Interactive video in the hospitality industry

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of learner control when using interactive video as a training tool. Food service managers (H=60) were randomly assigned to two groups, experimental and control. Each group was trained on the subject matter of food service sanitation following the program developed by the National Restaurant Association's Educational Foundation entitled, Applied Foodservice Sanitation: A Coursebook. Students of the control group were trained by the traditional, lecture-pupil technique (LPl. students of the experimental group were trained via interactive video (IV). The students of the experimental group were further randomly assigned to subgroups; limited interactive (L-I) and fully-interactive (F-I). Immediately following training, all students were given a review of the subject matter and then took the certification exam. Using t-tests to analyze scores between groups and multiple regressions to analyze the effect of time on score fc,r the experimental groups, effectiveness, efficiency, and predictability of score based on time-to-train were measured. The findings indicated that the IV program was as effective as the traditional technique and was significantly more efficient. The multiple regression analysis revealed that time was not a predictor of score; however, when students increased their interactivity while using IV programs, learning (effectiveness) increased. Interactive video programs that are designed to be limited-interactive are as effective and can be as efficient as fully-interactive programs. students who trained in small groups tended to score equally with students trained individually.