The Teach-ABI Professional Development Module for Educators About Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury: Mixed Method Usability Study (Preprint)
Authors: Saly Lauren , Provvidenza Christine , Al-Hakeem Hiba , Hickling Andrea , Stevens Sara , Kakonge Lisa , Hunt Anne W , Bennett Sheila , Martinussen Rhonda , Scratch Shannon E 
Published: May 2023

BACKGROUND

Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a leading cause of death and disability in children and can lead to lasting cognitive, physical, and psychosocial outcomes that affect school performance. Students with an ABI experience challenges returning to school due in part to lack of educator support and ABI awareness. A lack of knowledge and training contribute to educators feeling unprepared to support students with ABI. <i>Teach-ABI</i>, an online professional development module, was created to enhance educators’ ABI knowledge and awareness to best support students. Using a case-based approach, <i>Teach-ABI</i> explains what an ABI is, identifies challenges for students with ABI in the classroom, discusses the importance of an individualized approach to supporting students with ABI, and describes how to support a student with an ABI in the classroom.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to assess the usability of and satisfaction with <i>Teach-ABI</i> by elementary school educators. The following questions were explored: (1) Can elementary school teachers use and navigate <i>Teach-ABI</i>?, (2) Are the content and features of <i>Teach-ABI</i> satisfactory?, and (3) What modifications are needed to improve <i>Teach-ABI</i>?

METHODS

Elementary school educators currently employed or in training to be employed in Ontario elementary schools were recruited. Using Zoom, individual online meetings with a research team member were held, where educators actively reviewed <i>Teach-ABI</i>. Module usability was evaluated through qualitative analysis of think-aloud data and semistructured interviews, direct observation, user success rate during task completion, and the System Usability Scale (SUS) scores. The usability benchmark selected was 70% of participants performing more than half of module tasks independently.

RESULTS

A total of 8 female educators participated in the study. Educators were classroom (n=7) and preservice (n=1) teachers from public (n=7) and private (n=1) school boards. In terms of task performance, more than 85% of participants (ie, 7/8) independently completed 10 out of 11 tasks and 100% of participants independently completed 7 out of 11 tasks, demonstrating achievement of the module usability goal. The average overall SUS score was 86.25, suggesting a high satisfaction level with the perceived usability of <i>Teach-ABI</i>. Overall, participants found <i>Teach-ABI</i> content valuable, useful, and aligned with the realities of their profession. Participants appreciated the visual design, organization, and varying use of education strategies within <i>Teach-ABI</i>. Opportunities for enhancement included broadening content case examples of students with ABI and enhancing the accessibility of the content.

CONCLUSIONS

Validated usability measures combined with qualitative methodology revealed educators’ high level of satisfaction with the design, content, and navigation of <i>Teach-ABI</i>. Educators engaged with the module as active participants in knowledge construction, as they reflected, questioned, and connected content to their experiences and knowledge. This study established strong usability and satisfaction with <i>Teach-ABI</i> and demonstrated the importance of usability testing in building online professional development modules.