Unit-11

In- service Education

course content

 
• Definition and purpose of in-service education
• Planning of in- service programme
• Implementation of in- service education
programme
• Evaluation of in- service education
In Service Education

• Introduction of in- service education

• The staffs knowledge level and capabilities are
a major factor in determining the number of
staff required to carry out organizational goal.
• The belief is that the better trained and the
more competent the staff is, the less number
of the staff will be required.
• In order to give best services, a nurse must
constantly be learning.
• Hence the in-service education is the most
important activity of the staff development.
• In service education is very important for the
nurses to update their knowledge and skills in
nursing.
Cont…
• It is a program of instruction or training
provided by an agency or institution for its
employees.
• The program is held in the institution or
agency and is intended to increase the skills
and competence of the employees in a
specific area.
• In-service education may be a part of any
program of staff development.
• In service education--sometimes referred to
as human resource development or staff
development--is nourished by a mixture of
concepts from areas such as adult education,
organizational development, dissemination,
training, consultation, and planned change.
Definition
• in service education is an ongoing and systematic
enterprise (project) that consists of diverse
educational and training activities to support
improvement, capacity building, and change, and
that is focused on the accomplishment of
organizational and individual goals.
• An investment in in - service education can help
people and their organizations address a number
of expectations.
Cont…
• According to National League of Nurses, “in- service
education is planned educational experience provided
on the job setting and closely identified with service in
order to help a person perform more effectively”.
• According to American Nursing Association (ANA), “in-
service education is all educational activities planned
and organized by the employer for the employees to
assist them in learning and furthering the knowledge
and skill required for the achievements of the specific
purpose of the employing agencies or the organization”.
Purposes of in-service education

• According to Employee /staffs oriented

• To provide opportunity for individual employee to develop to their
fullest potentials.
• To update the knowledge of health personnel for ongoing practice.
• To acquire professional abilities that maximize clinical
improvement.
• To stimulate and develop occupational interest in the staffs.
• To maintain and improve job satisfaction of staff.
• To increase the professional confidence.
• To develop a team attitude
According to employer/boss/ company/organization oriented

• To decrease staff turnover

• To improve patient care - by improving performance
competence of the staff.
• To improve worker morale and motivation by -
eliminating dead-end jobs.
• To upgrade the employees.
• To remedy/cure training deficits.
• To help employees.
• To find a proper place in the organization
To the nursing personnel the common purposes of in –service
education are:

• To increase the existing knowledge base of

nurses practicing clinical nursing.
• To improve and maintain high standard of
nursing care to patients, which would increase
the satisfaction level of patients / relatives.
• To improve communication skills and inter
personnel among nursing personnel.
• To update knowledge regarding handling / up
keep of latest & sophisticated instruments and
gadget/device.
• To enable nurses to secure for renewing their
nursing license by the NNC.
• To update the teaching learning and
supervising skills of the staff.
Importance of in-service education: it

• Helps to update knowledge and skills

• Helps to acquire the new knowledge and skills
• Promote interactions with peers and other
concerned people
• Helps to develop comprehensive attitude
• Improves the overall performance of
employees
• Enhances the smoother achievement/
implementation of the program
• Maintains uniformity, objectivity and
transparency in work
• Creates innovations and establish the new
trends
• Provides refreshment and stimulations
• Promotes academic growth
Process of successful in service education program

• Designing a Plan for In service Education

programme
• To address the programmatic goals or individual
concerns, planners must design in-
service education for the people currently working
or involved in serving the suitable field of job.
• As Harris and Bessent (1969) advised: "The intent
of in-service education is to change instructional
practices or conditions by changing people".
• Identified needs for new knowledge, skills, or
attitudes can be satisfied through an organized
and continuous approach that integrates
various in service methods ranging from
formal education to practical sharing of ideas
and practices with peers.
Assumptions (statement) of planning of in- service education programme

• A plan for in service education should reflect

six fundamental assumptions:
(a) be an integral (essential, vital) part of
the early intervention or definite program;
(b) respect and treat people;
(c) be participant oriented by involving people in
many aspects of the in service education;
(d) employ /use an ongoing /continuous
planning approach directed toward maintaining
quality work and toward facilitating change or
improvement;
(e) foster/promote individual and organizational
readiness and commitments to learning, changing,
and growing; and
(f) offer a conducive/favourable learning
environment and high-quality pathways to learning.
Cont…
• For planning what should organizer do?
• Study staff and service needs through:
• Use of suggestion box
• Use of questionnaire
• Discussion of problems
• Appraisal /assessment of work performance
• Study the suggested ideas
• Establish priorities & select a specific theme
•  
• Establish goals compatible with the mission of the
organization
• Formulate program objectives
• Determine the course of action required to meet the
objectives
• Assess available resources – internal & external
resources (physical, financial, others)
• Formulate committees
• Secure staff assistance
• Plan for evaluation of the results of the program
Planning Formula:
• What is to be done?
• Be clear about the job to be done
• Break it up into separate jobs (-man, space,
equipment, materials, money that you have at
your disposal)
• Why is it necessary?
• To look for alternatives or eliminate unwanted
job(s)
• How is it to be done?
• Look for better ways of doing the job at hand
• Where is it to be done?
• Study the flow of work and availability of resources
for the job
• When is it to be done?
• Split the job into a time schedule.
• Make provision for possible delays & emergencies
• Who should do the job?
• Select the person best suited for the particular job
Guidelines of planning process for in- service education programme

• Designate a coordinator:
• One person from the definite or need based field
program should assume the leadership for initiating
and coordinating the planning for the in
service education.
• This person should arrange the process by being task
oriented and flexible, dividing large tasks into smaller
more manageable ones, and being able to work with
diverse groups--all while maintaining a positive
attitude.
• The coordinator should prepare, circulate,
review, and update an annual written plan for
human-resource development and be
responsible for ensuring that all activities are
implemented and completed.
Gain commitment and support:
• In service designers must acquire political and
economic commitment and sanction from
administrators and supervisors.
• Review appropriate policy and procedure
documents that may authorize and govern in
service education.
• Seek statements from authorities that
reinforce the belief in a systematic and
continuous approach.
• Secure support from decision-making
committees, and others.
• These commitments should ensure that in
service education becomes an integral part of
the development of knowledge and skill and
that it is seen as a credible/realistic
investment of time, effort, and resources.
Determine the emphasis:  
• In service education should emphasize
improvement through individual growth,
organizational change, or both.
• Initially, the emphasis may focus on short-
term goals such as building awareness or
increasing knowledge; or, the emphasis may
focus on long-term goals.
• Determination of the emphases to pursue
hinges on an initial diagnosis and analysis of
internal and external pressures.
• For example, into the case of in- service
education on local early childhood programs,
internal pressures are those that branch from
the early childhood organization and staff,
such as perceptions of
current program strengths, weaknesses, and
concerns; degree of receptivity/interest
toward proposed changes; and time and effort
required to bring about improvements.
• External pressures originate from the needs of
children and families, community, other
service agencies, courts, state-and federal-
government policies, and laws and
regulations.
Conceptualize a vision and philosophy
toward adult learning and the change
process:
• Develop a perspective on how adults acquire new
knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and on their
ability to change within an organization.
• Specifically, examine the amount of control and
choice given to adult learners in the learning
process, their motivation, their learning rates and
styles, and their preferences in terms of active
and passive instructional activities.
Identify the participants:
• Identify the people who will participate in
the in service training.
• Determine the number of participants, their
disciplines and roles within the particular
 program, the length and type of
their education, their experiences in providing
multidisciplinary family-centered and
interagency services, their cultural and
linguistic backgrounds, their previous in
service experiences, their motivation to learn
and grow, and their current skill levels.
• This initial information will ensure that the proposed in
service is participant centered and focused.
• Furthermore, it provides a baseline of data on the
knowledge and competency levels of the prospective
audience for negotiating /discuss proposed intended
outcomes, for shaping future needs assessments, for
avoiding unnecessary redundancies /discharge and
duplication of previous in service efforts, and for
designing learning opportunities that offer continuity
and participant choice.
Know the characteristics of the
services( children and families) being served:
• Content can best be targeted to the interests
and needs of the participants by knowing the
nature of the children and families whom they
serve.
• Characteristics include types and severity of
disabling and at-risk conditions and the ages
of the infants, toddlers, and preschoolers
being served.
Understand the nature of the
community in which the
educational program is located:
• Attend to special features such as
socioeconomic status, culture, language,
geography, and climate.
• Also, consider the history, degree of
collaboration and coordination, and quality of
current early childhood programs in the
community.
 
 Use a responsive approach:
• Responsiveness should
include planning collaboratively with participants,
assessing needs, setting priorities and objectives,
emphasizing relevance /significance and practicality,
using alternative delivery methods, conducting an
evaluation, and providing follow-up events.
• The key is to integrate the outcomes of these
activities into a meaningful and flexible plan of
action.
Promote the transfer of new ideas,
attitudes, and skills:
• Participants must take their new knowledge--
skills, concepts, and approaches--from the in
service activities and apply them to their work
with or on behalf of young children and their
families.
• It is important to find ways to facilitate the
transfer and follow-through of sound and
user-friendly practices (easy to practice) so
that improvement in the organization and the
involved individuals can become a reality.
• Transfer may be supported by activities such
as peer tutoring, coaching, on-call support,
mentoring, and external consultation.
Tap /hit diverse training resources:

• Depending upon the need for external

resources, identify organizations and
individuals that can provide the desired
assistance.
• Determine how this help will be procured
(obtain) and how it may be coordinated
through inter agency agreements with
other local, state, or national in
service agencies.
Phases of planning of in service education
programme
• The process of planning of in service
education programme consists of four
interrelated phases: (a) support and start-up,
(b) initial planning, (c) program design, and (d)
evaluation and implementation.
• Each phase consists of several activities that
should be integrated in a program of action
for in service education.
• A written plan should be prepared.
• This document should guide implementation
and capture key decisions made throughout
the phases described, and should reflect other
relevant consideration.
• There are following phases which are given
below:
Phase 1: Support and Start-Up

• The activities in this phase involve obtaining

sanction and support from involved
authorities, designating a coordinator,
assembling a planning team, and meeting to
discuss and proceed with start-up activities.
• Obtaining Sanction and Support:  
• Seek sanction and support from
administrators, program and central office staff,
specific committee members, board of directors,
union leaders, or other administrative bodies.
• These key people lend credibility
(trustworthiness) to the staff-development
enterprise, and they can authorize expenditures
and the use of facilities and other resources.
Designating a Coordinator:
• The program director may serve in this
capacity or may delegate the responsibility to
someone else, such as a teacher,
a program staff member, the assistant director,
a member of a management and support
team, or possibly a local paid consultant.
 
• Assembling a Planning Team:  
• Involving people in the planning process builds a
sense of ownership for the entire process and a
commitment to the plan's success.
• Assemble/collect a small team of people who
are representative of the participants for the
prospective in service plan.
• Establish general protocols for the process that
the team will follow.
Meeting Around Start-up Activities: 

• The in service education designer
and planning team will spend considerable
time in meetings.
• Meeting and planning protocols must be
established that specify such details as the
membership of the planning team, meeting
times and places, agenda-setting procedures,
group process, conflict resolution,
collaboration, and decision making.
Cont…

• The planning team should review the current status of

the main topic of in service education such as
local early childhood program, including its mission,
philosophy, and values.
• The team will identify general programmatic strengths and
problems, individual concerns, challenging tasks to be
accomplished, connections to other services, and future
issues or trends.
• Also, a viewpoint toward lifelong adult learning,
improvement, and change should be
articulated/expressed.
Cont…
• Team members will determine the content for
the in service education and identify the
resources that are available and/or needed to
support it.
• Potential liaison relations with various in
service providers will be identified and
established.
• These may include technical-assistance organizations,
community or state in service program initiatives (e.g.
college coursework, professional and advocacy
organizations, mentor programs, the state managers of
pertinent/related federal/central  programs, or in
service participants who are willing to share any special
skills they may have.
• Finally, the planning team will establish a tentative
schedule for all activities composing the plan of action and
anticipate the activities for the next three phases of plan
development.
Phase 2: Initial Planning
• The second phase may begin once support has
been secured and various start-up activities
completed.
• This phase consists of five interactive activities
involving participants, needs assessment and
priorities, intended outcomes, content, and
learning scheme.
• Participants:
• The audience for the in service education may
be defined broadly or narrowly.
• For example, participants may be identified
based on their contributions to the goals of
the in service education (local early childhood
program)  , their job classifications, their
numbers, or their educational backgrounds.
Cont….
• Potential participants may include teachers
(general, special, itinerant (travelling ) ); social
workers and guidance counselors; local school
board, tribal native-corporation, or advisory
board leaders; administrators; specialists such
as occupational and physical
therapists, early interventionists, speech-
hearing clinicians, and psychologists;
paraprofessionals and aides; volunteers; service
coordinators; 
• local interagency coordinating council
members; secretarial and custodial (taking
care) staff; health and dental professionals;
cooks; parents and other family members; and
bus drivers.
Cont…
• A clear identification of the audience guides
the conceptualization of the needs
assessment.
• Also, information about participants aids in
content design for the in service program and
in specifying intended outcomes and training
events.
Needs Assessments and Priorities:

• A needs assessment should be conducted to identify

internal and/or external pressures to the program.
• These may reflect current and specific programmatic
challenges or problems, individual participant concerns,
future trends and issues, resources,
and early childhood program tasks that must be addressed.
• Documenting these needs clarifies the teaching and
learning that may be required and helps to shape the
content and outcomes for in service education.
Cont…
• Strategies for conducting needs assessments
include written reports of participants' self-
perceived needs and strengths;
recommendations for training from
teacher/peer observation of participants'
competencies; a formal, written test of
participants' knowledge of proposed content
areas; an analysis of a community-wide
service-needs assessment; a
recent early childhood program evaluation or
monitoring visit;
• recommendations from the planning-team
committee, administration, school board, or the
state personnel-development plan; informal or
formal face-to-face interviews or focus groups
with the participants about their strengths,
interests, concerns, and resources; and
recommendations from an in service planner
based upon observation of the prospective
(future) participants and organization.
Cont…
• Whatever assessment methods are chosen, designers must
be able to tabulate, analyze, and interpret the collected
information.
• Priorities and a focus for content should become clear
during this analysis as a picture of participant strengths,
needs, resources, and interests is developed.
• It may be helpful to identify which needs are critical,
important, or desirable.
• These data can confirm that in service education is
necessary and appropriate and can provide guidance for its
emphasis.
Intended Outcomes:
• Goals must be established and then
articulated (expressed) as intended(planned)
outcome statements.
• Through these statements, planners and team
members should specify the expected changes
or outcomes in individual and organizational
behavior, knowledge, skill, or attitude that will
result from the staff development.
• It may be desirable to set three levels of intended
outcome statements:
--one level for the expected long-term changes of the
organization, such as the school system and its work with
preschool children
- one level for the entire audience, such as all instructional
staff of a school building;
- and another level for the short-term expected changes of
individual audience members, such as preschool teachers.
• The following are three examples of goal statements:
Cont…
• To have all school-system diagnosticians
comply with new state standards on
nondiscriminatory testing of preschool
children with disabilities (organization level).
• To increase knowledge among all instructional
staff in an elementary school building about
the uses, benefits, and availability of assistive
technology for young children with disabilities
(audience level).
• To prepare designated individual preschool
teachers to be comfortable, confident, and
competent to plan and conduct targeted
instructional interventions in the least
restrictive environment as outlined in the
child's IEP ( Individualized Education Program)
(individual level).
Cont…
• Regardless of the goal level, planners should
strive (struggle) for specificity.
• Outcome statements should reflect
programmatic concerns and tasks or the
knowledge, skills, and attitudes of participants
that need to be affected or enriched.
Content:  
• Content includes the substance, topics, or subject
matter for the inservice education.
• It represents the material around which
participants will interact, network, and learn.
• The selection of general content will be
influenced by the goals, participants, and
identified needs.
• Content can be selected in three related ways.
The first is guided by an awareness of
the participants' field of effort and
responsibilities:
• For example, preschool teachers might need
information about successful and
alternative program practices to facilitate transitions
of children among preschool, day-care, and
kindergarten or need information about
implementation strategies to address the need for
effective classroom organization arrangements that
incorporate inclusion techniques for children with
special health-care needs.
• Service coordinators (case managers) might need
skills on using culturally and linguistically relevant
materials with families during home visits or on using
particular interagency communication protocols for
serving infants and toddlers and their families
affected by alcohol and other drugs.
A second way to select general content
is guided by the characteristics of the
children served by the participants:
• It is important to consider the children's cultural, linguistic,
religious, economic, health, social, and educational
backgrounds.
• A final consideration is who will specify the content for staff
development.
• Will the participants specify the content through a needs or
interest assessment, or will someone else specify the content?
• In many instances, early childhood program administrators will
be required to present content specified--and perhaps
packaged--by others.
Cont…
• For example, as a result of a compliance-monitoring
visit, a state agency may require specific training for
psychologists at regional diagnostic and evaluation
clinics in approved nonbiased and culturally sensitive
assessment strategies.
• Or, newly enacted state legislation may
require local early intervention centers to upgrade
their staff skills on content about natural
environments and its relationship to the
development of Individualized Family Service Plans
(IFSPs) and use of developmentally appropriate
practices.
• Although in these cases a designer
and planning team may not select content strictly on
the basis of the participants, they should still keep in
mind participants' needs, strengths, and
characteristics.
• The general content for in service education will be
selected by using a combination of these three
strategies. The structure, sequence, and parameters
of the subject matter will become clearer as
the planning process moves ahead.
Learning Scheme/plan:
•  A theoretical scheme should strengthen the
climate, adult learning, and desired changes or
improvements resulting from the in
service education.
• According to the Council on the Continuing
Education Unit these types of conceptual
schemes "are designed to facilitate the role of the
learner and are organized in such a manner as to
provide for appropriate continuity, sequencing,
and integration of the program/activity to achieve
the specific learning outcome".
Massey (1979) offered a five-part learning scheme:

• (a) exploration helps explain participants with

content;
• (b) interaction encourages participants to share
experiences and avoid isolation from one
another and from content;
• (c) active participation in a variety of activities
requiring active listening, viewing, and
movement fosters a sense of involvement;
•
• (d) reflection and articulation allow
participants time to stop and think about what
they are learning, thereby enhancing their
understanding; and
• (e) synthesis or integration gives participants
time to pull together their new learning within
their present cognitive, psychomotor, or
affective constructs.
Phase 3: Program Design

• Program design involves finalizing objectives,

scheduling, providing reinforces, firming up
resources, selecting settings, and choosing
delivery methods.
• Designers and planning team members must
consider and integrate these activities to
move a step closer to completing a meaningful
plan for in service education.
1. Objectives: 

• Using ideas generated during the

initial planning phase, designers should finalize
the objectives.
• These should relate to the previously developed
goal and intended outcome statements and
should be as specific as possible.
• The objectives may include dates, specific
outcomes for the participants, and criteria for
judging the accomplishments of the objectives.
2. Scheduling:

• The timetable for in service events must

enable the participants to use the training to
best advantage.
• The schedule must reflect the priority of
needs for in service training and the
approximate duration of the in service and
must ensure accessibility for the participants.
Cont…
• Other scheduling matters must be considered.
Sufficient advance notice about in service events is
crucial.
• Identification of individuals who might assist in
addressing in service needs is critical.
• Planners must be aware of local as well as national,
state, and religious holidays and of union-contract
requirements.
• Whenever possible, it is preferable to schedule the in
service over a period of time rather than as a one-time
event.
Cont…
• A convenient location for the in service should
be chosen to attain optimum participation.
• Finally, scheduling in service activities during
best time for every participants.
3. Reinforcers:
• In service education may offer participants
incentives such as continuing education units
(CEUs), release time, extra compensation,
travel stipends (transportation fee), letters of
commendation (praise).
• Credit for college coursework or for renewing a
teaching certificate may be made available.
• Finally, the early childhood program or
licensing authority may make participation in
training activities a basis for salary increases or
promotion.
4. Resources: 
• Access to various resources is crucial.
• What money is available to implement the
plan?
• How can we capitalize on previously made
liaisons with potential inservice providers to
teach or organize the instruction?
• Can contract services or consultant fees and
travel expenses be handled?
• Can some consultants or trainers donate their
time?
• Should a special training grant be prepared to
secure monies from federal, state,
or local government to
enable inservice education to happen?
• What print and audiovisual materials are
available?
Cont…
• Can facilities and expertise be tapped to produce
some training materials?
• Are there funds for renting or purchasing
materials and audiovisual equipment?
• Can state technical-assistance staff be used from
sources identified during the start-up phase?
• Identified resources will shape further decisions
about program design involving settings and
delivery methods.
5. Setting:
• In service education does not need to be confined to a
classroom, conference center, hotel meeting room, or
auditorium.
• Other options should be considered, depending upon the
participants, type of learning desired and training activity.
• Mobile units, closed-circuit television, teleconferencing,
computer networks, and home study are other options
available for the communication of and interaction
around training content.
• Regardless (any way), the setting should be comfortable,
nonthreatening, and safe so as to be conducive for
teaching and learning.
6. Delivery Methods:
•  Methods provide the primary avenue (path) to help accomplish
the in service goals and objectives.
• The choice of delivery vehicle(s) is closely related to the choice of
an appropriate setting.
• This planning decision relates to the increasing thought given to
participants, needs, content, learning scheme, timing, duration,
and resources.
• Delivery method options for participants should be included in the
written plan.
• Care should be taken to allocate sufficient time and resources for
the design of each method selected for use in the in
service program.
Phase 4: Implementation, Evaluation,, and
Follow-Up
• The final phase consists of three activities:,
implementation, evaluationand follow-up.

• Implementation: 
• Preparing for the actual implementation of
the plan for in service education involves a
host of factors.
• .
Cont…
• These basics considerations may include
identifying and engaging the individual who will
carry out the in service plans; grouping the
participants; preparing the classrooms;
readying, motivating, and gaining commitments
from the participants; sending out invitations;
getting the audiovisual equipment; convening
planned activities; procuring refreshments;
making the introductions;
• photocopying and mailing the materials
before an event; allowing time for participant
reflection and absorption; collecting feedback;
writing the reports; and paying the bills.
• A variety of special considerations also may
need to be taken into account
• Evaluation: 
• The efficiency and effectiveness of the in
service education program must be monitored to
measure the achievement of intended outcomes.
• It is important to document changes both in
participants and in actual practice.
• A data-based gathering and reporting process
must be designed in advance to answer questions
such as:
• Have participants acquired knowledge and/or
skills?
• Have participants' attitudes changed? Has
morale improved?
• Can improvements in young children with
disabilities and their families be traced to
the in service education program?
Cont…
• Were the teaching activities or delivery vehicles
effective?
• Are there indicators that permanent change has
occurred in individuals and how has this
impacted the organization?
• How effective was the speaker and his or her
presentation?
• Were the materials and content useful and
practical?
• Was the in service environment conducive to
learning?
• Were collegiality, mutual support, and idea
exchange fostered?
• How were follow-up activities used?
Cont…
• The data-based gathering process may use
instruments such as pre- and post tests,
checklists, work-sample review,
questionnaires, forms to chart progress in
skills acquisition, observation accounts, oral
reports, peer critiquing, or written reports.
• These may be implemented through self-
reports or reports from a peer, external
evaluator, or supervisor.
• By systematically planning to collect
information, the early child hood
program director and planning team will be able
to monitor the quality of the in-service program,
report on the progress of the program, and
make changes over time, as appropriate.
• Above all, evaluation supports accountability to
those agency administrators supporting,
sanctioning, and funding the enterprise.
Follow-Up:
• Feedback from the in service participants and
the availability of resources will be
instrumental for planning follow-up.
• Weissglass (1992) observed that "Changing a
culture requires personal transformation on
the part of the members of that culture.
Cont…
• Follow-up activities seek to sustain motivation
and follow-through and ensure the smooth
transfer and adaptation of new ideas and
practices concerning services to young
children with special needs and their families.
• Other application activities such as ongoing
technical assistance and support practice in
controlled circumstances with collegial
feedback, or coaching can be implemented.
• Additionally, follow-up can respond to and
support the changing needs of
the early childhood program.
Questions
Thank you