TIPS Course Materials
The TIPS course is a train-the-trainer program to help infection preventionists and healthcare educators integrate experiential learning, such as simulation, into the trainings they develop and deliver.
We are pleased to share the full suite of course materials and facilitator guides on this website. Whether you are a prior course participant, or new to TIPS, these resources are meant to help you reimagine your approach to Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) education. These resources are designed for easy adoption and adaptation, so please feel empowered to modify them to fit your educational needs. The course has been organized into modules as outlined below. Click on each module to access all related materials.
Welcome & Course Information
Welcome to the TIPS course! This module provides background on the course and instructions for navigating this site.
Our “Why”
In 2022, we held focus groups with Infection Preventionists (IPs) and frontline healthcare workers to better understand how IPs approach IPC education and what challenges they encounter. A common frustration we heard from IPs was that many had been thrown into their roles with little training or ongoing support. Frontline staff shared that the IPC trainings they were offered often felt disconnected from the realities of their day-to-day work.
In response to this, we used our backgrounds in medicine, infection prevention, simulation, and education to build a curriculum targeting adult learners with relevant IPC content. We are sharing practical tools, strategies, and insights that can help IPs and healthcare educators create training that connects with the specific audiences they serve. Our goal is for frontline healthcare workers to feel prepared, confident, and supported in the critical work they do every day.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Develop content for infection prevention education
Recognize a “why” centric facilitation structure for teaching
Develop a plan for implementing Infection Prevention education
Additionally, each module has its own set of objectives.
How to Use the TIPS Materials
We have broken up our content into modules, sections that can be watched and studied independently or as a part of the whole course.
In each module you will find:
Module Objectives – What you should be able to do after completing the module.
Educational Content – Videos covering the educational content of that module, as well as slides that were used in the live version of the course.
Activities – Games, Simulations, and other Activities you can use to enhance and test your knowledge.
For example, in this Welcome Module, to get you thinking about IPC principles, we encourage you to do our Assessing Risk activity, which is linked below.
If you would like to play this game in person, please see our Resources page for materials.
Other Items to Note
In some of our materials you may notice “Tippy”, our friendly mascot. We are often asked, “Are you teaching us, or teaching us how to teach?”. And the answer is, both! So, we have inserted Tippy at various portions of our course to highlight and point out various teaching suggestions and strategies.
These modules can completed in whatever sequence works best for you. That said, some concepts do build on earlier ones. Below are a few modules that go well together, along with the order we recommend for taking them.
Vaccine Safety and Efficacy Level Setting, Combatting Vaccine Misinformation
Education Basics and the Role of the TIPS Trainer, Educational Design and Delivery
We hope you find this course and these modules helpful. We encourage you to use and share the materials. If you have any questions, please contact: uwtips@uw.edu.
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The document below includes a series of activities and worksheets designed to help you walk away from this course with a solid plan to launch a new infection prevention training at your home institution.
These worksheets guide you through the full process of designing a training—from clarifying the “why” behind it, identifying your audience and key stakeholders, to anticipating challenges and working on solutions.
We recommend completing the worksheets as you move through the course, and each module will point you to the relevant pages so you can build your plan step by step.
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In the Infection Prevention & Control Level Setting module, we go though some key IPC principles, including germ spread and the Three I’s of infection prevention. For some, this might be a helpful refresher; for others, it could be brand new information. Either way, it offers a fresh approach to teaching this content.
Module Objectives
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
Describe how germs are spread
Define the three “I”s (Identify, Isolate, Inform)
Explain how healthcare workers assess risk
Explain how healthcare workers mitigate risk
Educational Content
TIPS IPC Level Setting - Assessing and Mitigating Risk Video
TIPS IPC Level Setting - Understanding Germ Spread Video
IPC Level Setting Assessing & Mitigating Risk - Slides
IPC Level Setting Understanding Germ Spread - Slides
Activities
As part of this module, we have created a few activities that help reinforce these concepts.
“Spill in the Blank” provides healthcare workers practice with reading disinfectant labels to clean up different kinds of messes in the healthcare environment.
Spill in the Blank Facilitator Guide
Spill in the Blank - Scenario 1
Spill in the Blank - Scenario 2
Spill in the Blank - Scenario 3
Spill in the Blank - Scenario 4
The “Hierarchy of Control” activity breaks down the Hierarchy of Controls into easier to understand concepts by starting with an everyday risky activity.
Hierarchy of Control Facilitator Guide
“Sticky Germs” gets participants up and moving in a game demonstrating the key factors influencing the risk of spreading an infectious illness in the workplace. Below you will find these activities, along with facilitator guides that will walk you through them.
Sticky Germs Facilitator Guide
Sticky Germs Printed Materials
“PPE Has Your Back” is an activity that reinforces the use of standard precautions across health care settings and professions. In this activity, participants use yes/no questioning to determine what PPE group they’ve been assigned to, and then work within their group to create simple, non-medical explanations for what activities can be safely performed with their assigned PPE.
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Continuing with IPC Level Setting, this module focuses on vaccine safety and efficacy. We break down how the different types of vaccines, how they work, and how they are tested. Like the IPC module, this might be a refresher for some, and brand-new information for others. Regardless of who is taking this module, it is meant to build a shared foundation for the subsequent module.
Module Objectives
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
Explain how vaccines work to create immunity
Identify the types of vaccines
Describe how vaccines are tested for safety and efficacy
Educational Content
Vaccine Safety & Efficacy Level Setting Video
Vaccine Safety & Efficacy Level Setting Slides
Activities
To help demonstrate the challenges of finding accurate vaccination information online, we have created a virtual scavenger hunt activity. Below you will find the activity, along with the associated facilitator guide.
Vaccine Scavenger Hunt Facilitator Guide
Inoculation Intuition is a game where teams compete to guess the risk (incidence) of specific vaccine-related and unrelated events. This activity helps provide participants with perspective on high profile, and sometimes controversial, events.
Inoculation Intuition Facilitator Guide
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This module provides guidance on dealing with misleading and false information about the safety and efficacy of vaccines that frequently leads to vaccine hesitancy. It covers common narratives and strategies we see in the spread of online vaccine misinformation and helps you think through appropriate routes to spotting and debunking misinformed narratives when they come up in our interactions with others. In addition to addressing how to engage in these challenging conversations, it also highlights the importance of identifying when not to engage.
Module Objectives
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
Explain the drivers of vaccine hesitancy
Identify common misleading narratives about vaccines
Feel confident in discussing misleading information with others when it arises in personal and professional conversations
Educational Content
Combatting Vaccine Misinformation Video
Combatting Vaccine Misinformation Video Slides
Combatting Vaccine Misinformation Slides
Activities
The first activity for this module is “Rate the Clickbait.” In this small group game, a “master manipulator” tries to spread the most convincing misinformation using prompts from the other participants.
Rate the Clickbait Facilitator Guide
Rate the Clickbait Card Game - Common Misleading Frames
The second is a role play activity, which provides examples of difficult conversations related to vaccines that individuals can work through in pairs or small groups to practice motivational interviewing skills. Consider completing the Misinformation Worksheet first as this can serve as a cognitive aid during the activity.
Motivational Interviewing Facilitator Guide
Role Playing Information
Both activities provide you with opportunities to practice navigating difficult conversations using logic-based arguments while preserving trust.
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This module introduces simulation as a powerful tool for IPC training. Learners will explore what simulation is, the types commonly used in healthcare, and the educational theories that support it. It covers the key components of a strong simulation, how to design meaningful simulations, and helps you identify when and how to integrate simulation into your IPC efforts.
Module Objectives
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
Define simulation and associated terminology
Name several educational theories supporting the use of simulation
Educational Content
Introduction to Simulation Video
Introduction to Simulation Video Slides
Introduction to Simulation Slides
Activities
The “Waiting Room” simulation encourages critical thinking to assess risk and employ risk mitigation strategies when faced with less-than-ideal situations. It is meant for frontline healthcare workers from both clinical and non-clinical backgrounds. We have also employed it with IPs to help them better understand the challenges faced by frontline workers. The in-person version is best for groups of 10-20. We have provided a recording of the simulation that can be shared and discussed in virtual or in-person trainings, which allows for larger numbers to participate. Please see the Facilitator Guide below for links and instructions for how to use it.
Waiting Room Facilitator Guide
Waiting Room Observation Worksheet
Waiting Room Videos
The second simulation, “Out of Ink,” targets PPE donning and doffing skills, and prompts discussion of barriers to PPE utilization. It is meant for non-clinical healthcare workers (e.g., registration, security, social workers) and is best for groups of 5-10.
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This module explores how to effectively teach and engage adult learners, starting with the importance of defining a clear “why” behind your teaching. You will learn to structure SMART(IE) learning objectives, and apply strategies to address resistance to change. The session also emphasizes empathy, communication, and inclusion as key elements of successful facilitation and change management.
This module relates to page 2-3 of the TIPS Planning Worksheet
Module Objectives
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
Recognize the core principles of teaching to adult learners
Develop appropriately structured goals and objectives for facilitation
Describe the concept of resistance, and how “ownership” can help to address common resistance factors
Educational Content
Activities
During this module we encourage you to complete the “Personal Styles” activity, which was adapted from Merrill-Reid. Through this, you gain tools to increase ownership, foster engagement, and design meaningful, measurable learning experiences.
Personal Styles Activity Handout
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This module focuses on strengthening your skills as a facilitator by exploring ways to engage adult learners through gamification, processing styles, and learner activation. You will also be given an opportunity to reflect on common fears faced by educators, and learn strategies to overcome them. The module also emphasizes the importance of warming up your audience, tapping into prior knowledge, and creating purpose-driven activities that reinforce learning.
This module relates to page 4-6 of the TIPS Planning Worksheet
Module Objectives
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
Utilize different processing types and styles in future class planning and facilitation
Gamify learning activities to create content that resonates with adult learners
Identify and address common facilitation challenges
Educational Content
Educational Design & Delivery Video
Educational Design & Delivery Video Slides
Educational Design & Delivery Slides
Activities
This module includes a “self-assessment” you can take to learn their processing style, as well as an activity they can do as a group. This activity helps emphasize how incorporating multiple processing
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During the live offering of this course, the final module was when participants would share the educational plans they have been working on throughout the course with their group/cohort members and the instructor team. It provides an opportunity to ask questions and get feedback prior to implementing their plan.
Below we have included examples of the final presentation a few of our previous course participants shared. Please take a look to see what a “Marketplace” presentation looks like and how participants have used TIPS to enhance their educational offerings!
This module relates to page 7-9 of the TIPS Planning Worksheet
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To supplement our educational offerings, the TIPS team created a mini-module on Assessments. During this module, you will learn what assessment really means and why it’s such an important part of effective teaching and training. We walk through different types of assessments and show you how to choose the right tool for your goals, as well as how to analyze and share your results in a way that helps improve future trainings and supports requests for more resources or support.
Educational Content
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In this mini-module, you will learn how gamification—adding game elements like competition, collaboration, and fun challenges—can make IPC trainings more engaging and effective. We walk through how to design a gamified activity and how to plan a strong debrief after a game to connect the activity back to real-life learning.
Module Objectives
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
Describe how gamification objectives differ from learning objectives
List the steps in creating your own gamified activity
Educational Content
Creating a Gamification Debrief
