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. 2024 Feb;45(1):159-175.
doi: 10.1007/s10935-023-00754-y. Epub 2023 Dec 21.

Why do we Need to go Digital? Process of Developing an Online Facilitator Training Platform for a Global Family Skills Programme for Drug Use Prevention

Karin Haar  1 , Mara Urlicic  1 , Aala El-Khani  1 , Giulia Martinelli  1 , Wadih Maalouf  2
Affiliations

Why do we Need to go Digital? Process of Developing an Online Facilitator Training Platform for a Global Family Skills Programme for Drug Use Prevention

Karin Haar et al. J Prev (2022). 2024 Feb.

Abstract

Strong Families is a programme developed for families living in challenged or stressful settings to prevent poor mental health and developmental outcomes, violence, and substance use. Facilitators are conventionally trained in person over two full days, by experienced international trainers. During the COVID-19 pandemic and due to travel restrictions, we developed an online course to deliver the content of the training manual electronically, with videos explaining the most difficult exercises, note taking functions and click and reveal activities to check their understanding. We further blended synchronous and asynchronous course formats to accommodate facilitators' different time zones and work schedules. We tied two educational theories (Malcom Knowles theory of andragogy and Blooms taxonomy) into the Strong Families online course, to ensure learners are easily able to understand content, remember it and implement the gained skills within their communities. The aim of this paper is to discuss the process of the development of the Learning Management System and the Strong Families online course, as well as its benefits, key tools and essential considerations for replication through the UNODC multi-country and inter-disciplinary experience in digitalizing the Strong Family skills prevention tool to support other institutions interested in such a process, including in anticipation of future similar circumstances. To date, our online course has been made available in 10 languages, benefitting facilitators from 11 countries and the respective beneficiary families. Further impact evaluation, fidelity of implementation during national scale up and return on investment of integration of blended-learning concepts still need to be assessed.

Keywords: Drug prevention; Family skills programme; Online course; Online facilitator training platform; Strong families.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no competing interests and no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. The views expressed in this Article do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations (UN) or its officials or Member States.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Logic model of strong families (UNODC, 2019)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Bloom’s taxonomy (Armstrong, 2010)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Process of developing the online course
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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