Teaching with Technology

Online Webinars for Continuing Medical Education: An effective method of live distance learning by Kristine M. Zargoza- Anderson
This article presents Webinars as an effective tool that is used in Distant Education. Webinars are “web-based seminars” where interactions between learners and educators utilizing the internet to transmit lectures, presentations and engage in workshops.
Identifying effective teaching and learning tools that support Distant Learning is very important for the continued growth and propagation of this style of education. Distant learning supports the needs of lifelong learning that is demanded by some professional associations that demand their members to earn continuing education credits/units (CEU). These requirements are implemented to insure that the members of these professional associations are updated with the latest development in their field s. An example of these associations are those of practicing professionals such as doctors, certified public accountants and lawyers are that demand such continued education certifications. Distant Education programs utilizing Webinars allow these professionals to attend these classes without the need to travel to meet the lecturer or to physically attend these classes. This alternate method of delivery of these classes presents a great convenience and provides a great service to these professionals.
The article presents the necessary steps to insure the design of effective webinars that deliver the instructional information with effective instructional methodologies.
The article outlines that the success of distant educational courses are determined by the “qualities of the participating learners, the topics that lend themselves to distant learning methodologies and the use of the proper techniques by the instructors to deliver the materials in distant learning.
The following four steps present the elements of “Instructional Design Process” which involves ongoing evaluation of each of the steps along the way:

1. Conduct needs assessment for the distant course. In this case the need was very clear to provide new information for the professionals to satisfy the “continuing Education Requirement.
2. Outline Instructional Goals & produce instructional materials. The content of each distant learning course is designed by experts in the respective professional filed.
3. Provide training and practice for instructors and facilitators. This step is very important since many teaching skills in the traditional FTF do not transport to distant education. The need to provide training to instructors to help them “re-design” their “instructional strategies”.
4. Implement the program of distant education. A pilot program is suggested to examine the design and refine its elements before the program is implemented.
These were the steps that were used in the design of effective webinars for the required continuing education courses with continued evaluation of the process after each step is taken to further refine the processes.

Zaragoza-Anderson, K. (2008). Online webinars for continuing medical education:
an effective method of live distance learning: International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning , 5( 8), Retrieved from http://itdl.org/Journal/Aug_08/article01.htm doi: 1550-6908

Hanan