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Reections on the Use of Webinar Technology for
Teaching
Alan White
To cite this version:
Alan White. Reections on the Use of Webinar Technology for Teaching. 2019. �hal-01976364�
Reflections on the Use of Webinar Technology for Teaching
Alan Robert White
Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep, Bangkok, Thailand *E-mail:
Abstract Webinars are used for performing seminars over the World Wide Web. The use of such
technology could allow educators to teach students that are in various different geographical
locations. The following paper is a personal reflection on the use of webinar software for
teaching a small group of graduate level students. During the process of teaching a number of
issues were discovered. However, once the issues were resolved it was found that the webinar
software had great potential as a teaching tool.
Keywords: distance learning, teaching, webinar
Introduction
Webinars are seminars that are performed on the World Wide Web. They can be meetings,
conferences, demonstrations, training or teaching, or events that are designed to give information
either one-way or interactively. Webinars can include video, audio and textual communication.
Once the user has installed the software they will be invited to join a meeting at an allotted time.
The participant users also need a pair of headphones and a microphone. Once joined, the
participant will find themselves in a virtual classroom or meeting room. One member of the
group will host the meeting while other members can raise points or ask questions through the
hand raising function. Webinars can also be recorded and referenced at a later time. This function
is useful for reviewing a session or for those that were unable to attend. Webinar sessions can
enable students to engage with one another and collaborate and express their opinions and ideas
(American Institute of Higher Education, n.d; Webex, 2015). The following paper is a reflection
on the use of webinar as a teaching tool. To join webinar the participant must download and
install the appropriate software. A number of webinar tools exist, however in the case of this
study software supplied by Cisco was used.
Reflections and Discussion on the Use of Webinar for Teaching Purposes
I had previously used Skype and Facetime for teaching on-line but the use of such
software is markedly different from face to face teaching. In these situations, I would use a
miniature whiteboard to help convey meaning to the student. This option helped to avoid long
explanations and misunderstandings. The students would also have additional material that was
e-mailed before each lesson. In my opinion the use of such technology to teach on-line was very
much second best when compared to a classroom environment. I therefore had some
apprehensions and pre-formed conclusions when I began teaching through webinar.
The first part of the process was to install the software. The process was straightforward
and simple. The software is available in both a desktop and mobile version. Due to the
unreliability of the internet at both my place of work and home I opted to install both versions.
This would enable me to use the software through a smartphone and a mobile data plan in the
event of a lack of internet connection.
In the classroom, I usually present slide presentations on an overhead projector screen.
This provides a large surface area that can be easily seen by all of the students. As the class
members would probably be viewing the presentation on small screens it was important to
consider text size and spacing. A simple sans serif such as Lucinda Sans and Arial were chosen
for the fonts. The text was enlarged as much as possible. In some cases the text size could have
been further increased to aid readability but this would have resulted in a loss of uniformity
throughout the presentation. The text colour chosen was a very dark grey. This was displayed on
a light grey background. The colours were decided upon for their readability and because they
are not too straining on the eyes (Lane, n.d). The use of video and animation was avoided due to
low bandwidths among several group members. Presentations were kept relatively simple as
fade-ins or jump-ins could appear jerky during presentations.
When presenting, the presenter cannot see the group members. In many ways the
presenter is working blind and does not know how the presentation looks to other group
members (Bright Talk, 2018). The class were invisible and it was therefore difficult to gauge
whether the group were understanding or even enjoying the presentation. In a physical classroom
it is easy to gauge students’ reactions to the teaching. The instructor can see interested, confused
or bored looking faces in front of them. With webinars it is much more difficult to assess the
group’s interests and experience so as to pitch the presentation at the right level in terms of
relevance and interest. The presenter is also more restricted in that the presentation has been
made beforehand and therefore cannot be changed to suit the learners’ needs.
Discussion questions had been placed through-out the presentations. These were useful
pauses in which to also answer general questions and clarify any points. Breaking the
presentation in to smaller parts also allowed the group members more opportunities to participate
in the presentation. There are possibilities for interactive activities when using webcasting
technology for teaching. These though would generally work better for smaller groups. Activities
that work on a one to one basis would involve a lot of waiting time while each student took their
turn in the activity. Questions or discussion questions generally work better. For larger groups
activities would have to be designed that allowed to presenter to give an objective answer or
general feedback (Marjanovic, 1999).
The webinar presentations were time consuming to prepare and put together due to the
restrictions placed on the instructor. Creating a webinar requires more than just producing a
lecture with a few slides. The teacher requires more preparation time for this type of lecture.
Regular teaching through webinars would also allow the teacher to recycle their presentations in
future classes (Beard, 2016). In a classroom-environment a good speaker could use a few
handouts and a whiteboard to get their message across. These options are not available to the
webinar presenter. The instructor needs to be a competent user of presentation software and be
confident in the use of webcasting technology. Although useful, these skills may not be needed in
the traditional classroom environment.
In certain situations webinars can be a useful tool and it can make it possible to teach and
present when the participants are in various locations. This scenario can allow various experts to
hold lectures in their home environment thus avoiding all the problems and costs related to
travelling. In other situations, students could follow their courses from anywhere provided they
have access to a computer with an internet connection. This may allow students in remote areas
to gain access to lectures by world experts (Mohorovii, Lasi-Lazi, & Stri, 2011). This webinar
revolution though relies heavily on a good internet connection. The reliance on a shared Wi-Fi
connection or slow broadband connection may make the process difficult and frustrating. I
personally, twice lost connection during the presentations, once momentarily and on another
occasion at the end of the presentation. Both instances were barely noticeable but the presenter is
placed at the mercy of technology. When the technology does not work there are no other
options. The instructor cannot revert to a lecture and whiteboard.
Webinar sessions require all the participants to be on-line at an agreed time. This set up is
no different to a normal classroom set up. The difference in the use of webinars is that they are
being used to teach or present to participants at various locations. This factor introduces the issue
of time differences between locations. For the participants, time differences and availability
issues resulted in the sessions starting at 8:30 p.m. This resulted in several of the sessions
finishing after 10:00 p.m. The time differences could result in the students’ feeling tired and
therefore lower participation in the actual lesson (Ahrens, Zaščerinska, Melnikova, Ramar, Clipa,
& Andreeva, 2015).
E-learning is becoming an ever increasingly popular channel for the delivery of
educational content. The advantages of learning that is detached from a single geographical
location may bring added value to the educational process. Technology and e-learning formats
are being widely adopted in higher education. Asynchronous learning is useful as it provides
participants with the flexibility they need to manage learning time. This may be an important
consideration at postgraduate level where students may have work and job commitments. It is
difficult though to replace or to imitate face-to-face interaction with asynchronous
communication media. The use of webinar allows the lecturer to communicate with their
students at an arranged time slot. These sessions can be used to convey information, give
feedback to the students and present a lecture. This allows immediate interactivity that is lacking
from asynchronous learning. The use of webinar brings the e-learning environment a step closer
to the traditional classroom setting (Chen, Ko, Kinshuk, & Lin, 2005).
The main benefits of using webinars in education are many and appear to outweigh the
disadvantages. The student has the possibility of watching a pre-recorded webinar or the chance
to review a webinar session for a second time. This is useful if the student did not fully
understand the content. There may also be cost and time savings through using webinars.
Webinars can reach a large audience without the need of a classroom or travel costs. In relation
to this point, teaching can be done from distant locations. The webinar software is generally
simple to use for both teachers and students. For small group sessions at least, webinars offer
interactivity. The use of webinars for teaching is not trouble free. The presenter may need to
devise methods for keeping and gaining students’ attention. There are various technical issues
attached to the use of webinars. Although relatively simple to use, webinars do still need a level
of computer literacy. It is difficult to judge the mood of the group. For large groups there may be
a lack of interaction between the instructor and the students.
Conclusion
Overall, I found the webinar software to be a convenient and flexible tool. The tool is
particularly useful for teaching students that are present at various locations. The webinar
experience was rewarding and useful but the experience also caused anxiety at times due to the
possibility of technical issues. The use of such tools may not suit every teacher. Webinars could
have applications in not only e-learning courses but as part of a blended learning course where
full participation is difficult. Webinars though are not a direct replacement for the traditional
classroom environment. The technology may have limitations for certain situations and subjects.
They may prove to be a good addition to an e-learning course or a blended environment.
Webinars as synchronous communication tool enables instant feedback and introduces a social
aspect to on-line courses. This may help social cohesion within a group of learners. Teaching
through webinar relies totally on the technology for it to be successful. This may slow its
adoption as an alternative to the traditional classroom environment.
References
Ahrens, A., Zaščerinska, J., Melnikova, J., Ramar, H., Clipa, O., & Andreeva, N. (2015,
October). Use of Webinars in Higher Education: A Comparative Study of Educators’ Experience.
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Higher Education Studies Under Conditions of Globalization. Panevėžys College, Panevėžys,
Lithuania (pp. 22-23). Retrieved from:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jelena_Zascerinska/publication/295911791_Use_of_Webin
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American Institute of Higher Education, (n.d). Benefits of Webinars. Retrieved from:
http://www.amhighed.com/webinars/benefits.htm
Beard, C. (2016). Pros and Cons of Webinars. Retrieved from: https://www.emedia.com/pros-
cons-webinars/
Bright Talk, (2018). Will I be able to see/hear the audience while presenting a webinar?
Retrieved from: https://support.brighttalk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001510613-Will-I-be-able-
to-see-hear-the-audience-while-presenting-a-webinar-
Chen, N. S., Ko, H. C., Kinshuk*, & Lin, T. (2005). A model for synchronous learning using the
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Lane, R. (n.d). Combining Colors in PowerPoint – Mistakes to Avoid. Retrieved 2015 from:
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Marjanovic, O. (1999). Learning and teaching in a synchronous collaborative
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