Eli Bailey Hacker
Published: 2007
Total Pages: 214
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Abstract: Health officials in 88 counties and environmental engineers in 5 districts issue permits for onsite wastewater treatment systems throughout Ohio. Educating this large and diverse audience about advances in onsite wastewater treatment is a challenge. An examination of returned instruments indicated the instructional medium with the greatest percentage of regulators indicating a preference for a particular instructional medium was demonstration. A statistically significant difference was found between health department regulators and Ohio EPA in regards to preference of demonstrations (p-value = 0.011) and online instruction (p-value = 0.005), but no single instructional medium was indicated as the preferred medium for all three regulator groups. Different preferences were also found regarding attendance of certain programs and utilization of certain bulletins, but no statistical differences were found between health department regulators and Ohio EPA regulators regarding programs (p-value 0.429) or bulletins (p-value = 0.368). A statistically significant difference was found between reported skills, concepts and procedures by county and city health department regulators (p-value = 0.03), but no significant differences were found between county and city health department regulators and Ohio EPA regulators regarding the skills, concepts, and procedures, obstacles, or areas of ill preparedness. Comparison of other need to know lists showed one less item and two new items as important categories for regulators. Monitoring and impacts was not strongly supported as a need-to know item by any regulator group. Regulations and general knowledge were new areas reported by regulators.