Implementing a Training Package to Instruct Trainees in the Assessment of Ethical Scenarios: Building Supervisory Repertoires
Remote BST gives you a ready-made way to make every BCBA trainee a solid ethics teacher.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Piazza et al. (2025) built a short remote training package. It teaches BCBA trainees how to train others to judge tricky ethical cases.
Nine future BCBAs took the course online. They watched models, practiced, got feedback, and had to score 100% on three tests in a row.
What they found
Every trainee hit the mastery mark. They kept the skill two and four weeks later without extra coaching.
The package worked through Zoom. No one had to drive to a campus or clinic.
How this fits with other research
Lloveras et al. (2022) used the same remote BST setup to teach functional analysis. Both studies got every participant to mastery, showing the web model keeps working when you swap the skill.
Piazza et al. (2021) taught RBTs to write clean session notes over Zoom. The new paper bumps the target up to BCBA trainees and to teaching-about-ethics, proving the method scales in both job level and topic.
Conklin et al. (2019) ran a pyramidal BST in person. Their caregivers hit 96% fidelity after learning to train others. The 2025 paper matches that trainer-of-trainers idea, but does it fully online, so you no longer need a physical meeting room.
Why it matters
You can plug this 100% remote package into your supervision calendar today. Add the three-step mastery check to your ethics coursework and watch trainees leave the meeting ready to teach their own supervisees how to spot a consent or boundary problem. No travel, no extra printouts, just screen-share and go.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Quality training of individuals pursuing certification as behavior analysts is critical to the continued success of the field of applied behavior analysis. It is equally essential that trainees are competent in implementing interventions, while also receiving comprehensive training in necessary skill sets to support their future success as supervisors of behavior analytic services. The inclusion of effective training packages embedded within supervised experience and university training is crucial to developing a strong repertoire of supervisory practices. In addition, incorporating comprehensive instruction on complex skills, such as providing a framework for navigating ethical scenarios, is important for trainees to successfully demonstrate ethical practice as clinicians and supervisors. This study assessed the effectiveness of utilizing behavioral skills training (BST) to remotely instruct nine students, pursuing certification as board certified behavior analysts® (BCBA®), to train a confederate on assessing ethical scenarios using BST. All nine participants met mastery criteria and maintained mastery over time. These results support that the use of effective training packages can be used to instruct trainees to competently train others on complex topics, such as assessing ethical scenarios.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2025 · doi:10.1007/s40617-023-00802-3