Needs Assesssment

Running Head: NEEDS ASSESSMENT MCGILL UNIVERSITY CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT

Needs Assessment McGill University Chemistry Department Jessica A. Haak Concordia University

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LEGEND

Changes to Content Changes in Formatting (e.g. order)

Table of Contents NEEDS ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................ 3-16 INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................................3 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ........................................................................................................4 THE SPONSOR’S REQUEST .............................................................................................................4 RESEARCH STRATEGIES & RESULTS.......................................................................................... 4-5 Pre-group Questionnaire ........................................................................................................................4 Focus Group ...........................................................................................................................................5 One on One Interview ............................................................................................................................5 Performance Issues and Training Challenges Tables ............................................................................5

BUSINESS NEED ............................................................................................................................5 CURRENT SITUATION .................................................................................................................5,6 IDEAL SITUATION .......................................................................................................................6,7 IDEAL TASK LIST..................................................................................................................... 7-10 Entry Level Tasks ..................................................................................................................................7 Main Task 1: Evaluate the condition of the glove box...........................................................................8 Main Task 2: Bring a chemical into the glove box .......................................................................... 8-10 Main Task 3: Take a chemical out of the glove box.............................................................................10 Main Task 4: Prepare the working space for the next user ................................................................10

LEARNER & THE LEARNER ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................... 12-13 LEARNING OBJECTIVES ......................................................................................................... 13-14 REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................15 APPENDIX....................................................................................................................................16

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Introduction

This report has been developed to outline the need for a formal glove box training program for graduate and undergraduate level learners within McGill University’s Chemistry Department research labs. A glove box is a piece of equipment, which ensures that chemicals agitated by oxygen and/or moisture are kept in an oxygen (O2) and moisture (H2O) free environment. It has been asked that a formal program be developed to aid senior lab members in training summer students, new lab members, and external lab members (borrowing equipment) on beginner-level glove box procedures. Additionally, it has been requested that the course materials developed can also serve as a knowledge management resource for trainers as there is frequent turnover in these positions.

The sponsor for this project at the time of this needs assessment is Mr. Jeffrey Quesnel, a fourth year PhD candidate in Chemistry and the glove box head for the research group of Prof.

Bruce A. Arndtsen. I have also been in contact with the undergraduate lab coordinator: Mr. Mitch Huot. He has asked to review the training upon completion for possible adaption into future undergraduate level labs. Although a lab component covering glove box procedures for the undergraduate-level labs has been discussed, there is no formal plan, nor is there currently available funding to secure equipment. It should be noted that I have worked for the Chemistry department at McGill in the past on a knowledge management project. At that time I developed a database of the Arndtsen group’s spectra. Lastly, Doctoral candidates Ms. Laure Kayser and Mr. Boran Xu have agreed to act as subject matter experts for this project.

For the purpose of data collection a focus group was held to explore the views of six departmental members. There were four doctoral-level glove box trainers (from three different labs), a safety officer, and a post-doctoral student in attendance. Prior to the session a pre-focus group questionnaire was administered. Additionally, a one-on-one interview was conducted with a research associate (and recent recipient of apprentice-based training) to gain insight into the trainee perspective. The analysis and findings from this session will be discussed in the research strategies and results section.

The first half of this document will provide information on the background of the project, the sponsor’s request, the research strategies and results, the business need, the current & ideal performances, the ideal task list, the learners & learning environment, as well as the possible project constraints. The second half of this document will present the training objectives and evaluations materials.

Background Information As of October 2012, there are eight glove boxes, distributed amongst six labs within McGill’s Chemistry Department. There are currently no undergraduate level labs in Chemistry

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at McGill University that train students on how to use glove boxes. Unless students have been trained at other institutions or work placements, they typically learn to use a glove box when doing summer projects, honors thesis projects, or graduate level research within the department.

As identified in the focus groups, infrequent users are most often trained during informal sessions facilitated by a senior lab member who has been assigned the role of glove box head by the group’s supervisor. More frequent users, notably those that are completing projects that require regular glove box usage receive further sessions and/or coaching, at the discretion of their trainer, in an apprentice-based approach. As it stands there are no formal evaluations after these sessions to assess the trainee’s competency level.

Additionally, In terms of the content development there are no formal training materials available to glove box trainers of frequent or infrequent users. Often, senior group members will attempt to document some of the specific calibrations of their machines, and some basic protocols for knowledge management purposes to pass down to subsequent trainers.

The Sponsor’s Request The sponsor has specifically requested training materials that will familiarize beginner level users with basic glove box procedures and that will aid in preventing common and reoccurring errors. The sponsor has also asked that the training focus on transporting chemicals in and out of the box and following important glove box etiquette. Additionally, it has been requested that the training be as procedural and hands-on in format as possible. Lastly, the sponsor has requested that the evaluation tools that test learning take on an observational format.

Research Strategies and Results Pre-Focus Group Questionnaire The pre-focus group questionnaire highlighted several important areas related to glove box training in the department. The questionnaire included both closed and open-ended questions about how the respondents themselves received training on the glove box, as well as, the current state of the glove box performance and training in the respondents’ labs. The data suggested that there was variation in the number of hours that respondents believe they use the box, with answers ranging from three to twenty hours per week. In terms of the training they themselves received, virtually all of the respondents stated that they learned through an apprenticeship-based process (except for in one instance in which no senior lab member was available to conduct the training in that group). Additionally, the majority of the respondents indicated that there were gaps in their own training. Table 1 in the Appendix summarizes the responses with regards to performance gaps and Table 2 in the Appendix summarizes the responses with regards to training challenges. The two most common responses for performance related issues were glove box etiquette and the improper handling of chemicals; the two most

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prevalent responses for training challenges included the trainee’s lack of a basic understanding of glove box chemistry and difficulties with multiple user set-ups.

Focus Group Through this process an important distinction between infrequent users (e.g. individuals doing small or short-term projects) and frequent users (e.g. specialists in organometallic chemistry) of the glove box was made. One participant stated that there should be two separate training approaches for these groups because their needs are generally different, conversely another participant suggested that both groups make mistakes in using the box and that infrequent and frequent users require an equal, standard base of knowledge. Additionally, one trainer also, expressed a lack of motivation in training infrequent users on their group’s glove box, because of the time commitment. A general consensus in the group was that the 30-minute training prototype being developed for ETEC 712 should be easy to follow in order to prevent user error and to ensure infrequent and frequent users could benefit from the training. Lastly, when asked about possible training topics worth covering the group was unanimous that bringing chemicals in and out of the box would be a worthwhile subject to explore in the training.

One-on-One Interviews A one-on-one interview was scheduled with a research associate who had received informal glove box training from a senior lab member in the last year. The research associate indicated that some knowledge of the glove box system prior to working on projects (e.g at the undergraduate level) would have been useful. In this interview the research associate also stated that his greatest difficulty was in actually operationalizing the steps and physically manipulating the tools and the machinery in the procedures, as the associate’s mentor did not offer enough support in this area.

Business Need Carliner (2003) identified ‘generating revenue’, ‘containing expenses’ and ‘complying with regulations’ as the three fundamental business goals related to training projects (p. 47).

Maintaining safe conditions in the lab is of paramount importance when dealing with the glove box; therefore, the business need for this training is to comply with group and departmental standards.

Current Situation For the purpose of this section I will use four fictitious characters to illustrate some of the issues that have been identified in the data collection phase.

Lena & Brian Lena has a busy workweek ahead of her. She writes down a list of all of the things she has to do: a lab report, paper edits, and exam proctoring. To make matters worse she has an annual review coming up and she still hasn’t secured the results she has been hoping for. All and

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all, Lena is under a lot of stress. Recently, an undergraduate student named Brian joined her lab.

Lena has noticed that Brian is pretty self-sufficient but sometimes he is careless with dangerous chemicals and he tends to skip procedural steps. Lena’s supervisor has asked her to train Brian on the glove box. They have done one or two quick 15-minute sessions on the parts of the machine and the basic concepts. Lena really doesn’t feel like training Brian, she is very stressed about getting her lab report done and preparing for her review. Training Brian means that she will have to stay late. She quickly jots down a few steps about vacuum pumps she wants to teach him and grabs some old notes that she wrote down during another session. During the training she asks Brian a few questions when he seems to be missing critical information. She gets Brian to quickly demo what she has taught him. Later in the week Lena catches Brian doing the exact opposite of what she trained him to do. She also notices that the O2 and H2O levels are higher than usual in the box. Based on this she suspects that this has cost the lab over three hundred dollars in the price of chemicals and glassware, which she doesn’t have time to fully validate.

She also suspects that Brian has been leaving broken glassware in the glove box and has left several unlabelled chemicals there too. She talks to Brian about these issues and hopes that they don’t happen again. In the end it takes her over an hour to fix the box.

Brian is new to the lab. He is nervous because this is his first time working in a lab and he wants to do well on his honors thesis. Everyone in the lab seems busy, so Brian is sometimes too shy to ask for help. He’s noticed that some lab members are more interested in answering questions than others. Lena, the doctoral student who is training him does not always give him a lot of time in their training sessions to practice moving things in the glove box. He finds it feels uncomfortable at first putting his hands into the big black gloves and opening and closing the antechamber doors. He understands that the glove box shouldn’t have air or moisture in it, but he is a bit confused about how to purge the machine, how to do proper cycles, and how much he should tighten and loosen the doors to the antechamber. He also feels anxious that he might accidently make a hole in the gloves, as he’s not sure how to fix this problem. The training always seems to go by quickly and he is still feeling anxious about making mistakes.

Ideal Situation Wei & France France is a bit nervous to learn about the glove box. It’s her first year in her new lab and she wants to make a good impression. She’s been settling in on a project with her supervisor.

The project they agreed on requires a lot of work in the glove box; unfortunately, she has never used one before. Wei has been assigned to give France some training on the machine. Wei seems very prepared for the session; he has useful visuals and handouts to give to France. He gives her a detailed but not overwhelming amount of information on a specific topic related to the glove box. Wei speaks clearly, he gives France many chances to ask questions, and gives her

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enough time to actually use the box and do the steps with him. Wei does a thorough evaluation to make sure that France understands all of the procedures. Wei follows-up with France regularly. France is very confident that she knows how to follow the procedures from the training, because they are all well documented and clearly tell her when to contact another lab member for help. Her fellow lab members appreciate when she comes to them, because the training has given her good judgment about when to ask for help.

Wei has a clear idea of what France has covered in her previous sessions. He has an evaluation that helps him to target specific skills France is struggling with when he checks up on her. Today Wei and France will be looking at vacuum pump cycles. Wei feels confident he can train France quickly and efficiently. It’s 10:00am; he grabs his training materials and heads over to the glove box. There he walks France through all of the steps, he’s not worried that he will forget anything because the trainer guide is easy to follow and logical. He always has a clear idea of how long the different components will take so he’s not too stressed about time. He knows he’ll be finished by 10:30am and that he can make his NMR time that you booked for 10:45. After the training this week Wei is happy that he doesn’t have to clean up the glove box for France and that the box seems to be in good working order. When Wei fills out the chemical replacement sheet, he’s surprised how little additional supplies they need this week.

Ideal Task List Entry-Level Tasks  Explain how the value on the vacuum gauge relates to the pressure inside the antechamber.  Explain how the glove box removes oxygen and water from its atmosphere.  Explain what types of chemicals are incompatible with the O2 purifier in the glove box.  Explain what each of the four-circulator icons on the glove box computer main menu represents in relationship to the glove box.  Explain what types of reactions are unsafe or impossible to conduct in a glove box atmosphere.  Name the major parts of a glove box.  Label a basic diagram of a glove box.

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Main, Supporting & Sub-supporting Tasks

Main Tasks

Sub Tasks & Supporting Sub Tasks

1.

Evaluate the condition of the glove box.

1.1 Verify the O2 level is between 0.1 and 5 ppm.

1.2 Verify the H2O level is between 0.1 and 5 ppm.

1.3 Verify the pressure is between 1 and 6 mbar.

1.4 Verify the 4-circulator icons on the main menu are green.

1.5 Verify there is no red button with the term “alarm” written on the main screen.

1.6 Verify tasks 1.1 – 1.4 every five minutes while doing any work in the glove box.

1.7 Resolve any deviations from conditions listed in tasks 1.1-1.4

2. Bring a chemical into the glove box.

o

1.6a Notify a senior lab member of the deviation.

o

1.6b Wait for the senior lab member to resolve the deviating conditions before doing any further work in the box.

2.1 Ensure the chamber valve is at 0 psi. o

2.1a Resolve any deviation by turning the antechamber valve to the marked “refill” position.

o

2.1b Wait until the vacuum gauge reaches 0 psi.

o

2.1c Turn the antechamber valve to the marked “closed” position.

2. 2 Open the outer antechamber door.  Procedure for Model A o

2.2a Turn the antechamber door knob counterclockwise until the door feels loose.

o

2.2b Turn the antechamber door counterclockwise 25°.

o

2.4c Detach the antechamber door and place it knob down on a flat surface.

 Procedure for Model B o

2.2a Pull the antechamber handle to unlatch the antechamber hinge.

o

2.2b Pull the door open to a 90° angle.

2.3 Load a chemical in a sealed container into the antechamber. o

2.3a Slide the antechamber tray out of the glove box by one foot.

o

2.3b Place the chemical in a sealed container on the tray.

o

2.3c Push the antechamber tray completely into the antechamber.

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2.4 Close the outer antechamber door  Procedure for Model A o

2.4a Pickup the outer antechamber door.

o

2.4b Fit the outer antechamber door grooves into the door frame.

o

2.4c Turn the outer antechamber door clockwise 25°.

o

2.4d Turn the outer antechamber door clockwise, using only your thumb, index finger, and middle finger.

 Procedure for Model B o

2.4a Push the outer antechamber door towards the glove box until it is touching the door frame.

o

2.4b Line the outer antechamber handle with the outer antechamber latch and pull down on the antechamber handle to seal the door.

2.5 Conduct three vacuum and refill cycles using the antechamber valve.  Procedure for Cycle 1 o

2.5a Turn the antechamber valve to the marked “evacuate” position.

o

2.5b Turn the antechamber cycle wheel to “1”.

o

2.5c Wait five minutes.

o

2.5d Turn the antechamber valve to the marked “refill” position until between 5 psi and 15 psi is on the antechamber vacuum gauge to complete cycle 1.

 Procedure for Cycle 2 o

2.5e Turn the antechamber valve to the marked “evacuate” position.

o

2.5f Turn the antechamber cycle wheel to “2”.

o

2.5g Wait five minutes.

o

2.5h Turn the antechamber valve to the marked “refill” position until between 5 psi and 15 psi on the antechamber vacuum gauge to complete cycle 2.

 Procedure for Cycle 3 o

2.5i Turn the antechamber valve to the marked “evacuate” position.

o

2.5j. Turn the antechamber cycle wheel to “3”.

o

2.5k Wait five minutes.

o

2.5l Turn the antechamber valve to the marked “refill” position to 0 psi on the antechamber vacuum gauge to complete cycle 3.

o

2.5m Put the antechamber valve to the “closed” position.

o

2.5n Turn the antechamber cycle wheel to “N2”.

2.6 Open the inner antechamber door.  Procedure for Model A o

2.6a Put hands through the box gloves and extend them into the box.

o

2.6bTurn the inner antechamber doorknob counterclockwise 360°.

o

2.6c Turn the inner antechamber door counterclockwise 25°.

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2.6 Open the inner antechamber door.  Procedure for Model A o

2.6a Put hands through the box gloves and extend them into the box.

o

2.6bTurn the inner antechamber doorknob counterclockwise 360°.

o

2.6c Turn the inner antechamber door counterclockwise 25°.

o

2.6d Detach the inner antechamber door and lay it on the floor of the glove box.

 Procedure for Model B o

2.6a Put hands through the box gloves and extend them into the box.

o

2.6b Pull the inter antechamber handle to unlatch the antechamber hinge.

o

2.6b Pull the door open to a 90° angle.

2.7 With hands still in the box pick up the sealed chemicals and place in the glove box.

2.8 Close the inner anti-chamber door  Procedure for Glove Box A o

2.8a Pickup the inner antechamber door.

o

2.8b Fit the inner antechamber door grooves into the door frame.

o

2.8c Turn the inner antechamber door clockwise 25°.

o

2.8d Turn the inner antechamber door clockwise, using only your thumb, index finger, and middle finger.

 Procedure for Glove Box B o

2.8a Push the inner antechamber door towards the glove box until it is touching the door frame.

o

2.8b Line the inner antechamber handle with the inner antechamber latch and pull down on the antechamber handle to seal the door.

2.9 Verify the glove box conditions have not deviated from those listed in tasks 1.1-1.6 2.10 Given any deviation in conditions during task 2.9 follow the procedures in 1.7.

3. Bring a chemical out of the glove box.

3.1 Open the inner antechamber door following the steps outlined in task 2.6.

3.2 Place the sealed chemical in the antechamber.

3.3 Close the inner antechamber door following the steps outlined in task 2.8.

3.4 Open the outer antechamber door following the steps outlined in task 2.2.

3.5 Remove the sealed chemical from the antechamber.

3.6 Close the outer antechamber door following the steps outline in task 2.4.

4.Prepare the working space for the next user.

4.1 Label all unmarked chemicals with a marker.

4.2 Tidy up chemicals and equipment.

4.3 Sweep the bench using a dustpan and broom.

4.4 Place all dirty or broken glassware, empty bottles, dirty cloths, and debris in the glove box garbage (blue bin).

4.5 Clean the inside of the gloves with a cloth and solvent.

4.6 Clean the outside of the gloves with a cloth and water.

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The Learners & The Learning Environment The glove box learners in the McGill Chemistry department come from a variety of academic streams: the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. The department is very multicultural and has students from all over the world working together in individual labs. For this reason there are some issues with translation and language, although all students must demonstrate a workable knowledge of English in order to gain entry into the department. In terms of age the typical learner is between twenty and thirty years old. In the Arndtsen lab for example there are members from Latvia, France, Canada, Italy, China, and South Korea, ranging in age from 22 to 35, with seven languages spoken between them.

As for the learning environment, many of the labs in the Otto Maass building have recently been renovated so there is ample working space, although in some groups glove box time is scarce due to over capacity issues. Each environment will have exceptionalities in terms of layout, equipment features, and policies and procedures, although, they are all required to follow specific safety protocols. In terms of the safety climate, minor safety issues generally occur once every few weeks, with fires and flooding occurring in the department roughly once or twice a year. Five years ago a student was seriously injured when glassware exploded causing injuries to one of his major arteries. For these reasons as stated in the business needs section, safety issues are incredibly important when developing training procedures. A safety committee member, Ms. Laure Kayser, has been secured to act as a SME for this project.

Project Constraints In terms of technical elements, as noted in the focus group several of the glove boxes that are available in the different labs at McGill University have variations, for this reason the training may be slightly more applicable to one group’s set-up than another’s (although this will be accounted for as much as possible in the tasks section which includes instructions for two common models). In terms of departmental culture each group varies significantly and the preferences of each glove box head as well. It is up to the discretion of the glove box heads themselves as to whether they choose to use or implement any of the training elements either into their training program or as a knowledge management tool. Furthermore, there is no governing body that oversees glove box training; it is essentially the responsibility of the group supervisor who typically delegates the task. In this sense coordination can be difficult, although participation at the focus group was positive.

In terms of editorial guidelines there is not distinct model or template that is required in this project. The prototype in this sense is acting as a possible template for future designs, which should it be used will likely be created by glove box heads themselves. This is because there is no departmental funding at this time for glove box training outside of the salary hours that are paid to masters, doctoral and post-doctoral students in research positions.

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Objectives

Main Objectives

Supporting Objectives & Sub-Supporting Objectives

1. Given a glove box computer screen menu, state whether the glove box is ready to safely bring a chemical into the antechamber, with a 100% accuracy.

1.1 Given a glove box computer main menu, state whether the oxygen level is between 0.1 and 5 ppm.

1.2 Given a glove box computer main menu, state whether the water level is between 0.1 and 5 ppm.

1.3 Given a glove box computer main menu, state whether the pressure is between 1 and 6 mbar.

1.4 Given a glove box computer main menu, state whether the 4-circulator icons are green.

1.5 Given a glove box computer main menu, state whether an alarm sign is being displayed.

1.6 Given a glove box computer main menu and a set of outlined procedures, monitor that the conditions in the box remains safe, every five minutes.

1.7 Given a deviation in the glove box conditions as indicated on the main, state the steps that should be taken.

2. Given a chemical in a sealed container, a vacuum pump, a cycle wheel, a glove box and a set of outlined procedures, safely bring the chemical into the glove box, without causing damage to the equipment.

2.1 Given a chamber valve state whether the value is at 0 psi. o

Given a deviation in a chamber valve reading and a set of outlined procedures, resolve the deviation.

2.2 Given a glove box, open the outer antechamber door.

2.3 Given an opened outer antechamber door and a chemical in a sealed container, load the chemical into the antechamber.

2.4 Given a glove box door, close the outer antechamber door.

2.5 Given a set of outlined procedures, a glove box, a vacuum pump, a cycle wheel and a sealed chemical in a sealed antechamber, complete three full vacuum cycles.

2.6 Given a sealed chemical in a sealed antechamber with no oxygen or moisture content in the antechamber, open the inner antechamber door.

2.7 Given a sealed chemical in an open inner antechamber with no oxygen or moisture content in the antechamber, bring the chemical into the dry box.

2.8 Given a dry box with an open inner antechamber, close the dry box door.

2.9 Given a deviation in the glove box conditions, notify a supervisor of the situation.

3. Given a chemical

3.1 Given a chemical in a sealed container and a closed inner antechamber door,

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open the inner antechamber door.

3.2 Given a chemical in a sealed container and an open inner antechamber door, bring the chemical into the antechamber.

3.3 Given a chemical in a sealed container, within an antechamber close the inner antechamber door.

3.4 Given a chemical in a sealed container in a sealed antechamber, open the outer antechamber door.

3.5 Given a chemical in an antechamber, with an open outer antechamber door remove the chemical from the antechamber.

3.6 Given a glove box with an open outer antechamber door, close the outer antechamber door.

4. Given an untidy glove box, a broom, solvent, cloths, water and a checklist, prepare the workspace for the next user, following the guidelines with 100% accuracy

4.1 Given a marker and an unlabelled chemical in a sealed container, mark the correct name on the chemical in a sealed container.

4.2 Given a pile of recently used chemicals and equipment and the lab’s specifications, place the items in their appropriate locations.

4.3 Given a broom and a glove box, sweep the bench area, leaving no visible debris.

4.4 Given a pile of dirty glassware, empty chemical bottles and/or dirty cloths, completely dispose of the items in the garbage can.

4.5 Given a solvent and cloth, clean the inside of the gloves, leaving no visible debris.

4.6 Given water and a paper towel, clean the outside of the gloves, leaving no visible debris.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT MCGILL UNIVERSITY CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT References Carliner, S. (2003). Training Design Basics. Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press.

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Appendix Table 1 Pre Focus Group Questionnaire Identified Performance Gaps & Training Challenges.

Identified Performance Gap

# of responses

Not preparing the workspace for the next user

3

Using solvents and/or chemicals inappropriately

3

Increasing O2 or H20 levels

2

Not repairing holes in the gloves

2

Inability to do maintenance

1

Tightening valves and lids too tightly or too loosely

1

Mistakes in using the vacuum pump

1

Issues related to users overlapping

1

Notes. Included 6 participants. Language used by the respondents was coded and placed into themebased categories.   Table 2 Pre Focus Group Questionnaire Identified Training Challenges.

Identified Training Challenges

# of responses

Students lack a basic understanding of the central concepts of glove boxes

4

The glove box is a common space used by multiple users

2

Not all techniques translate across labs & equipment

1

No consistent training protocol exists for glove box training

1

Not sure of the student’s prior knowledge

1

The trainer lacks knowledge himself or herself in some areas

1

Some techniques have very complex procedures

1

There is lots of information to cover in a limited timeframe

1

Notes. Included 6 participants. Language used by the respondents was coded and placed into themebased categories.