Getting Started

We’ve all been there.  That webinar that promised to engage us with applications of new technology and a wealth of resources.  But then, after weak efforts in meeting the goals for the session, we were left to sleepwalk through the lesson.  Follow that up with the fact that the only takeaway from the webinar was the irksome feeling that the time spent in the session was all for naught.  The horror of that failed webinar may have made us question whether we too have committed the same crime against our audiences for presentations that we’ve led.  How can we be sure that the webinar that we’ve put together will have the ability to capture and hold the attention of our learners?  And with the plethora of synchronous online tools available as the stage for e-meetings, how do we implement strategies for planning and delivering content that engages instead of enrages?

The Solution

This website is comprised of a series of online modules covering the design and development of a webinar.  The modules focus on design strategies and best practices that presenters, teachers and trainers can use to deliver content that is specifically geared towards audience participation and learner-driven instruction.  The modules will show you how to create pre-activities, choose applications and software for the e-meeting, design in-session activities, utilize measurement and assessment tools, and create post-session surveys for follow-up.  Ultimately, the goal of the website is to offer you a definitive road map for how to plan, design and implement successful synchronous sessions that keep the learner on task and invested in the lesson.

What You’ll Need

This series of modules requires nothing but an internet connection.  You’ll want to take notes as you go along on the specific tools and engagement activities that will work for the webinar or presentation that you are planning.

Learner Objectives

Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to do the following:

1. Identify the characteristics of a successful e-meeting
2. Define the purpose and goals of the e-meeting
3. Define the learning objectives and learner motivation for that e-meeting
4. Create a project plan for the e-meeting
5. Design a webinar and all associated components, to include registration/marketing materials, pre-assessment, post-assessment and presentation design
6. Run a webinar following the principles of Robert Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction
7. Build engagement activities around the content of the e-meeting that meet the learning objectives