The Impact of Educational Workshops on Knowledge of Instructors of Health Centers about Teaching and Learning Processes, Isfahan, Iran

Because of educational responsibilities and direct contact with people, health personnel (known as Behvarzes in Iran) need to be properly educated. Therefore, educating and empowering the instructors of health centers (or Behvarzi centers) regarding teaching and learning processes, such as selection of educational objectives and using appropriate educational technology, can positively affect the training of high-quality forces and decreasing costs. This research was hence conducted to assess the impact of educational workshops on the knowledge of instructors of Behvarzi centers about teaching and learning processes. In a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design, included the whole target population (n = 107) using census sampling. Data was collected with a self-administered questionnaire which was designed based on study objectives. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (75%). Questionnaires were completed by the participants before and after the educational intervention. Finally, the collected data was analyzed by chi-square, Mann-Whitney, paired-t, and Pearson's correlation tests in SPSS. From 107 people, who participated in the workshop, 39.3% were men and 60.7% were women. Their age ranged from 24 to 54 years old (mean age: 37.6 ± 6.3 years). The results of this study showed that after the educational workshop, the knowledge of participants increased significantly in all aspects of teaching and learning processes (P < 0.001.( Results of this study and other similar studies imply the effectiveness of participatory approaches in better understanding of teaching and learning techniques. Therefore, the more and better use of such approaches including group discussions and brain storming is highly recommended.