Efficacy of genres in training videos for emergency first responders

Abstract

The actions of emergency first responders directly affect the safety of our society, and their expertise relies upon the training they receive in preparation to react to emergency events. The use of training videos has become more prevalent in recent years as a method of teaching vital response skills to first responders. Most of these videos are made in the expository mode,with little or no attempt to introduce elements or conventions from other modes of non-fiction or fiction film genres. This project extends the range of the training video in order to explore the potential impact of using conventions from other film modes and genres on learning. The study shows that participants performed equally well on information retention tests taken directly following presentation of the films. Further research could examine the efficacy of these same video conventions in long-term information retention.