Week Three Application

Example 1: Collaborative Training Environment

A new automated staff information system was recently purchased by a major corporation and needs to be implemented in six regional offices. Unfortunately, the staff is located throughout all the different offices and cannot meet at the same time or in the same location. As an instructional designer for the corporation, you have been charged with implementing a training workshop for these offices. As part of the training, you were advised how imperative it is that the staff members share information, in the form of screen captures and documents, and participate in ongoing collaboration.

I would recommend a webinar recorded training to train the staff on the new automated staff information system. A webinar will provide many pros:
Webinars are generally one-way conversations with an audience that is listening to audio over the phone and watching your presentation over the web.
• More than 84 percent of all people are visual learners.
• Webinars are a one-to-many system, where visuals and audio come “streaming” through the computer.
• Can easily create a “hybrid” with audio conferences, meaning attendees can choose webinar option or audio-only option; both groups would hear the same presentation.
• Webinars are an interactive medium, and the more interactive the medium, the better the satisfaction and the higher the increase in repeat customer rates, which can often translate to more revenue for your company.
• Recorded video clips can be easily added.
• Simple and easy to use, with no downloads required.
• The best webinar services provide useful features, such as instant polls, live chat (perfect for Q&A), live desktop share, and the ability for several users to control slides. Live chat and Q&A allows you to screen questions and only answer the ones you want. Still, you can capture all the questions, which provides you an additional marketing opportunity: you can communicate with the audience by sending an email with the answers to all of the questions after the event ends.
• Post call reports are available showing log in times, duration, etc.
To provide ongoing collaboration I would set up a discussion group on a wiki which would allow for the participants to collaborate with each other easily throughout the company and across the nation.

References:
http://www.mequoda.com/articles/new-media-trends/the-pros-and-cons-of-audio-conferences-webinars/