<< previous article | table of contents | next article >>
Meeting the Challenge: A Profile of the Leader to Leader Institute’s Online Workshop
Organizations are increasingly using Web conferencing to offer unique learning experiences, limited neither by a physical classroom nor by the isolation of many asynchronous e-learning experiences. These online, synchronous training experiences have many benefits, but as might be expected, they also offer their own idiosyncratic pitfalls.
Recently The Sophist had the opportunity to learn more about the experiences of the Leader to Leader Institute (formerly the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management) in transforming its on-the-ground workshop Meeting the Collaboration Challenge into a synchronous Web-based offering.
The Original Workshop
In the summer of 2002, the Leader to Leader Institute began offering the classroom-based workshop Meeting the Collaboration Challenge. The workshop explores strategies for improving how nonprofit organizations and their for-profit colleagues collaborate. Based on the book The Collaboration Challenge by Harvard professor James Austin, the curriculum includes case studies of successful collaborations between for-profits and nonprofits, opportunities for participants to share their own experiences, and analytical tools that can be used to evaluate and cultivate these collaborative nonprofit/for-profit relationships. Fifteen workshops were held around the country last year.
Extending Its Reach
Driven by both the goal of expanding the reach of the workshop and the desire to gather additional examples and case studies of nonprofit/for-profit collaboration, the Leader to Leader Institute decided to develop an online version of the workshop.
Keith Timko, the Institute's director of engagement, points out that the subject matter of the workshop--collaboration--necessitates interaction: "Collaboration among organizations can't be developed in a vacuum. For this workshop to resonate with people, they need a lot of examples of successful collaborations."
Given the nature and subject matter, a synchronous, group-oriented online version made more sense than self-paced modules for independent study. Timko points out that the online workshop "offers the promise of developing a community of practice over a wide geographic range with different types of organizations. The community will be able to share their own lessons learned, documents, best practice, and help other organizations get started."
Based on the same materials as the classroom version but restructured for Web delivery, the online workshop engages participants via an online PowerPoint presentation, interactive group activities (like instant polls or adding comments on the whiteboard) and discussion of case studies. Verbal communication among the participants and the presenter happens via a traditional conference call. Following the synchronous online session, learners continue their interactions using an asynchronous discussion board, which provides the opportunity to connect with peers who participate in other online sessions, as well as those who participate in the classroom workshops.
Looking Forward
Current plans are to offer between six and twelve online workshops each year, so people who aren't in a geographic area where a classroom workshop will be held--and people who simply prefer the online option--have the opportunity to participate.
The Leader to Leader Institute has developed a group of trainers around the country that present the classroom-based workshop, and over time there are plans to train them on how to present the workshop online. They believe that these trainers will be a key element in the long-term success of the online workshop, allowing for many workshops to be going on in multiple places with minimal support and supervision.
But, for the time being, Institute staff will handle the online presentations. The trainers will become online presenters gradually. Timko wants to ensure that the trainers are experts in the curriculum before taking on the technology. "The technology is not a high hurdle," he says, "but it's important that presenters feel comfortable with both the curriculum and the technology." Knowing both well makes for a smoother presentation and keeps the focus on the content of the workshop, rather than on the technology used for the presentation.
The Institute also plans to incorporate lessons learned from the online sessions into the classroom-based sessions and vice versa, improving the curriculum used in both formats and benefiting everyone.
"We don’t intend to replace our class sessions with online sessions," Timko says. "The two formats complement each other."
Lessons Learned to Date
For organizations considering creating a synchronous online workshop or migrating a classroom workshop into this format as they have done, Timko advises, "Have the same expectations for preparing the online event as for the classroom event--in fact, at the beginning, online may take more time. People have a lot of questions."
To answer as many of those before the session as possible, he recommends setting up a page with frequently asked questions and answers to address how the online session works, how it differs from the classroom-based version, and how to prepare for it.
Timko also recommends thinking carefully about the material to be taught. "A well thought-out and documented curriculum helps to streamline the process. If the curriculum is set, you can focus on marketing the workshop, working with the presenters, and making sure the technology is implemented properly,” he says. "Meeting the Collaboration Challenge works well online because our curriculum was set."
Not withstanding the effort involved, the anticipation is that, in the long term, offering the online sessions will save the Institute time and money without sacrificing any quality.
Note
For more information about the online workshop Meeting the Collaboration Challenge, go to http://www.pfdf.org/collaboration. See "Meeting in the Virtual World: A Look at the Benefits of Web Conferencing" for an overview of the standard features of Web conferencing software.
<< previous article | table of contents | next article >>
© 2003 Isoph | sophist@isoph.com