Getting the Most from Webinars
Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.
It is possible that the online course you're taking involves signing up for a webinar. Or, alternatively, you may be asked to do research for a paper, and in doing so, you've found a webinar that addresses your topic. Webinars are fantastic because they can present up-to-the-minute information from renowned experts in a way that lets you interact with them synchronously, or, to go back and review on-demand at your own convenience.
Some learning organizations use webinars for "guest lecturers" who elaborate a topic that has been discussed in course. Or, they guide learners in making connections between concepts and real-world concerns. For example, the topic of the webinar might be on the importance of budgeting when creating a financial plan for yourself and your family.
While the number of speakers can vary, as can the type of presentation, the key elements to keep in mind are the following questions:
- Before the webinar, how can I prepare for it? Is there any pre-reading to do? Should I brief myself on the assessments?
- How does this webinar tie into the overall course outcomes and learning objectives?
- What am I expected to do after the webinar is over?
- How am I supposed to work with the material that was presented?
- How can I get the most out of the fact that I can interact with the speaker and the audience members? What are the kinds of questions I can ask?
- Will there be any kind of follow-up discussion?
Webinars come in many shapes and sizes.
When many people think of webinars, they think of an online product demo or a software training session. They are useful, but limited in scope. The training webinar is just the beginning, however. Recent uses of webinars include virtual workshops and forums, as well as information sessions and question and answer sessions.
Webinars in educational settings:
When many people think of webinars, they think of an online product demo or a software training session. They are useful, but limited in scope. The training webinar is just the beginning, however. Recent uses of webinars include virtual workshops and forums, as well as information sessions and question and answer sessions.
- Guest Lecturers: Your professor can invite a guest lecturer to discuss an aspect of the course for which he or she has special expertise or experience. Webinar attendees are able to gain new insights and perspectives.
- Live Events: Tap into a subject matter expert: the webinar may incorporate a live feed from an event, which can be incorporated into the interface where the webinar attendees are asking questions. This is often done in virtual worlds, and the live event streams in on a screen while audience members communicate via their avatars.
- Archived Webinars: The value of the webinar lives on as it become a learning object, and used as instructional material for asynchronous courses.
Typical Speakers and Types of Presentations:
- Single speaker or multiple
- Questions / active responses
- Focus on content (not on background)
- Technical - avoid sales pitches "info-mercials"
- Connect to current events
- Respond to current concerns
Characteristics of Webinars
- Interactive
- Participatory
- PowerPoint presentation with voice presentation
- Questions from audience
- May have streaming media / live feed from Web cam
- May use special platforms (Elluminate, Adobe Connect, Omnovia, Web Ex, Go to Meeting)
- May use messenger / communications (Skype, MSN Messenger, Google chat)
- May supplement with landline audio
- Can share information (upload / download files)
- Typical length of a webinar: 1 - 1-1/2 hours
- Typical number of presenters: 1 - 3 presenters, with a host
- Typical size of the room: varies, but strategies for responding to questions will have to vary if there are more than a hundred active participants typing questions for the presenters.
Webinar platforms range from simple (and almost free) to highly functional and expensive.
Webinars tend to use web conferencing software and the live presentation is often archived and hosted for on-demand access.
Webinar Software:
Adobe Connect: Large volume users often use Adobe Connect because it is easy to use, the platform is very stable, and it can accommodate a large number of attendees without any detectable perturbation. Some of the features in the interface are fairly basic.
WebEx // GoToMeeting: WebEx and GoToMeeting are ideal for file sharing and having multiple participants evaluate and discuss a document. It is good for collaborative workflows and for quality review.
Elluminate: The features in Elluminate are ideal for virtual classroom instruction requiring high levels of audience participation and interaction, including voice and shared tools.
Omnovia: Users tend to love this interface because there is nothing to download, and participation is straightforward. Presenters have a wide array of tools to choose from, including file sharing, streaming media, polling, and whiteboard. It does not offer all as many attendee participation options as other interfaces.
Web Conferencing via Skype, MSN Messenger: Skype and MSN Messenger are often first choices because they are widely used and accepted, and it is very easy to allow attendees to see the presenter as he/she speaks. Skype is often used in a classroom setting where the presenter turns on his/her webcam, talks into a headset for voiceover IP (internet telephony) and then guides the attendees who are clustered in a single room. The presenter walks them through a set of slides that are projected onto a screen for the audience. There can be problems when there are more than 3 or 4 participants / attendees.
Pre-preparation for Webinars
- Research
- Discussion / blog
- Social networking announcements / info sharing
Post-webinar reinforcement
- Discussion questions
- Review questions, send to professor
Future Trends
- Asynchronous and Synchronous blend -- live presentation followed by day of independent study
- Archived and bundled as course content
- Archived with opportunity to interact via discussion board or blog
As mobile technologies improve, we’ll probably see more webinar-type events via BlackBerries, iPhones, or other pda’s, and the ability to interact will probably pull in different applications. For example, you may be viewing the webinar through an Omnovia interface, but be simultaneously communicating via Twitter, MSN, AOL, or Yahoo. There are advantages to having the chat go on in a different interface because it is easier to save the chat archive.
In any case, webinars are a valuable supplement to online courses, and they will most definitely be utilized even more as people become more comfortable with the medium, and the technology is easier to use and more accessible.