environment. While successful, the study was not without technical challenges. This paper gives examples of technical lessons learned and recommendations for doing the study differently, with the aim that the knowledge gained may be helpful to other researchers encountering similar requirements.