Sir, I submitted the feedback form in time but did not receive the certificate. Please send me the certificate in my mail or WhatsApp.” This is the most common posting the webinar or telegram groups of the teachers nowadays get.
Coined during the Nineties, ‘webinar’, a seminar conducted on the web with the help of internet, has become popular during the Covid-19-induced lockdown period. It allows the host to present his views to the remote viewers who can also see and listen to the presenter and ask questions to clarify doubts. Gradually, it has gained place in the business meetings to save time and money spent for movement.
The lockdown, which has confined the students to their homes, brought teaching and learning to their doorsteps through various webinar platforms. Google Meet, Zoom, YouTube, Facebook, GoToWebinar, Cisco Webex, Zoho Meeting, Live Storm, Webinarjam are some of the platforms used extensively by teachers to reach out to the students. Online classes have become the buzzword in the education sector and created an overnight transformation in delivery of the contents.
During the lockdown, most of the colleges and universities are organising national and international webinars and there is a slew of respondents registering themselves for these events. The organisers promise an e-certificate to those who submit the feedback form soon after completion of the programme. The meeting time ranges from an hour to five hours a day. Most of the webinars are free barring a few which charge Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 that continue for five to seven days.
Soon after the registration done through the Google form link, the applicants are asked to join a WhatsApp or telegram group through which the organisers communicate them about the webinar platform link through which they join the meeting.
With the ongoing lock down, more and more teachers are looking to attend online courses to improve their skills and knowledge staying within their homes. Most of the webinars are conducted to make the teachers aware of the techniques to be used in online teaching which they never thought will become necessary. How to register a meeting, how to prepare a presentation, video, to use an on line white board, use of Google forms, jam board, canvas, etc., become the most-sought-after training programmes by the teachers. They are learning and applying the same while taking online classes for their students. According to a survey conducted by GoToMeeting, post March, the webinars increased by 330% and the number of attendees doubled after every month.
Many teachers are serious and genuinely attend the webinars to learn new things to update their knowledge and a few lured by the certificate given after the webinar. Every day, they attend five to six programmes and switch from one platform to another. Soon after they log in, they post a comment in the chat box -- ‘good morning all participants’, ‘very good presentation sir’, ‘excellent lecture’. They leave that immediately and log into another session and paste the comments in the chat box. This continues for an hour. Now, they come to the first one and search for the feedback-form link in the chat box. If it is available, they submit it immediately and the session is over for them. They don’t bother who is the speaker, what is the subject or the status of the organiser. If the link is not shown in the chat box, they immediately post ‘Sir, please send the feedback link’ as if they are in a hurry and miss the flight if feedback is not done immediately. If the certificate is not received within the day, they go on posting in the WhatsApp or telegram group about it and the requests continue till its receipt.
The biggest advantage for the teaching community provided by webinars is the online short-term courses, refresher courses and the faculty improvement programmes. A majority of 66 HRDC Centres opened at different universities by the UGC are offering these courses online; and faculty members can enrich their knowledge by attending these programmes. Moreover, they are considered essential for promotions in the career; and the lockdown allows the teachers to attend them without getting relieved by their institutions.
Previously, they attended these face-to-face programmes personally at the university; and the institution hesitated to allow them for such a long period. The lockdown is a boon for the teachers who want update their knowledge by learning new things and, at the same time, acquiring necessary certificates for their career advancement. The Swayam platform is also offering many new online courses like understanding student psychology which would be of much help to all faculty members irrespective of the subjects. A wise teacher would utilise the lockdown period productively by attending the webinars which are not only helpful for them but also to the students.
(Dr Biswal is Head, Department of Commerce, Nowrangpur College, Nabarangpur. Mob: 9437125286. bhaskarnathbiswal@gmail.com)