Webinar and Virtual Conference Best Practices Rubric

Delivering engaging, interactive Webinars is not an easy task.  People who are new to using virtual meeting spaces often have unrealistic expectations:  they expect delivering a high-quality Webinar to be just like delivering a face-to-face presentation or lecture, and they expect it to be easy.  Nothing could be further from reality.

To help folks I work with try to grasp what it takes to deliver high-quality Webinars, I have created a rubric. Why a rubric?  Why not just a checklist?  Because delivering high-quality Webinars takes practice.  It's not a skill you will develop in a single sitting.  Rubrics help to show the continuum of novice presenter through expert.  Here's what I have so far -- it's not all inclusive -- I still need to add a section for the tools and one for the technology considerations.  See what you think.  The rubric doesn't display very well here.  For a better view and to download a copy, access my professional Web site at https://sites.google.com/site/clarkprofessionalportfolio/projects/virtual-meeting-spaces.

I have also assigned a Creative Commons license to this rubric so others can use it if they want to.  You just need to give attribution to Yvonne Clark and Peg Shuffstall.

Webinar and Virtual Conference Best Practices

Presenter	Level 1 – beginner, little or no experience, expects webinars to be exactly the same as f-2-f presentations	Level 2 – intermediate, some experience, recognizes differences between Webinars and f-2-f presentations, may be able to multitask	Level 3 – advanced, has presented in a number of webinars, knows the tools available for use and how to use them, is able to multitask, interacts with participants
Delivery	●     Was well prepared ●     Was knowledgeable ●     Stayed on topic ●     Stayed within the time allotted ●     Spoke clearly ●     Was easy to hear and understand (unrelated to technology problems)	●     Was well prepared ●     Was knowledgeable ●     Was enthusiastic about the topic(s) ●     Summarized the main points ●     Stayed on topic ●     Stayed within the time allotted ●     Spoke clearly ●     Was easy to hear and understand (unrelated to technology problems)	●     Was well prepared ●     Was knowledgeable ●     Was enthusiastic about the topic(s) ●     Energized the presentation ●     Made smooth transitions between topics ●     Summarized the main points ●     Stayed on topic ●     Stayed within the time allotted ●     Spoke clearly ●     Was easy to hear and understand (unrelated to technology problems) ●     Used his or her voice to add interest to the presentation by varying the pitch, speed, and volume ●     Coped well with unexpected issues and problems
Engagement	●     Spoke in a conversational tone, not as if reading from a script or bulleted list ●     Acknowledged participant contributions to chat and Q&A ●     Provided activities that helped participants feel connected and included	●     Spoke in a conversational tone, not as if reading from a script or bulleted list ●     Was aware of verbal tics (e.g., “you know,” “um,” “OK”) and made a conscious effort to avoid them ●     Acknowledged participant contributions to chat and Q&A ●     Provided activities that helped participants feel connected and included ●     Discussed poll results as part of the presentation ●     Discussed responses to discussion questions as part of the presentation	●     Spoke in a conversational tone, not as if reading from a script or bulleted list ●     Speech was smooth and confident and void of verbal tics ●     Acknowledged participant contributions to chat and Q&A ●     Provided activities that helped participants feel connected and included ●     Discussed poll results as part of the presentation ●     Discussed responses to discussion questions as part of the presentation ●     Monitored chat and Q&A and interacted with participants ●     Addressed questions from participants and worked responses into the presentation ●     Responded to participants by name
Content	●     Was useful to the needs of the participants ●     Was timely ●     Was unbiased ●     Was well organized ●     Was interesting ●     A handout with relevant information was provided prior to the Webinar ●     An agenda was presented at the beginning of the Webinar to help  participants organize their learning	●     Was useful to the needs of the participants ●     Was timely ●     Was unbiased ●     Was well organized ●     Transitions between topics were smooth ●     Was interesting ●     Was easy to understand ●     Made sense ●     Was complete and correct ●     A handout with relevant information was provided prior to the Webinar ●     An agenda was presented at the beginning of the Webinar to help  participants organize their learning ●     Pre-work assignment was provided to help participants prepare for the Webinar ●     Pre-work assignment was incorporated into the presentation ●     Post-work assignment was suggested to help participants apply what they learned	●     Was useful to the needs of the participants ●     Was timely ●     Was unbiased ●     Was well organized ●     Transitions between topics were smooth ●     Was interesting ●     Was easy to understand ●     Made sense ●     Was complete and correct ●     The amount of content was appropriate for the audience and the time allotted ●     A handout with relevant information was provided prior to the Webinar ●     An agenda was presented at the beginning of the Webinar to help  participants organize their learning ●     Pre-work assignment was provided to help participants prepare for the Webinar ●     Pre-work assignment was incorporated into the presentation ●     Post-work assignment was suggested to help participants apply what they learned
Props
Visuals	●     PowerPoint slides and graphics were visually pleasing ●     Graphics were easy to view/read and understand ●     Text was easy to read	●     PowerPoint slides and graphics were visually pleasing ●     Graphics were easy to view/read and understand ●     Graphics were appropriate for the topic and audience ●     Graphics added value ●     Text was easy to read	●     PowerPoint slides and graphics were visually pleasing ●     Graphics were easy to view/read and understand ●     Graphics were appropriate for the topic and audience ●     Graphics added value ●     Text was easy to read ●     There was enough variety and interest in the visuals to hold participants’ interest
Multimedia	●     Use of audio and video was appropriate for the topic and audience ●     Use of audio and video took into account technical limitations participants might have ●     Use of audio and video took into account technical limitations of the delivery platform ●     Audio and video clips added value	●     Use of audio and video was appropriate for the topic and audience ●     Use of audio and video took into account technical limitations participants might have ●     Use of audio and video took into account technical limitations of the delivery platform ●     Audio and video clips added value	●     Use of audio and video was appropriate for the topic and audience ●     Use of audio and video took into account technical limitations participants might have ●     Use of audio and video took into account technical limitations of the delivery platform ●     Audio and video clips added value
Activities	●     Were relevant ●     Were easy for participants to complete ●     Helped with comprehension and retention ●     Added value	●     Were relevant ●     Were easy for participants to complete ●     Helped with comprehension and retention ●     Added value ●     Outcomes were incorporated into the presentation ●     Made good use of the tools available in the meeting room ●     Enough time was allotted to complete activities	●   Were relevant ●   Were easy for participants to complete ●   Helped with comprehension and retention ●   Added value ●   Outcomes were incorporated into the presentation ●   Made good use of the tools available in the meeting room ●   Held participants’ attention ●   Were unique and creative ●   Enough time was allotted to complete activities ●   Took into account technology limitations participants might have
Use of Meeting Room Tools	●     Made rudimentary use of meeting room tools ●     Used a variety of tools ●     Use of tools added value to the presentation	●     Used a variety of meeting room tools ●     Use of tools was fluid and didn’t interrupt the flow of the presentation ●     Use of tools added value to the presentation ●     Use of tools aided understanding of content and concepts	●     Used a variety of meeting room tools ●     Used tools creatively ●     Use of tools was fluid and didn’t interrupt the flow of the presentation ●     Use of tools added value to the presentation ●     Use of tools aided understanding of content and concepts

Tips for Writing for Adult Online Learners

When developing e-Learning training materials, you need to carefully plan what you are going to write.  In fact, the writing in an e-Learning course represents your voice, the voice of the instructor.  It is the “star of the show” and must be engaging, well organized, and clear.  Your writing must also address all of the learning objectives so that participants who complete the training are able to achieve the instructional goals of the course.  And, don’t forget about who you are writing for!  Know who your audience is and write specifically to engage their interests and meet their needs.

Here are some important things to remember when writing for adult online learners.

Adult Learners:

·         Adult learners need to be able to immediately connect what they are learning to what they already know.  Training needs to be task-centered and provide authentic situations, illustrations, and problems for participants to solve.  Adult learners also need to be given opportunities to reflect on the content as part of the process of applying it to their current situation.

·         Be aware of what adult learners already know about each topic.  Information that is considered to be common knowledge can be referred to but doesn’t need to be explained in detail in the content.  If you feel that the information is critical to include, a good option would be to include it as a resource page that can be accessed at the discretion of the learner.

Organization:

·         Start by defining exactly what you want participants to learn and to be able to do after completing the training.  Clear goals and learning objectives tell participants why they need to complete the training and what is expected of them.  Clear learning objectives also provide a roadmap for developing the content, activities, and assessment.

·         After you have determined what the goals and learning objectives are, develop a clear, concise outline of the content before you start writing.  

·         When the outline is complete, check the goals and learning objectives again to be sure they match the content. Follow your outline to write the content. 

Content:

·         Introduce the content to your participants.  Draw them in.  Make the participants the center of the learning experience.  Help them understand why this training is important to them.  Let them know how the content is organized and how long it should take them to complete the training. 

·         Keep your writing focused.  Only include information that is directly related to the topic and learning objectives.  Sidebars might seem to add interest to the content, but in an eLearning situation they are very distracting to the learner and cause confusion.  If the information is important enough to include, then it needs to be covered under a learning objective and have a place in the outline.

·         Content needs to be interesting, relevant, and meaningful to the learner.  Use illustrations that your audience can identify with.  When possible, incorporate stories, examples, and scenarios into the content to give the information context.  Use real people in real situations.  Adding drama and emotion helps engage participants and helps them remember the content.

·         Write using a conversational voice, as if you are talking directly to your participants.  Conversational writing is about connecting with your audience.  It sounds natural and genuine, especially when read aloud.  Here are some additional things to remember about writing in a conversational tone:

o    Use contractions like you would normally use when you are talking to someone.

o    Don’t be afraid to ask your participants questions.

o    Use “I” and “you.”

o    Use an active voice with action verbs:  “He passed the salt to her.” Rather than “The salt was passed to her.”

o    Read aloud what you have written and listen to how it sounds.

·         Write using short, concise sentences and paragraphs.  Start every paragraph with a strong topic sentence to help learners understand what the paragraph is about with just one reading.

·         Start each main section with a brief introduction that gives participants a general idea of what the topic is about, why it matters to them, and how it connects with previous topics.  At the end of each main section, summarize the points that participants need to remember.

Topic introduction example:  In the last section we learned about the capabilities of the RNR Tool and how using the tool streamlines program selection for individual offenders.  In this section we will learn more about the RNR model and the framework behind the tool.

Topic summary example:  The RNR Tool is a valuable aid to law enforcement workers.  By matching specific characteristics and information with a database of possible programs, it provides a reliable method for accurately identifying the programs that will be most beneficial to individual offenders.  Next we will look at how the RNR Tool relates to the RNR model framework.

Practice:  Did you notice that this summary example needs some work?  It might be OK for a print document, but is not optimal for an online learning module.  Read it out loud and you will see what I mean.  Rewrite the paragraph so that it has shorter, more concise sentences and is easier to read.

 

Suggested re-write:  The RNR Tool matches specific characteristics and information about offenders to a database of proven solutions.  The report the tool generates identifies specific programs for each individual offender.  The report also predicts how effective the suggested programs will be for each offender.  Next we will look at how the RNR Tool related to the RNR model framework.

Open Content Creates New Opportunities

Here's an interesting article http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/u-of-illinois-at-springfield-offers-new-massive-open-online-course/31853 in the Chronicle of Higher Education about free online courses that are open to the world.

I especially like the reference to how higher education could be changing so that universities become certification centers where students go to take a test to certify what they know instead of universities having the primary role of "delivering" knowledge. Students would independently choose what to study from a wide array of open content available from many different sources.

This kind of education and professional development makes eportfolios even more important to have and maintain. Keeping track of what you've studied and which certificates you hold could get to be quite a task over a lifetime. If you are interested in getting started with creating your own eportfolio, check out the instruction module I have posted at https://sites.google.com/site/eportfoliobasics/.

How will Online Course Content Differ from Inkling?

I just read an article at http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/06/watch-out-print-textbooks-here-comes-inkling/ about a new company that is turning print textbooks into electronic multimedia experiences.

We've seen this coming for some time now, but, since the release of the iPad, the pace of development has increased. Publishers are beginning to envision the next generation of "textbooks" and they are nothing like the hard copy print versions we are all so used to. They are dynamic multimedia works that can be updated almost instantly (unlike their hard copy cousins). Instead of just reading the content, students interact with it, exploring and absorbing as they go. I don't know about you, but this is what I've been waiting for since I first discovered digital multimedia way back in the 1980s!

I remember working with a meteorology professor in the early 1990s. We asked him what his ideal teaching environment would be. He said a live, interactive 3D (holographic) model of the Earth (outer space view) with the current weather conditions displayed in real time, where he could poke his finger at any given place to instantly see the current weather conditions and data. Then, to be able to change some aspect of the current conditions to illustrate various concepts. He was envisioning a truly ideal teaching environment where the instructor creates the teachable moments instead of just reading about them and then waiting for them to happen in "real life." We weren't there in the 90s and I don't think we are there yet, but we are certainly getting a lot closer. What he described was about as far from static hard copy print textbook as you can get!

Is this new, highly interactive environment the next version of the online course as well? Will we still need to develop content or will we just select the parts of the "textbook" that we want to use? Will the instructor become even more of a guide and mentor, leaving the lion's share of delivery of content to the computer and content development to the publishers?

What an exciting time to be an educator!

Authentic Problem-based Learning May Be Easier than You Think

The back page of the May 2011 issue of Campus Technology has an interview with Michael Wesch. The last question the CT reporter asked is, "What can institutions do to teach 21st century skills?" Part of Michael's answer was, "The worst thing we could do at the moment is to make the technology yet another assignment for students to complete, to get their grade and move on. We have to help them see the technology as essential to learning, collaborating, and accomplishing their real goals."

Unfortunately, I think many times students take courses where they have to complete a digital media project of some sort and, rather than seeing the project as a way to build the 21st century communication skills that they will need for their professional careers, the really do see the projects as just something to complete for a grade.

Perhaps what is missing in these assignments -- the reason students see them as just course projects and not as opportunities to build critical 21st century communication skills -- is an authentic context.

So, how do you frame problem-/project-based assignments so that they are seen in an authentic context? How do you pull students in to the learning process so that they see the benefit of learning to use digital media to communicate complex ideas? Might it be easier than we think? Might it be as simple as just giving them an authentic audience for their final product?

When students complete a project for "the instructor" to evaluate, they really are just completing the project for a grade. If they were to complete a project that would not only be evaluated by the instructor, but would ultimately be viewed (and informally evaluated just by virtue of being available) by other professionals in the field, doesn't that automatically change the context?

What if education students posted their lesson plans so they were available to everyone with Internet access? (An added bonus would be a counter attached to each post so they could see if others were finding and using their materials.)

What if science students blogged publicly about their research projects and the results they observed?

What if students knew that their instructor was going to invite other professionals in the field to review their projects? Or, what if students could themselves invite other professionals in the field to review and provide feedback on their projects?

Providing an authentic audience opens up a whole new world to students, validating and adding a new dimension to their work. Even something as simple as giving them access to post their work on a public-facing YouTube channel can provide the necessary access to authentic audiences that would change the whole context of the assignment (for an example of student reactions to posting their projects on YouTube see http://juniatian.com/?p=502).

5 Necessary Pieces for Incorporating Technology in Instruction

This is an interesting article about training future teachers to incorporate technology into their classrooms: http://www.convergemag.com/training/The-University-of-Iowa-Opens-Teacher-Leader-Center.html?elq=c0f5e557c22844e3a99eda95c58bd744

At Juniata College I helped with an instructional technology course for future teachers. It was one of the most popular courses on campus, even for non-education majors. Students coming back from their student teaching experience would talk about how they helped their sponsoring teacher learn new instructional technologies that they themselves had learned to use in the "Ed Tech" course.

For the past couple of days I've been pondering how to help teachers learn about and become competent with new technologies and have come to the conclusion that several pieces need to be in place:

1. There has to be a need for the technology. Technology, whether it's hardware or software, is learned best when it's learned in context and used immediately in response to an immediate need.

2. The technology has to be readily available. If it's a shared piece of equipment that has to be scheduled and reserved, it's not going to be incorporated into instruction effectively. The technologies that are incorporated effectively are the ones that are available for use immediately when the need presents itself.

3. The technology and the use of the technology for instruction has to be supported. If something breaks or isn't working as expected, there need to be resources available in a timely manner to replace or repair the technology. Resources also need to be readily available to help teachers learn to use hardware and software as well as to share experiences and information about using the hardware and software. Expecting teachers to use their own resources to purchase and support a technology they want to use in their classroom is haphazard, unrealistic, and not sustainable.

4. The technology has to be kept up to date. New versions need to be readily available. Users have to learn to not just expect change, but to embrace it. Always having to beg for a newer version or upgrade is demoralizing, discouraging, and frustrating. It sends a clear message that making effective use of technology for instruction is not a priority and is not valued.

5. There needs to be a clearly defined process for teachers to follow to bring technology into their classrooms. This process needs to have the support of administration as well as resources for moving through each step. Advocating for and facilitating the acquisition of technology for use in instruction has to be someone's full-time job.

The final line in the article is: "Technology's moving awfully rapidly, and to just stand still is to be moving backwards pretty rapidly."

Skills for 21st Century Learners

I read an article yesterday about online learning.  One university is requiring students to take 12 credits of online courses as part of their undergraduate degree program.  As I thought about this, I realized it makes a lot of sense.  Students working on bachelor degrees today will need to have excellent life-long learning skills in order to progress through their professional careers.  Much of their professional development will be delivered through online instruction.  What better time to start learning how to succeed at online courses than now, while they are in college pursuing their undergraduate degrees!