Webinars are a synchronous type of online learning. They allow viewers to tune into a kind of online lecture or discussion for some time and learn something useful. Let’s get ideas on how webinars can transform online learning.

How do Webinars Transform Online Learning?

But are webinars better than a traditional online course? Why should you opt for a webinar whenever you have a choice? An expert from Papercheap.co.uk knows the answer. So, buckle up and explore the benefits a webinar has to offer to transform online learning.

Time Advantage

When you choose a webinar, you have more control over your time. You know how many hours it will last and how much you’ve got to carve out of your busy schedule. You know when it starts and finishes. You know that in “X” number of hours you will gain certain knowledge or skill.

When you sign up for a traditional diachronous online course, you normally can do it at your own pace. You are not limited by time, so you either keep extending your deadline until you forget about the course or do everything at the last moment. This makes learning highly ineffective.

Webinars may restrict your freedom in regards to the date, time and duration of your studying experience, but it is actually better this way. You won’t have to wonder whether you need to dedicate a couple hours or the whole weekend to gain a particular skill. Your webinar instructor does it for you.

Moreover, such online events are usually scheduled for evenings so you can do them right after getting home from work. You will not have an urge to procrastinate as in the case of an online course because a webinar starts when it starts — it won’t wait. This enables you to exercise a stricter control over your time and behavior.

Better Completion

Most webinars are paid. And while everybody prefers free alternatives, you should not fall into this common trap. Did you know that MOOCs actually have only a 10% completion rate? Although many reasons contribute to this deplorable statistic, money is not the least one.

People tend to underappreciate things they get easier. If there is no struggle, there is no interest. When you actually pay for something with your hard-earned money, you are more determined to get what you paid for. So, when you pay for a webinar, you are more likely to actually watch and learn from it.

JK Rowling paid 1000 pounds for a night at a hotel room to motivate herself to write. And this is a renowned author of the Harry Potter series. Why do you think there are more people who persevered through college than those who finished MOOCs? The answer is that colleges are crazy expensive.

Of course, you should not spend your lifetime savings on a webinar that may not even be useful to you. But no webinar is even nearly as expensive as college. That is why choosing is a webinar is like striking a golden middle in the whirlpool of opportunities.

More Interaction

Did you know that only about 30% of all faculty members in traditional brick-and-mortar educational establishments utilize social media? Similarly, most online courses are abandoned due to lack of support and pressure from peers and course instructors.

Even though many people nowadays are ashamed to admit that they are trying to keep up with the Joneses, the desire not to lag behind the others is still deeply ingrained in the human psyche. When you see that your friend does all the work, you will be more motivated to do it yourself.

Apart from peer pressure, social interaction is important in case any clarifications are needed. Faculty members are not as easy to approach, so you cannot just ask your questions whenever you want — you will need to arrange a meeting. MOOC instructors are usually more responsive, but you will almost certainly never meet in person.

This is why webinars are such a good option. They enable you to ask questions via chat and have them answered in real time. Moreover, course instructors are normally quite active online, which helps you establish a more personal relationship.

Classroom Atmosphere

Webinars provide a classroom atmosphere for a fraction of a university lecture cost. You may not even realize how important this factor is. Many friends would rather pay for an open lecture in some conference hall than take a course online. I have always wondered why, but now I have the answer.

This is because it is not enough to have a desire to learn. No matter how big your inner motivation is. If you don’t have the right atmosphere, you are likely to just fall asleep. When you stay home, your body automatically decides it’s time to relax. Unless you are an experienced freelancer.

That is why webinars are so good at keeping visitors’ attention. When you listen to a lecture in real-time, you get an illusion of being in the classroom, even when you are home. So, you are more likely to stay focused on the content you receive.

Many webinar instructors will actually go an extra mile and organize real-life meetings. This is a valuable opportunity for you to interact both with experts and fellow students, ask questions and make connections. Maybe, one day this networking will land you a lucrative job.

Read also: Ethical Issues in Online Learning

Hands-On Experience

While most college professors are tied to research and academia, many webinars are organized by people who actually work in the industry. They are able to provide a first-hand account of their profession, allowing you to get a better idea of what you might be getting yourself into.

Many students choose careers, having only a vague idea of what they might have to do in their future jobs. Webinars are a great opportunity to expand your horizons and understand where you want to go in life. They can help a young aspiring professional determine their goals and figure out ways to attain them.

There is so much to learn in any field, and often it is hard to focus on something in particular. Because webinar instructors are career insiders, they can help you navigate through the maze of opportunities. In college they make you cram everything in your head, while in webinars they tell you what you will actually need.

Webinars are the future of online learning. They provide both the quality, hands-on knowledge and social interaction, which are so important to keep students motivated. I believe they will help boost the MOOC completion rates as well as the percentage of skilled labor in the marketplace.