Teaching Graduate Students to Identify and Adhere to Practicum Requirements
A single remote BST class can push most grad students to error-free BACB tracker use and lower their stress.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team ran a short remote class for 13 graduate students. They used group behavioral skills training to teach correct use of the BACB Fieldwork Tracker.
Each Zoom session had three parts: explain, show, and practice with feedback. Students logged on from home and worked together.
What they found
Eleven students hit the accuracy goal. Ten of them reached full mastery and kept the skill weeks later.
Students also said the tracker felt less stressful after the class.
How this fits with other research
Slane et al. (2021) looked at 20 studies and found BST always helps teachers and staff nail new procedures. The new tracker class adds graduate students to that list.
Gatzunis et al. (2023) used the same remote BST setup to teach interview and empathy skills. Both studies show one Zoom package can train several skills at once.
Higgins et al. (2017) first proved remote BST works for staff fidelity. The tracker study extends the model to students learning paperwork instead of preference assessments.
Why it matters
You can copy this 3-step Zoom class in your own practicum seminar. One hour of explain-show-practice gets most students logging hours correctly and feeling calmer about it. Less time fixing forms means more time for real fieldwork.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A critical component of becoming eligible to sit for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) exam is the completion of fieldwork experience hours according to the BACB Experience Standards (2018). The accrual of experience hours must meet stringent criteria and is strongly recommended to be documented using the BACB Fieldwork Tracker. Thirteen graduate students in behavior analysis were taught to enter data into the BACB Fieldwork Tracker using mock fieldwork scenarios. Training was conducted using group behavioral skills training. The training occurred remotely using both synchronous and asynchronous components. Of the 13 participants, 11 showed improvement from baseline, and 10 met and maintained performance at mastery levels at the end of the study. Social validity scores indicated that most participants felt the training was helpful, and they reported lower levels of fieldwork accrual–related stress following training (81.8% and 72.7%, respectively). Limitations and areas for future research are discussed.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2022 · doi:10.1007/s40617-021-00571-x