paula colwell and dean landry september 26 th , 2008 – san josé, ca
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The Virtual Armchair: Innovative, Informative and Interactive. Paula Colwell and Dean Landry September 26 th , 2008 – San José, CA. We are:. Paula Colwell Blended Learning and Development Specialist Dean Landry Armchair Discussion Program Manager. Background – Armchair Discussions. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Paula Colwell and Dean LandrySeptember 26th, 2008 – San José, CA
The Virtual Armchair: Innovative, Informative and Interactive
We are:
• Paula Colwell– Blended Learning and Development
Specialist
• Dean Landry– Armchair Discussion Program
Manager
Background – Armchair Discussions
• Weekly Armchair Discussions– For all Canadian public servants– Opportunity to interact with professionals and
academics– Network with colleagues and fellow public
servants across departments
• Have been offered for last 15 years as an “in-person” event
Why Webcasting?
• Increase accessibility– Public servants working in regional offices– Other government departments– Offer access from work station within National
Capital Region
• Increase number of participants
Our Selection Criteria for Vendor
• Product with strong track record• Available in both official languages (English and
French) • Easily accessible by users both within and
outside of Canada School of Public Service• Good support• Available to test a “proof of concept” without a
lengthy procurement process
Getting Started
• August 2007
– Bandwidth test– Security issues– Dry run on location– Train A/V staff
Behind the Scenes
• Conference and Special Events developed promotional campaigns
• Worked with registration to include webcast choice for participants when registering
• Support
• Training
Showtime!
Sept 6 07
First live webcast
Participant FeedbackSupportive:“…Thanks so much for thinking about us in the regions.” “… I think this is a great initiative, really wonderful for engaging the regions and also
for reducing our transportation burden within Ottawa, as well as making it easier to fit into our schedules”
Mixed Feelings“Yes, I did experience some problems but with something new we have to expect
bumps along the way”“… During the web cast the video froze for a few minutes and then I lost the audio
for about 5 minutes… Other than that, the technology was really neat and the ability to participate in the Q&A session is a wonderful feature.”
Impeding“The sound quality was so poor that I had to abandon the conference”“… There were no instructions on how to troubleshoot...”
• Resolved technical issues identified by participants
• Provided demos for participants prior to webcast
• Offered webcast on a weekly basis
Ongoing
2007-2008 Session Statistics
• Over 50 webcasts
• Over 2,500 participants
• Average of 50 participants per session (30-130 range depending on popularity of event)
• Stayed on-line for average of 50 minutes
• Increase of 114 per cent participation!
On the Road
• Webcast from 3 different regional offices
• Increased regional involvement
• Technical set-up
Overall Success
• Increased regional participation
• Increased visibility
• Able to recycle past broadcasts
• Adoption of methodology by other groups within the Canada School of Public Service
• Greener approach
Challenges
• Technical problems
• Human error
• Interface
Crossroads
• Stay with current provider
OR
• Look to improve based on feedback from participants and staff
New Lobby Page
New Interface
Lessons Learned
• Expect technical difficulties (bumps along the way)
• Match product to needs of participants
• If possible, have team of people:– to administer and host sessions– troubleshoot with participants– provide demos
Next Steps
• Over 50 Armchairs planned for coming year
• Archives accessible on website and iTunes
• Explore integration with ILMS• Explore using webcast as part of blended
learning products• International
QUESTIONS