Many college students who are hired to work at the University of Hawaii - West Oahu (UHWO) library often have little to no prior working experience. These student employees are often tasked with basic library duties such as shelving items or helping patrons locate information. Too frequently, student employees end up trying to help particularly difficult patrons or co-workers who are unaccepting of help—situations that may result in unwanted interpersonal conflicts. Unfortunately, there is currently no formal training aimed at teaching how to handle conflict using communication skills. To address this need, this project aimed to design and evaluate an online instructional module about conflict resolution. To design the instruction, research regarding library student employees, job motivation, and conflict resolution in the workplace were referenced. Keller’s (2016) ARCS-V model and Mayer’s (2005) Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, guided the project in terms of understanding how multimedia can be used to motivate and stimulate learners cognitively and affectively. The project was evaluated through a usability study with three adults (n =3), and a learning assessment with 17 adults (n=17). The results indicated the module was organized into appropriate sections and most participants found the scenario-based videos relevant. Recommendations for future research include adding additional resources for future learning and expanding on the content of the online module.
Chelby Onaga