An independent evaluation of the Routes into AHP Careers resource

Denovan, Andrew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9082-7225 and Dagnall, Neil ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0657-7604 (2020) An independent evaluation of the Routes into AHP Careers resource. Other. Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Abstract

Background People interested in a career in the Allied Health Professions (AHP), and those seeking occupational development, require effective online resources that provide up-to-date accessible information about related vocations. The Routes into Allied Health Professions (AHP) Careers Resource, which delivers this essential function launched on AHP Day, 14th October 2019. This report evaluates the effectiveness of the Resource from the perspective of the user/client. The Evaluation centres on three key domains: visibility, usability, and impact: Visibility refers to the ease with which respondents can locate the Resource on the web. This includes quality and quantity of promotional links and search engine results. Usability, in the context of web design, denotes user ‘friendliness’. Primary features include content layout, site interface, appearance, visual design and structure, ease of navigation, intuitiveness, search facilities, and readability/comprehension/clarity. Hence, key components of usability from the user/client perspective are Resource look and feel. In the present evaluation, usability relates also to accessibility, which indexes availability and responsiveness of the site. Explicitly, the expectation that the Resource provides users with current data/information in a rapid and effective manner. Finally, impact refers to the influence that the Resource has on the user/client. Particularly, the degree to which the resource elicits a favourable reaction and positively influences user/client feelings. Concomitantly, impact indexes whether users/clients perceive that the resource is beneficial to them. Specifically, that the Resource conveys important, relevant, meaningful, and helpful material. Methodology Design of the Evaluation Tool In order to assess user/client perceptions and interactions with the Resource the authors of the evaluation designed an online self-report tool. This took the form of an internet-based survey hosted by Qualtrics (see Appendix 1). Generally, researchers refer to this established, widely used approach as internet-mediated research (IMR). The advantage of IMR is that it possesses broad reach, facilitates the rapid collection of responses from diverse and distant geographical locations, and enhances disclosure by reducing social barriers. For these reasons, researchers mostly agree that IMR gathers representative, reliable and valid data. A potential disadvantage of IMR is bias in the form of common method variance (CMV). This typically occurs when participants respond in systematic ways to survey items because of poor design, or the desire to provide socially desirable responses. To prevent this in the current evaluation the self-report instrument divided information into distinct sections and utilised various response formats (i.e., 7-point Likert scale, Yes/No, open text, and select an option). Researchers generally acknowledge that these strategies reduce/eliminate bias, and encourage respondents to reflect on question content. Accordingly, the Evaluation survey comprised independent sections using different response formats that assessed Resource visibility, usability, and impact: • Demographics (i.e., age, preferred gender, ethnicity, and disability), • Reasons for using the Allied Health Professions (AHP) Careers Resource (yes/no), 2 • Experience of using the Allied Health Professions (AHP) Careers Resource (7-point Likert scale; 1= disagree strongly, 2= disagree moderately, 3= disagree moderately, 4= neither agree, nor disagree, 5= agree slightly, 6= agree moderately, 7=agree strongly), • Accessing the Allied Health Professions (AHP) Careers Resource [how and ease] (forced choice), • Careers information [increased awareness of vocational opportunities and qualifications] (yes/no) • Maximizing resource visibility, understanding/accessing AHP career, what users liked/disliked about the Resource, and further comments [open text responses]. The evaluation survey launched on the 24th of February 2019 and closed on the 9th of March 2019. Sample Criterion for inclusion was completion of survey section two (Reasons for using the AHP Careers Resource). In total 83 respondents began the evaluation. Of these, 49 (59%) reached the inclusion threshold. Thirty (36%) of the sample then progressed to survey completion. The average (mean) age of the sample was 39.91 years (standard deviation = 10.86), with a minimum age of 19 and a maximum age of 61. The sample comprised 11 men (mean age = 39.54, standard deviation = 10.89, minimum age = 22, maximum age = 61) and 38 women (mean age = 40.02, standard deviation = 10.99, minimum age = 19, maximum age = 61). In terms of ethnicity, 42 identified themselves as White: English / Welsh / Scottish / Northern Irish / British. Four participants identified as Asian, one as White: Irish, and two as any other White background. Within the sample, 42 indicated that they did not have a disability, two preferred not to say, and five reported the presence of a disability (three indicated a physical disability, and two indicated an intellectual disability).