Synchronous Learning

Webinars and Other Live Online Events

Unlike other cases in my portfolio, this isn't a review of a single project. Instead, it's a reflection on my experience with webinars, workshops, Q&A sessions, and other real-time e-learning meetings. I’d like to share my work on synchronous learning events at two online schools: SkillFactory and what I'll call the "Other School."

About the Project
  • Task
    Improve event attendance and learner satisfaction
  • Team
    Ten instructors in different online courses, three course producers
  • Audience
    Continuing professional education students
  • My Role
    Instructional designer
  • Clients
    SkillFactory and another online school
  • ID Approach
    Andragogy, Active learning
Why the Project?
Interviews with adult learners at the two schools showed that while they preferred studying asynchronously—at their own pace and when their schedule allowed—this format often led to feelings of isolation, confusion, frustration, and a decline in motivation.
SkillFactory
To tackle these issues in the Python for Data Analysis course, SkillFactory organized bi-weekly webinars on topics covered in the course modules. I focused on boosting webinar attendance and learner satisfaction.
Other School
The other online school faced similar student challenges but struggled to commit budgets and resources for regular live learner support events. I proposed several ways to improve the situation.
Analysis and Design
Reviewing past synchronous events at both schools revealed several areas for improvement, including better event scheduling and increased learner engagement.

Event Scheduling

Initially, both schools announced one event at a time, just a few days in advance. The idea was that students might forget about the event if it was announced too early. I suggested creating schedules several months ahead, repeating important sessions, and offering recordings for those who missed the live events.

My colleagues were open to the idea, and soon we started publishing a schedule for the next two months. This way, if students missed an important webinar one month, they could catch it the following month. These schedules offered students more flexibility and allowed them to choose what best suited their busy lives.
Although I proposed a similar approach, the stakeholders were hesitant to commit to event budgets months in advance and continued with a one-off, short-term planning approach.

Learner Engagement

I noticed that during live online events at both schools, there was insufficient learner engagement. Instructors often turned these events into lectures, rarely checking for understanding, asking few questions, and missing opportunities for active learning.

At SkillFactory, webinar instructors were open to my feedback and started increasing interaction with attendees through warm-ups, questions, check-ins, and group discussions.
At the other school, it was more challenging to increase active learning at live events. Short-term scheduling often left little time to incorporate active learning into the instructors' plans. Not giving up, I partnered with another instructional designer to develop templates and best practices for organizing and leading synchronous events.
Development and Implementation
  • SkillFactory
    I organized over 30 webinars with three instructors, collecting and analyzing student feedback after each one to improve future events.
  • Other School
    I supported six webinars and several other live sessions. While I also collected and analyzed feedback, the inconsistent scheduling made it harder to implement improvements.
Result Evaluation
SkillFactory
Responding to learner feedback and increasing active learning in Python webinars led to positive trends in learner satisfaction:
  • BEFORE

    8.68 / 10

    249 responses
  • AFTER
    8.99 / 10
    432 responses
Attendance also increased, with over 50 students per webinar, higher than before.
"The webinars are a great addition to the learning platform materials."
Student
SkillFactory
"The instructor covered the most essential and gave excellent examples."
Student
SkillFactory
"I value the opportunity to ask questions and get answers right away."
Student
SkillFactory
"I liked the instructor's delivery and the presentation structure."
Student
SkillFactory
Student
"The webinars are a great addition to the learning platform materials."
Student
"The webinars are a great addition to the learning platform materials."
Student
"The instructor covered the most essential and gave excellent examples."
Student
"I value the opportunity to ask questions and get answers right away."
Student
"I liked the instructor's delivery and the presentation structure."
Other School
The other school continued to struggle with both attendance and student satisfaction. Only 5-20 students attended their live events, which often remained more like lectures than interactive study sessions.
Project Reflection
  • Event Scheduling
    Similar to face-to-face education, synchronous e-learning events offer certain advantages. Live sessions can be prepared quickly and adjusted based on participant feedback. However, educators need to schedule these events well in advance, at times convenient for most learners, and provide options for those who can't attend.
  • Learner Engagement
    Since real-time study sessions aren't the preferred format for many working adults, they need a compelling reason to participate. This reason isn't a "talking head" lecture but an opportunity to be an active participant: asking questions, making comments, and engaging with the instructor and other learners.
What's Next?
I invite you to explore other projects I've worked on or contact me to discuss your e-learning idea.
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Photos: Rivage, Altum Code, Standsome, Anastasiia Kamil