IMPLEMENTATION AND BEST PRACTICES FOR AHA eLEARNING

IMPLEMENTATION AND BEST PRACTICES FOR AHA eLEARNING

The following content should help your Training Center (TC) with the business management of eLearning training, including tips for your students’ completion of the online portion of courses and best practices for hands-on skills sessions.

Help students who may not be technologically savvy complete the online portion with tips and advice for success. Here are some tips for the learners at your TC, who need to complete a blended learning course: 

The online portion does not have to be completed in one sitting. Students can work on a few modules at a time and come back later. Incomplete modules may not be recorded/captured. Before students leave the program, they should be sure to click the “Exit Exercise” button in the top right-hand corner to ensure their progress will be saved. 

Tips on completing the HeartCode eSimulations (eSims): 

For students who have not yet completed a HeartCode eSim, be sure to have them review the “How to Complete the Patient Cases” document located in the eSim Tutorial section of the program to become familiar with the basics of the eSim program. 

The AHA has collected some best practices for scheduling and managing hands-on skills sessions from Training Centers around the country. 

Please note: AHA TCs are independent businesses who set their own schedules and fees; these points are successful practices that some of our TCs have reported to the AHA.

Q: Do we get a refund for the license if employees don’t complete the course? What if a student can’t pass? 

A:The AHA does not issue refunds for licenses if employees do not complete the course; once a student begins a course it cannot be completed under a different account. If a student cannot pass the eLearning course, they can sign up for an Instructor-Led classroom course. 

Q: How long do students have access? 2 years? Entire 5-year Guidelines cycle? 

A: A student has access to the online portion of their course for 2 years, unless the AHA discontinues that course. Over the course of the 2 years, the student can utilize the course as a reference for the training they have received.

Q: How long do students have access? 2 years? Entire 5-year Guidelines cycle? 

A: A student has access to the online portion of their course for 2 years, unless the AHA discontinues that course. Over the course of the 2 years, the student can utilize the course as a reference for the training they have received.

Is CE available and how do students claim Continuing Education (CE) credits? Is the process the same as claiming for an Instructor-Led course? For information on how students can claim credits for any type of ECC (Emergency Cardiovascular Care) event or course, visit the CE credits information page at Heart.org/ClaimCE. Q

Q: A How do I market eLearning? 

A: You can advertise your TC’s course listings on the AHA’s Find a Course Tool on the Instructor Network. It is easy to use and one of the best ways to publicize your TC to those who may be unfamiliar. Social media is another great tactic for promotion of your TC for skills sessions. Folks in our network have used Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Another strategy is contacting or sending mailings to local medical clinics, who have employees with limited time for training and appreciate the benefits of blended learning and eLearning. You can add messaging to your website and on-hold phone messages as well. To learn more, visit Heart.org/FindaCourse. 

Q A Are resources available to educate, market, and remind students of due dates? 

A: Yes, for each course there will be a product information flyer, FAQ, and other resources when available. These will be shared with organizations who manage their AHA eLearning through Training Central, a LMS Provider, or a Direct Link LMS Integration. The reminder process is different for each management methodology; please talk to your AHA Account Specialist for more specifics.

Best Practices for Scheduling and Managing Blended Learning Hands-On Skills Sessions 

The purpose of this document is to provide successful practices reported by AHA Training Centers related to blended learning hands-on skills sessions. The goal of the skills session is to develop students’ proficiency in high-quality CPR skills. There are several ways to manage the skills session to accomplish this goal.

Remember, for blended learning hands-on sessions, students have already completed the cognitive portion. During the skills session, Instructors should provide an abbreviated refresher of the cognitive portion to ensure students have the opportunity to be successful in practice and testing. 

Before the skills session, encourage your students to review the online portion of the course if it was not completed recently. Prior to the skills test, make sure students are comfortable with the skills and have their questions answered, since some students might have completed the online portion more recently than others. 

Try dedicated times for skills sessions each week or month to increase cost effectiveness and logistical efficiency. Training Centers can opt to offer the full blended learning course as a bundle/package for a student’s convenience (one-stop shopping). 

If your organization uses the Online Key Manager (OKM), you can monitor your students’ progress. A great best practice is to check students’ progress a few days prior to the skills session to ensure they have completed the online portion. You can remind them to complete the course if they have not already and to bring their completion certificate to the skills session. 

Another best practice reported by Training Centers is to have students confirm their skills session in advance. This helps mitigate no-shows and cancellations. Training Centers can separate agendas into blocks to meet scheduling needs and be more efficient with time (skills sessions can be conducted in more than one day if that works better for Instructor or student schedules). 

Training Centers can adjust Instructor to student-to-manikin ratios to meet their students’ schedules and increase efficiency. For example, the more manikins, the quicker the session can be – a 1 to 1 student-to-manikin ratio will maximize time. Note: AHA Training Centers are independent businesses who set their own schedules and fees; these points are successful practices that some of our Training Centers have reported to the AHA.

Best Practices for Scheduling and Managing Blended Learning Hands-On Skills Sessions