Implementation and evaluation of a distance learning programme on school safety and hygiene

Introduction: Schools have a great responsibility in health promotion and prevention of accidents and diseases. However, school infrastructures are often lacking in safety and hygiene. Aim: The investigation of the effectiveness of a distance learning programme in school safety and hygiene, carried out on Moodle asynchronous e-learning platform. Methodology: This is a quasi-experimental study with pre- and post-measurement, without a control group and with a sample of 379 teachers in January-February 2018. Data were collected via a validated questionnaire and data analysis was performed by SPSS 22.0. Results: After the programme, a statistically significant increase in the mean values of teachers’ knowledge (p-value=0,000) and behaviour (p-value=0,001) οn school safety and hygiene was found, as well as a non-statistically significant, improvement in their attitudes. Also, the programme was positively evaluated by teachers and with minor difficulty. Conclusions: The results indicate the positive outcome of the distance learning programme and propose it as an alternative way of training for saving resources and time.