Outstanding E-Learning
press release
Monarch Media and ETR Associates Receive Small Business Innovative Research Grant
Santa Cruz, CA, January 5, 2010 – Monarch Media, Inc. and ETR Associates have received a Small Business Innovative Research Grant from the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) to create an online training program, RTRWorks!, that will help high school sexual education teachers teach students about pregnancy prevention, STDs, and HIV. The eLearning course will be based on the Reducing the Risk: Building Skills to Prevent Pregnancy STD & HIV (RTR) curriculum. RTR is a 16-lesson, classroom-based curriculum that has been shown to delay the onset of intercourse and reduce the rate of unprotected sex among high school-age youth.
The project will be jointly lead by ETR Associates’ principal investigator Regina Firpo-Triplett and Monarch Media’s CEO Claire Schneeberger. The two organizations have worked together on similar projects, including Phase I of an online RTR training and the online Teachin’ It REAL training, which helps educators deliver an evidence-based drug prevention curriculum for middle school youth called Keepin’ It REAL.
RTRWorks! will provide a convenient and cost-effective alternative to face-to-face training. Not only will teachers have 24/7 access to important information about RTR—including its theoretical foundations, teaching tips for each lesson, and recommendations for adapting the curriculum for specific audiences—but they will also receive online collegial support and technical assistance. Most significantly, RTRWorks! will use the latest Web 2.0 advances in technology and eLearning practice to teach behavioral skills vital to the success of the curriculum—skills such as how to answer sensitive questions, manage role-plays, and lead group discussions. These types of non-technical skills are not normally taught online, in part because to truly learn a new behavioral skill, the learner must practice and receive feedback. RTRWorks! will provide an innovative solution to this challenge by using interactive and engaging multimedia scenarios and simulations.
The project is expected to take two years to complete. It will be evaluated by studying 230 educators from across the country, half in a study group and half in a control group.
The Small Business Innovative Research Grant was created to ensure that the nation's small, high-tech, innovative businesses are a significant part of the federal government's research and development efforts.
About ETR
Associates
ETR Associates is a private, non-profit corporation dedicated to
developing and disseminating evidence-based health education programs and best
practices.
About Monarch Media
Monarch Media is an industry leader in delivering eLearning solutions across the globe. For more than 12 years, it has helped leading companies, universities, nonprofits, and government agencies accomplish their learning and educational goals by developing online courses, deploying and hosting learning management systems, and creating Web-based training materials. For more information, visit www.monarchmedia.com.