Introducing Web Conferencing Tools A Towards Maturity paper providing information and support for those new to web conferencing tools June 09 Introduction... 2 What is web conferencing?... 2 Benefits of web conferencing... 3 How does it work?... 4 Implementation considerations... 5 Example tools... 7 Where to go for more information... 8 Summary... 8 Page 1 of 8
Introduction Towards Maturity research shows that web conferencing tools (synchronous learning systems) are growing rapidly in popularity with employers and learning providers 1. These tools allow groups to come together online without leaving their place of work to learn together and to communicate with experts and with each other. These tools allow organisations to roll out new products and services quickly, visually demonstrate new procedures, remotely train on IT systems with expert support, quickly share new updates and best practice, instil new management practices for virtual teams and run real help sessions for any topic where the expert is remote from those learning new skills. They provide a rapid, simple, low-cost and straightforward opportunity for classroom trainers to extend their reach and migrate to new learning media. The success of these systems for learning is determined not by the sophistication of the technology but by the expertise of the presenter. The risk is that presenters do death by PowerPoint - minimum interaction, minimum images and maximum boredom! Participants may feel they are sitting watching paint dry rather than being engaged in the content, with each other and with the presenter! This short paper provides an introduction to this rapidly growing area, highlights pitfalls to avoid and signposts areas for further information. What is web conferencing? Web conferencing tools are used to conduct live meetings or presentations via the internet. 2 These tools can be used to deliver interactive learning sessions (via virtual classrooms ) or a virtual seminar (webinar). They are also known as virtual meeting spaces or synchronous learning systems. In essence, as long as the presenter and participants have a web accessible device ( laptop, desktop or even a smartphone) and an internet connection, they can take part in an event regardless of their location. Broadband is not essential but enhances the experience considerably. Every person looks at the same view of the system. What they see will vary but will include some or all of the following: A whiteboard area (that can be changed to display pre-prepared PowerPoint slides or any application selected by the instructor or presenter, for example a video image). A list of fellow participants. 1 Driving Business Benefits Research Jan 09 web conferencing has increased and is in use by 62% of businesses surveyed. 2 See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/web_conferencing for a fuller definition and explanation Page 2 of 8
a chat area (where text may be typed in and seen by everyone) An area to answer multiple choice questions posed by the presenter or instructor. A video image of the presenter or other participants. (See how does it work below for more detail) Benefits of web conferencing In an economic climate where time and budget are scarce and travel expenses are being slashed, there are a number of benefits for using web conferencing tools: Business benefits o Reduce Cost 3 o Reduce time ( as a result of immediate distribution of business critical learning and content) o Reduction in carbon footprint. (The greater the distance, the greater the benefit!) o Increasing access to scarce expertise. o Addressing needs of remote audiences. o Speedy responses to rapidly changing learning needs o Bring management practices into line across virtual teams 4 o Disseminate good practice or changing information quickly and consistently Individual benefits o o Convenience - Improved flexibility of time and location to fit continuing professional development with work/home obligations. Connected - Immediate access to knowledge of other participants via chat. - Access to expert advice 3 Read about the Dental Channel to see how 250,000 may be easily saved with UK wide applications at http://tinyurl.com/tmdentchstory 4 Read about the virtual leadership programme at Coca-cola at http://tinyurl.com/tmcocacola Page 3 of 8
o Closer to content - From an instructional perspective the individual s view of critical information can be greatly improved. This is particularly beneficial where the instructor demonstrates equipment that is difficult to see or get at. The camera can reach places that students can t. Examples include medical procedures, equipment maintenance, the internal operation of systems and machines, indeed anything that requires intricate hand movements in confined spaces. How does it work? Participants and presenters are looking at the same view (which may or may not include an image of the presenter). Presenters and participants are connected by voice, either through their computers or over a telephone line. What are the components? Whiteboard Just as with the real classroom whiteboard, other applications can also be viewed and the instructor can present to all participants a variety of different media. If the system supports application sharing then instructors may use video segments, animated graphics, simulations and real computer applications. Instructors can ask specific learners to come up to the white board and take control. This is achieved when the instructor passes the control of an application or a part of the virtual classroom to an individual participant. The whiteboard can be a shared space and all participants may draw on it, highlight items, and add text. The simplest use would for the presenter to add a quick sketch or picture and for participants to add comments or identify areas. Chat facility All web conferencing/virtual classroom systems include the capability to allow learners to comment or ask questions through typing in text into a chat box. Two options are available: Public chat that can be seen by everyone else in the virtual classroom and naturally every other participant can comment or ask questions. This allows multiple individual learners to ask questions at the same instant. Private chat facilities that allow instant messages to be sent between individual participants, or between a participant and the instructor. This allows learners to ask private questions of the instructor, something not possible in real classrooms, and to communicate between themselves without interrupting the flow of the lesson, something also not possible in real classrooms. Page 4 of 8
One recommended practice for larger online events is to use two instructors. One will monitor and respond to chat, ensuring any individual requests that learners have are dealt with. The other instructor is then free to concentrate on audio; presenting visual material and ensuring the interaction with individual learners. The usually split is to have one instructor expert in the topic and the other experienced in supporting the classroom facilities. Question polling All web conferencing/virtual classroom tools have a system whereby the instructor can ask questions, participants select answers and the answers are displayed in a graph on the screen (not easy to do in a real classroom). Answers might be a simple yes or no or multiple choice and they provide immediate feedback and interaction within the event. Recording and monitoring Some tools have monitoring systems embedded. The time users spend engaged with learning a particular topic is recorded. Because of the reporting and monitoring systems embedded within these tools it becomes very easy for organisations to monitor and report on Continuous Professional Development activities. A recording facility is frequently available which allows sessions to be recorded to be listened to later, providing either a useful revision facility or access to the original learning material at any time and any place. The lack of interaction is compensated for by instructors responding to real questions from real learners. Implementation considerations Technical Broadband and wifi access. Domestic broadband has proved to be more than adequate for the delivery of Webinars. This puts it into the homes of more than 60% of the UK population with a stated government intention that this will be 100% availability by 2012. There are demographic and regional variations at the moment. Plug ins. In some cases user PCs will require a small download added to their system. This may cause difficulty behind corporate files but virtual classroom/web conferencing tools do exist that run within normal browser windows and require no specially installed software. Policy and contracts. Some Internet Service Providers may have contracts that limit download speeds and volumes and these would have to be addressed as part of any implementation. In-company implementation may also need to consider firewalls and IT policy, limiting the downloads of software required to Page 5 of 8
run on individual PCs to implement particular platforms (plug ins). However these are policy and management limitations rather than technical limitations. Audio Conferencing. One of the most variable factors in webinars or virtual classrooms is the quality of the sound when transferred through a computer (Voice over Internet Protocol VoIP). The nature of the Internet means that voice transmissions are divided into different packets and transferred through the mesh of data connections that is the worldwide web. Sometimes this audio cannot be re-assembled completely and this causes distortion. The same problem is less likely to affect other digital media including images and computer software. It may affect the video image but this is much more acceptable to users than distortion in the sound. The situation is readily solved by using standard telephone audio conferencing facilities alongside the system itself. It is worth noting that more and more standard telephone calls are being switched through Internet and web services. However this tends to be between exchanges rather than between the exchange and individual users and distortion is much less likely. Telephone conferencing is better with small numbers rather than large numbers and there are a number of additional considerations when participants dial in using the phone. It is rare for individuals to have telephone headsets which tend to be more expensive than computer headsets. These are recommended particularly for extended classroom sessions when taking notes may be desirable. Loudspeaker/hands-free is not recommended because of feedback and background noise which can destroy a web conference session. It can be difficult to trace because the participant creating the noise may not be aware of it. In many cases telephone conferencing is not linked to the classroom application and is therefore not controlled by the presenter. Some tool suppliers do provide such a link. Instructional Creating digital content. Some expertise is required to create the digital content used within the virtual classroom but the development can be managed by others in much the same way that producing books and colour images has always been a specialist activity. Working in groups. Although Webinars work well on a single user single PC basis there are also examples of successful implementation where small groups use the web conference through one PC. Issues such as screen sizing, audio broadcasting, audio feedback, seating and lighting need to be resolved for each site where groups of users are based. This type of implementation puts the technology within the reach of everyone in the UK now. Instructional methodologies have to be revised to take account of interaction between groups rather than individuals; however this also opens up a number of possibilities in instructional techniques. Page 6 of 8
Learner engagement. The instructional challenge is to make sure that every learner is engaged in a situation where the instructor has no visibility of the learners. Practicing skill. web conferencing tools share limitations of the classroom in practicing skills. It is recommended that good instructional design principles are carried over the instructor provides the information and guidance, the local supervisor checks that it is put into practice safely and gives the individual learner feedback from their performance. Using video. It is also not difficult to extend technology so that a video connection is made between an individual learner and the instructor so that the instructor can give feedback as well. The participants video camera can be in a workshop or lab. The time delay means that an experienced operative has to supervise the action on safety grounds. Trainer skills. Experience from several of the Towards Maturity case studies (see http://www.towardsmaturity.org/tag/webconferencing/) demonstrates the ease with which good quality classroom trainers can transform themselves into good quality virtual classroom trainers. However they usually require specialist support, coaching and development to make this transition. Example tools Available products are increasing in number and prices are dropping. Almost all suppliers offer a free trial and some are set up to provide free web conferencing services permanently, albeit with reduced functionality. Some webinar applications are free. Free tools represent an ideal environment for classroom trainers to experiment, become familiar with and try out new ideas. Without endorsing any product this is a list of some of those available (click on hyperlinks below for website): Adobe connect pro WebEx Elluminate Go to meeting Group World Net Omnovia Ten AV Dimdim Wiredred Yugma Cix Conferencing Page 7 of 8
Where to go for more information 1. To see best practice ideas and examples of tools in action visit Towards Maturity at http://www.towardsmaturity.org/tag/webconferencing/. 2. The elearning Guild research on Synchronous Learning Systems Dec 08 highlights the landscape in this area, best practice, market share, tool satisfaction and comparison. 3. For courses and workshops to update skills visit http://onlignment.com/ Summary It is self-evident that synchronous learning tools save carbon output, time, travel and cost. They are more convenient for individual learners but do require different expertise from instructors to enable more individual mentoring and coaching of learners in the workplace. This expertise is easily gained by instructors provided they are willing to make that change. Page 8 of 8