8 Principles | Bryan A. Dunn

Hamilton County Community Corrections

Eight Principles of Effective Intervention

Training Needs Analysis

Introduction

This paper will examine the process by which training materials will be developed to address a scenario at Hamilton County Community Corrections (HCCC) concerning an observed need to educate their staff on the eight principles of effective intervention in community corrections. Beginning with a description of the scenario and brief learner and needs analysis and working through a description of what materials will be recommended for addressing the identified knowledge gap.

Scenario

HCCC operates adult residential and adult electronic monitoring programs in the greater Indianapolis area. HCCC’s mission statement is: “We provide cost-effective, treatment-focused programs incorporating evidence-based practices that generate positive change in participants” (Hamilton). In accordance with this mission statement HCCC has requested training be developed for onboarding new employees and educating them about the eight evidence-based principles of effective intervention in community corrections.

Leadership has identified a lack of knowledge among new employees as to what exactly evidence-based practices in community corrections are as well as how HCCC implements those practices into their programs. The training will need to address this knowledge gap by informing the incoming employees what the eight evidence-based principles for effective intervention are. Also to be addressed will be to inform the new employees of how HCCC programs implement each of the eight principles. This transfer of knowledge will be addressed on the lower levels of Bloom’s during orientation to help the trainees understand how the principles are implemented. The higher levels of understanding will be developed through on the job training and professional development.

Barkdale and Lund believe that a project plan is vital in order to clearly communicate analysis responsibilities, timelines, and deliverables between the requestor and the conductor of the analysis (2001). Their suggested outline will be followed for this project:

Analyze the request
Identify the current situation
Analyze the data
Determine solution specifications

Gain commitment from the organization
Initiating development of the solution

This paper will begin this process through a brief learner and needs analysis as well as introducing the three training materials that will be implemented into the final product. The training materials being proposed are an electronic multimedia presentation that will be available on the organization’s internal server available for all employees to watch at their discretion. The second training element will be a facilitator led discussion about the eight principles and how they are implemented at HCCC. Finally there will be a summative assessment to measure employees’ proficiency in the material after they have viewed the multimedia presentation and attended the instructor led discussion.

Learner Analysis

This training is being developed specifically for newly hired Living Unit Coordinators (LUC). These are front-line staff working directly with the inmates within the residential living units as corrections officers. A typical orientation class for this position consists of between 3-5 individuals, ranging in age from mid-twenties through mid-thirties. Most have postsecondary education and little to no experience working in the criminal justice system. The request is for the training to fit within a one to two hour timeframe during the initial eighty-hour orientation schedule for all new hires.

HCCC specifically targets their recruiting and hiring processes towards educated individuals with professional communication skills who are comfortable using technology. This allows for this project to function at a high cognitive level. No time needs to be wasted educating the target audience on the criminal justice vocabulary and more time can be spent examining each of the eight principles in more depth because of this education level. The technical expectations for new hires, as well as HCCC’s embracing of technology opens the possibilities to web or computer based multimedia education materials.

Needs Analysis

Bray suggests exploring three elements when conducting a needs analysis, what the problem or requirement is, conducting a detailed exploration of the problem or element and then the delivery logistics and constraints (2009).

During the hiring interview process, the leadership of HCCC has identified a lack of knowledge about the eight evidence-based principles of effective intervention amongst otherwise well qualified prospective employees. Ideally, all employees working within the organization would have a thorough understanding of HCCC’s mission statement and how they are working to meet the expectations set forth in it. The desired outcome of this training will be for all employees to have a working knowledge of the eight principles and how HCCC’s programs fit those principles. This deeper understanding will reinforce employees’ commitment to supporting those programs designed to bring about positive change in the inmates as well as their understanding of how those programs are designed to bring about the desired change.

Examining the lack of knowledge among new employees reveals that it is a lack of exposure to the eight evidence-based principles of effective intervention that has created this shortcoming. Educating the target audience will be the first step in brining their desired performance level of implementing elements of the principles into their daily interactions with the inmates into fruition. Extensive professional development and on the job trainings are already in place to transition their use of these principles from novice to expert, the goal of this training request is to bring them up to the required knowledge baseline prior to their exposure to higher level trainings.

Each new hire goes through an extensive two-week on boarding, this training will be designed for delivery during that process. The specific timing within the onboarding needs to be fluid to accommodate how HCCC conducts this process. Designing a presentation that can be delivered in a blended learning format would be ideal. Allowing for the facilitator to assign the computer-based multimedia presentation to introduce the concepts and then follow up with a facilitator lead discussion and assessment process.

Technology Choices

A multimedia presentation containing a variety of text and audio slides, informational video as well as interactive assessments will be the primary delivery vehicle for this training. This eLearning solution will be hosted on the organizations internal server, allowing for access by employees at their convenience during their initial training period as well as throughout their employment.

There are several factors that were considered in deciding what technological elements should be included in this training. Developing an eLearning solution, accessible to all employees was an important factor for the organization’s annual training calendar. Allowing for asynchronous learning materials to be available to all employees is a critical factor due to the operating hours of the facility being 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Allowing current employees to access any training at their own convenience is vital. This also allows the training staff to incorporate the eLearning materials into the onboarding of new employees at their convenience with a minimum of scheduling considerations. The employees will have access to view the presentation prior to their attending the second element of the proposed training, the instructor led discussion.

One of the primary factors was considering the target audience’s current level of cognition concerning the principles of effective intervention. Through observation and interviews with the management, it has been decided that the average new employee is at the unconscious incompetent level of understanding concerning the principles of effective intervention. This is due primarily to a lack of focus upon these principles by other organizations within the Indiana criminal justice community. Bray (2009) suggests breaking learners in slowly and allowing them opportunities to see what is involved and assess the situation for themselves as possible ways to help them through this stage. Designing a training that addresses the remembering level of Bloom’s Taxonomy in a way that will aid cognition is a primary factor for including text and audio for informational slides.

When designing these informational slides, considering some effective eLearning principles as defined by Richard Mayer (2001) will increase learner retention. The special contiguity principle as well as the temporal contiguity principle can be applied by including text and graphics simultaneously. Including auditory explanations along with the graphics will incorporate the modality principle.

The understanding and applying layers of Bloom’s taxonomy can be addressed through the use of video. Specifically making the connection between understanding the definitions and descriptions of each of the eight elements and how the elements are currently being applied at HCCC and how they will be expected to apply the principles in their daily interactions with inmates and their treatment plans.

Video is the most dynamic of the multimedia elements and enables reinforcement of the information previously gained by demonstrating the effective intervention strategies to be demonstrated. The added benefit of video, according to Vaughan (2014), is that the “viewers tend to retain more of what they see” (p. 166). Video does bring additional concerns in that poorly done video can detract from the message as opposed to reinforcing it.

There are potential risks involved with developing this as an eLearning solution in addition to the concerns about making a quality video presentation. Access should not be an issue, as HCCC requires all employees to maintain proficiency in computer usage. Space on the internal server is adequate to handle large file sizes and stream video. The incorporated interactive assessments would be vulnerable to employees sharing notes or answers. However, these concerns are outweighed by the benefits of having the training available regardless of scheduling concerns as well as the ability to address several layers of Bloom’s taxonomy in one all inclusive design.

Assessment

There will be an electronic training report that will be completed by the employees as they view the training materials. This will serve as the summative assessment of their retention of knowledge. They each will be required to fill out the report in their own words and turn the report in to their supervisor in order to receive credit for the training. The intention of this style of report is to allow the learners to reinforce their learning through a combination of a ready-made and a do-it-yourself course handout. The main points (the eight evidence-based principles for effective interventions) are provided in the first column. Allowing the learners to create more personal notes and connections for how the principles are implemented at HCCC, providing for better use of the notes after the training is completed (Stimson, p. 89). The final question allows the learner to expand their understanding of how the principles are implemented and what it takes for them to be successful at changing the behavior of HCCC’s program participants. A copy of this handout is included in Appendix A.

Facilitator’s Guide

A facilitator’s guide has been developed to guide the second training element recommended for this course, the facilitator led discussions. The general outline of this facilitation guide has been adapted from Chapter 16 of Tony Bray’s The Training Design Manual. Having this facilitator’s guide will help to ensure consistency when the training occurs by guiding those leading the discussions and providing a framework for them to work within. Bray also recommends implementing a train-the-trainer training to start the new facilitators off on the right path in their facilitation of this training material. The facilitator’s guide is located in Appendix B.

Conclusion

To summarize the main points of this proposal, a needs analysis was conducted at Hamilton County Community Corrections (HCCC) and a knowledge gap was identified between where their newly hired employees are and where the agency would like them to be in regards to their understanding of the eight principles of effective intervention in community corrections. It has been proposed to address this gap through a combination of an electronic multimedia presentation available for the employees to view prior to attending a guided discussion on the eight principles. A training report has been designed as a summative assessment of their progress.

The intention is for this training to address the remembering and understanding levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy primarily through the multimedia presentation. The facilitator for the guided discussion should ideally be a subject matter expert who can further strengthen the participants understanding as well as elevate them to the applying and analyzing levels of Bloom’s through exploring how the principles are put into effect both in theory as well as in practice at HCCC.

References

Barksdale, S., and Teri L. (2001). Rapid Needs Analysis. Books24x7 version retrieved from: http://common.books24x7.com.lib.kaplan.edu/toc.aspx?bookid=3718

Bray, T. (2009). The training design manual; The complete practical guide to creating effective and successful training programmes. London: Kogan Page.

Hamilton County (2015). Community Corrections. Retrieved from http://www.hamiltoncounty.in.gov/181/Community-Corrections

Mayer, R. (2001). Multimedia Learning. Cambridge Press.

National Institute of Corrections (2004). Implementing Evidence-Based Practice in Community Corrections: The Principles of Effective Intervention. Retrieved from http://nicic.gov/library/019342

Stimson, N. (1991). How to Write and Prepare Training Materials. London: Kogan Page.

Vaughan, T. (2014). Multimedia: Making it Work. New York: McGraw Hill.

Appendix A

Eight Principles of Effective Intervention in Community Corrections Training Report

The objective of this training is for you to gain an understanding of what the eight evidence-based principles for effective intervention are and how they work as well as how HCCC addresses each of these principles through their programing and policies.

As you view the training presentation, fill in the columns with your own notes for each of the eight principles. You may choose to print this sheet out and fill it out as you go, or you can come back to this electronic version and type your notes after you have viewed the presentation. Upon completion of this training report, save a copy for yourself and email an electronic copy to your Team Leader to document completion of your training requirements.

What programs/policies does HCCC have in place to address this principle?

1. Assess Actuarial Risk/Needs

2. Enhance Intrinsic Motivation

3. Target Interventions

a. Risk Principle: Prioritize supervision and treatment resources for higher risk offenders.

b. Need Principle: Target interventions to criminogenic needs.

c. Responsivity Principle: Be responsive to temperament, learning style, motivation, culture, and gender when assigning programs.

d. Dosage: Structure 40-70% of high-risk offenders’ time for 3-9 months.

4. Skill Train with Directed Practice (use Cognitive Behavioral treatment methods)

5. Increase Positive Reinforcement

6. Engage Ongoing Support in Natural Communities

7. Measure Relevant Processes/Practices

8. Provide Measurement Feedback

Now that you have viewed the presentation and have a clear understanding of what the eight principles of effective intervention are, explain what this graphic represents to you: ____________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Appendix B

Facilitator’s Guide

Section 1: Introduction

Welcome

Thank you for facilitating this training evolution. This guide is designed to ensure you have all the materials you need to ensure an effective and enjoyable training.

Purpose

This course will enable employees who have viewed the electronic multimedia presentation on the eight principles of effective intervention to solidify their understanding of the principles, how they are applied in theory as well as how HCCC implements programs that address these principles. They will also analyze the efficacy of these programs in a general discussion.

Attendance

This discussion is designed for a minimum of four employees, but can be effectively implemented with up to twenty staff members in attendance. The intention is for this to be a discussion driven training allowing the employees to explore their understanding of the principles and how they are implemented.

Location

This discussion should be held in a location that allows the participants to be free from distractions and sit in a manner that promotes discussion. The preferred seating arrangement is for there to be open space between the participants. Arrange the seats in a circle if possible to allow for a minimum of barriers between them, this promotes equality and encourages participation. If there are few enough participants, sitting boardroom style at a table is also acceptable. The facilitator should have an equal seat to the participants. This will promote equality and show that the facilitator is part of the discussion.

Materials

They will be required to view the multimedia presentation prior to attending. The participants are encouraged to bring the course training report they should have begun while viewing the multimedia presentation. The course training report will serve as a summative assessment that must be completed by each participant and turned in to his or her supervisor after they have participated in this discussion.

Consistency

The facilitator should be a subject matter expert, well versed in the eight principles of effective intervention and have a working knowledge of how HCCC implements these principles into their programing as well as a theoretical understanding of how programming meet the principles. Each of these discussions will be different due to the strong emphasis on discussion among the participants, however the facilitator’s role will be to ensure the discussion is guided in a way that promotes a deeper exploration of the eight principles and is not simply a review of their definitions.

Section 2: Timetable

The course timetable is set to optimize the allotted time of one hour for your discussion. This is a general outline and does not need to be followed rigidly, it is meant as a framework. Each discussion will be slightly different depending on the needs of the participants. This training has been designed to fit within the greater scaffolding of the employee onboarding process. As such the typical welcome and icebreaker sections are not necessary.

Introduction

The introduction for each training should be brief, five minutes or less. It serves to inform the participants of the objectives of the training and gives them a brief outline of how the training will run.

Welcome the participants to the discussion

Remind them to use their training report as notes for their input to the discussion as well as for further notes they pick up as the discussion progresses
Discuss the course objectives and layout the scaffolding for how you expect the training to progress
Explain that this is a discussion format of training and establish that everyone has a valid opinion and view point. Remind them to respect each other and to follow proper classroom etiquette regarding group discussions.
Discuss any housekeeping issues that need to be addressed, classroom etiquette, safety, breaks, etc.

Discussion

This is the main portion of the training and where the bulk of the learning will take place. This should take up 45-50 minutes of your allotted hour.

Review and Summary

At the conclusion of your allotted time, conduct a review of what was discussed. Focus in on how HCCC has implemented the eight principles and how the programs are designed to change the behavior of those assigned to HCCC’s care. Remind each of the participants to complete their summative assessment, the training report, and turn it in to their supervisor.

Section 3: Detailed Discussion Guide

What does this training look like?

This training is designed to be a discussion among peers about the eight principles of effective intervention in community corrections. Each of the eight principles needs to be defined and thoroughly understood by each participant. They should remember the definition and have the ability to translate the definition into how the principle can be applied in community corrections, specifically into programing as well as their daily interactions with those who have been assigned to HCCCs care for rehabilitation.

The facilitator’s role in this discussion will be to monitor the discussion to ensure accuracy of what is being discussed and to facilitate the progression of the discussion through the material that needs to be covered by asking pointed, open ended questions eliciting thoughtful responses from the participants.

Preparation

The facilitator should be a subject matter expert, well versed in the eight principles of effective intervention and have a working knowledge of how HCCC implements these principles into their programing as well as a theoretical understanding of how programming meet the principles. After conducting a few of these trainings, the facilitator will grow more comfortable with asking the appropriate questions to elicit the responses they are trying to encourage. A list of potential questions should be prepared and reviewed prior to conducting the training.

How do I facilitate this discussion?

Welcome everyone. Begin the discussion by welcoming the participants and thanking them for their attendance. Ensure that everyone is comfortable and ready to begin. Explain that they will receive the most benefit from this training though participation and encourage them that everyone has a valid opinion and viewpoint.

Discuss the benefits of attending. Cover the objectives and again remind the participants that they will gain the greatest benefit through participation.

Asking questions to move the discussion along. The intention of having the facilitator guide this discussion is to ensure the participants both stay on topic and that the discussion moves along and covers each of the eight principles. Each group of participants will present a unique challenge to you as a facilitator. Preparation of some questions to have memorized so that you can quickly use them to overcome lulls in the discussion, or to stimulate the participants to think of more in depth discussion topics will be helpful.

Keeping the questions open ended will promote discussion.
Remember to try and include everyone, call on individuals when you feel it is appropriate.

Allow the participants to guide the discussion as much as possible, begin to guide them only when they need encouragement.
Here are some general questions to start your preparation:

Which of the eight principles do you feel is the most important for our organization?
How do you think that we are meeting that principle through our actions?
Do you have any suggestions how we could better meet the needs of those individuals who are assigned to us?

Section 4: Course Handout