Abstracts Category : Other

Web conference vs. webcast: The perceived effectiveness of training sessions at a southeastern community college

by Jenny Bailey Jones

Professional development is a lifelong learning process and technology has provided and will continue to provide new and different delivery methods. Regardless of the delivery method, the intention of professional development is to increase teacher knowledge, which in turn, increases student achievement. At a southeastern community college, meaningful professional development and technology training became a service requested by faculty and staff. The college identified the need to provide in-service training that could fit within their employees schedules and incorporate the colleges existing infrastructure. This need grew into the creation of virtual training sessions hosted by the eLearning department of the college. The virtual training sessions were conducted initially as a synchronous live web conference and recorded for later use as an asynchronous recorded webcast. Specifically, 7 research questions were developed determine if live web conference or recorded webcast training sessions were an effective delivery method of training, if the sessions were having an impact on professional learning, and if there werefactors that were affecting participation in the sessions. The primary mode of data collection was though a survey instrument designed by the researcher. Results of the statistical analysis showed that faculty are participating in the sessions beyond minimum requirements, with the highest participation in recorded webcasts. The training program studied was very effective as indicated by high session attendance, high levels of information usage and moderate to high ability of participants being able to utilize the information gained from the sessions. Participants valued the elements of the live sessions including interaction and the ability to clarify information without delay. Several barriers raised for attending the live sessions included the following: lack of time, presentation speed, and lack of topic detail. Participants indicated the appreciated elements of a recorded webcast included the following: convenience, ease of use, and flexibility. Participants did not raise many barriers for attendance in recorded webcasts, although lack of time and repetitive topics were mentioned. The valued characteristics of both live web conference and recorded webcast mirrored the valued elements of the both individual delivery methods. The study concludes with implications and recommendations for further research. Advisors/Committee Members: Connie M. Forde (chair), Joanne Beriswill (chair), James Adams (committee member), Stephanie King (committee member).