Guidelines for Group Training

These guidelines will evolve as we gather more feedback of the use of Plus courses in group situations.

Introduction

Plus courses can be accessed by anyone anywhere in the world. Often these courses are used as part of a university programme or organisation workforce training initiatives, particularly in low resourced settings where it is difficult to access in person training from topic specialists.

The online courses can serve as a valuable part of health care professionals education prior to practical training, as it can serve to:

• Ensure that all participants have the same level of knowledge going into the practical training.
• Allow more time for practical skills training as the theory has already been covered in the online training.

This format of training allows:

• Health care professionals to follow the online training at their own pace and it’s a good refresher, especially when it is followed up with local practical skills training.
• It is also a great format for multidisciplinary training and shared learning.

Before you start

1. Understand the context and needs of the health care professionals so that you can be specific with their training.
2. Question participants to get an idea of internet access at their home and work, and if they had access to a laptop or smartphone.
3. Make sure you have a venue and trainers for the practical skills training.

Organisation of the online elements of the training

Support the students by supplying them with:

1. Materials e.g. printed texts, access to computer or mobile device - ensure that a contract for lent materials is signed between the professional and the organisation.
2. Internet connection - you may need to pay for internet for up to 3-4 months depending on the volume of the online module being used.
3. A support group - for example using a WhatsApp group. This helps support and supervise the participants, answer practical and technical questions that come up during their individual studies. It also helps participants in different locations around a country to exchange their experiences. This helps keep the group motivated, they can better see who has advanced and how is behind.

Each professional should send you their course completion certificate, which should be used to evidence learning and access to the practical skills training sessions.

Organisation of the practical training

The practical training helps to reinforce what was learned online, depending on the subject the amount of days of training may be from 1-5 depending on the complexity of the topic/s. The practical training may be held 2-3 times, in the different regions of the geographical region.

Problem solving

• Sometimes, internet connection is slow or no signal available - in this case it may be wise to share the online course as downloadable pdfs or even a printed text version of the course.
• Regarding the practical training, hospitals administration don't always give professionals time off to participate - be sure to allow all participants enough time to complete the course in relation to their work/life circumstances.