From Lunch and Learn to Webinar

Adobe Connect Virtual Meeting Room

Many of you know about the TechTalk lecture series that I spearheaded last year. I got a lot of great feedback on the design from the PubDesign groups on FB and LinkedIn!

What you probably don’t know is that after much deliberation my cohort and I have decided to switch the format from an informal lunchtime conversation to an (Adobe Connect) webinar. There are some good reasons for this.

1. While the fall and spring events were captured using Panopto, Connect, and (once) a digital video camera.  The recording method was not formalized and a bit ad hoc in the earlier days. Each one offered different pros and cons.
2. Second, the lunch option was a great idea, but became impractical later in the semester. A lot of the faculty (and a couple TAs) who attended were busier by the later weeks and ended up no-showing; food was wasted. These busy folks ended up catching the recorded session after the fact.
3. Lastly, one of my goals in starting this professional development series was to–eventually—open it up to the larger university community, reaching professionals at schools like Hopkins, Bowie, Maryland, etc. The webinar format allows for others to easily join the conversation without having to drive to my school. We had several colleagues from Notre Dame make the trip for several of the sessions. Webinars can be watched as they happen, OR after the fact.

The added benefit is that Adobe Connect allows participants watch the recorded session on demand and also to download webinar materials (like PowerPoints, PDFs, and Docs) that were used in the session. That’s a major bonus. I got several requests for links to TechTalk materials days or months after the talks.

That said, Sue and I—that cohort I mentioned earlier—are now planning the upcoming fall sessions, and creating the marketing plan for the next year. Whew! More designs to come.

Check out the posters for 2013/2014