Building Clinical Skills Teaching Materials: A Study of Cognitive Task Analysis Versus Free Recall Instruction to Teach Canine Indirect Ophthalmoscopy

Author(s):  
Chantal J. McMillan ◽  
Matt R. Read ◽  
Kent G. Hecker ◽  
Brian J. Skorobohach ◽  
Heidi E. Banse

Ophthalmoscopy is a core component of a complete ophthalmic examination. Due to its complex technical aspects and patients becoming uncooperative if the procedure is prolonged, it can be a difficult skill for a novice to learn and develop proficiency in. Skills instruction is typically provided by subject matter experts (SMEs) through free recall without an agreed-upon instructional framework. This can lead to unintentional omission of essential steps and knowledge required to perform skills correctly. Cognitive task analysis (CTA) allows for construction of standardized instructional protocols that encompass the knowledge and skills experts apply when performing tasks. The objectives of this study were to (a) develop a CTA-based teaching protocol for canine indirect ophthalmoscopy and (b) compare the steps verbalized or demonstrated by SMEs during free recall instruction versus those ultimately identified by CTA. Four SMEs participated in free recall instructional sessions and interviews used for the development of a CTA-based teaching protocol for novice learners. The CTA-based protocol identified 66 steps and sub-steps considered essential for successfully performing canine indirect ophthalmoscopy. During instructional sessions, SMEs on average failed to verbalize 57.1% of clinical knowledge steps, did not verbalize or demonstrate 68.3% and 9.5% of action steps and did not verbalize or demonstrate 73.2% and 40.4% of decision steps, respectively. This study demonstrates that SMEs teaching indirect ophthalmoscopy by free recall may unintentionally omit important steps, suggesting that compared with free recall, CTA may generate more comprehensive and thus potentially more effective instructional materials for teaching technical skills in veterinary medicine.

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 288-301
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Lerner Papautsky ◽  
Robert Strouse ◽  
Cindy Dominguez

Representations of step-by-step procedures, such as task flows, are developed and used to support technology design and evaluation as well as for training purposes in complex work domains. However, task flows may not represent how people carry out work under uncertainty, time pressure, or high-risk conditions. We combined methods of cognitive task analysis and participatory design, resulting in a new approach for developing task flows. This approach accounts for both cognitive and behavioral work and explicitly represents its dynamic nature. Additional advantages of this approach include flexibility and adaptiveness to help overcome challenges of conducting research in real-world domains, including time constraints and access to subject matter experts. We demonstrate this approach in the context of developing a task flow for a submarine watch team’s use of an updated imaging system to maintain the ship’s safety by forming and maintaining a picture of the external environment. We provide a detailed description of each phase as well as a domain-neutral ready-to-use job aid.


Author(s):  
Laura G. Militello ◽  
Robert J. B. Hutton ◽  
Rebecca M. Pliske ◽  
Betsy J. Knight ◽  
Gary Klein ◽  
...  

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard P. Fahey ◽  
Anna L. Rowe ◽  
Kendra L. Dunlap ◽  
Dan O. deBoom

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. C. Schraagen ◽  
◽  
N. Graff ◽  
J. Annett ◽  
M. H. Strub ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
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Birsen Donmez ◽  
Julie A. Adams ◽  
David B. Kaber ◽  
Ann Bisantz ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Close ◽  
Kari Babski-Reeves ◽  
Nick Younan ◽  
Noel Schulz

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