MIST Graduate Capstone 2017

School of Computing and Design

California State University Monterey Bay

Title: Zoonotic Disease Training

Student Name: Brianne Fitzgerald

Advisor: Dr. Miguel Lara

Summary:
This training produce was designed to fulfill compliance training in zoonotic diseases at the
Monterey Bay Aquarium for their Husbandry Division employees and volunteers. The Husbandry
Division curates, maintains, and manages the live animal collection and exhibits. The aquarium
veterinarian has been the sole instructor for the training and delivers it as a PowerPoint
presentation. The veterinarian and Husbandry Division managers requested an online course to
fulfill their compliance requirement. Additionally, they requested the training deliver a new
behavior expectation of wearing gloves whenever handling animal food items. This behavior had
been an expectation but had never been clearly communicated nor were there any systems of
accountability for the expectation. The purpose of the course is to increase awareness, highlight
preventative measures, and deliver the message of a new performance standard.
The product is designed as an asynchronous course and will be delivered within the
aquariums learning management system- MBALearns. It was developed in Adobe Captivate and
consists of four modules:
Module 1- Introduction and Definitions
Module 2- Routes of Transmission
Module 3- Diseases and Symptoms
Module 4- Prevention
 The veterinarian acts as the spokesperson in an introductory video, as an illustrated cartoon
throughout, and through an instructional video at the end. The course is narrated, contains relevant
images from the aquarium, and has interactive knowledge checks. The course is self-paced.
The functionality test was conducted with a group of eight individuals, three of which are
Husbandry Division employees. The other five testers represented the average age and gender of
the target audience of volunteers. The course was uploaded and delivered through MBALearns to
the testing group as they were given temporary access to the site. The results of the functionality
test were several revisions to improve navigation and design continuity.
The summative evaluation was conducted concurrently using this group. The effectiveness
of the Zoonotic Disease Training course was supported by the data analysis from the pre- and post-
knowledge assessments. Because the p-value (0.00082, df=7) was greater than the .05 alpha value,
the null hypothesis was rejected. The research hypothesis (that learners gain knowledge by
completing the course) was substantiated by the results of the paired t-test. A significant difference
in knowledge after taking the course was discovered, which suggested that learning indeed took
place.
The self-reported survey results and observations feedback further supported that zoonotic
disease knowledge increased from taking the course. The higher ratings reported for the increased
confidence of practicing preventative measures is a positive indicator that the learners are more
motivated to follow the new glove-wearing requirement. Furthermore, the self-reported usability
information confirmed that the overall course was user-friendly and enjoyable.
The training course will be implemented at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in the first quarter
of 2018 after post-graduation final content review with the veterinarian and division managers.
Post-graduation revisions will include
confirmation of the correct reporting procedures,
confirmation of the correct disease content,
additional scenario-based knowledge checks for Module 1,
clarification of the new performance requirement, and
confirming design alignment with aquarium branding.