Through vakbekwaamopafstand.nl, which is devoted to teaching skills remotely, the experiences of various safety regions in hosting webinars for first responders have been shared – both the good and the bad experiences. But one cannot put everything on paper or broadcast it online, and a great deal more knowledge can be disseminated in a good discussion.
And that’s why John Braspenning and Bento Evers of the Central and West Brabant Safety Region took the time to travel to FireWare in Wieringerwerf and chat with Richard Dorenbos of the North-Holland North Safety Region and Sef Hendrickx of FireWare… at a safe distance of 1.5 meters. Matters discussed included the future of webinars, gaining skills, synergy with the VLE and… sausage rolls. We share some of the major conclusions reached below!
Webinars: a surrogate solution or future opportunity?
The webinars were first launched as a surrogate solution to the evening courses during a time when we could not physically meet but wanted to stay in touch and work on a form of transferring knowledge. Initially it was like learning to walk, and every time we stood up after falling down we improved, until at a certain point a form of routine was created.
That routine leads to the question of whether the webinars will serve a purpose when we can once again host ‘normal’ evening courses. And if so, what purpose? What we have seen in these last few weeks is that preparing for classes makes all the difference. The better the preparation, the better the webinar. The PowerPoint presentations used in the traditional form of courses are not perfect for remote teaching, but by adapting both the material and the presentations one is able to delve much deeper than using traditional methods. And that is where the opportunities can be found.
Starting on time
One of the great things about webinars is the punctual starting time – 19.30 means 19.30, and not a minute later. Starting on time is a blessing that cannot be counted for every ‘normal’ course session, especially when working to a countdown timer, and if a participant joins in later nobody is disrupted. That is a true benefit.
Software and hardware work properly, especially for the 2nd circle
While at first we struggled when it came to the second and third skills circles, the issue has now been completely resolved. The focus has now been greatly increased on the second circle, which entails making genuine contact with the participants. The solution lay in modifying the BigBlueButton server, so that the speaker can be seen at a high resolution and the participants at a lower resolution, benefiting the speed and stability of the system. We were also able to introduce significant improvements in respect of the sound. Solving problems as they arise to ensure that we can now host an online session using multiple cameras with a larger number of participants. With the technological aspect sorted out, we can devote ourselves to the course content.
The skills of the instructor and technicians
Another issue that we are increasingly getting a handle on is directing the instructors in the studio. The presentations have been adapted in advance so that PIP (picture-in-picture) can be used and the course are often already in a 16:9 aspect ratio instead of 3:4.
The instructors have already familiarised themselves on www.vakbekwaamopafstand.nl and have practiced their skills, which makes it much easier to direct them. Our technicians are also improving by the day, and the knowledge learned over the last few weeks is passed on to others in order to create a bigger pool of talent. Moreover, increasing room is made to focus on what else we can do to improve the courses.
Is everybody happy to share?
At present a large number of excellent webinars are being hosted and shared across the country. And while this is a wonderful development, we have also noted that each region prefers to present its ‘own’ course material, using its ‘own’ style, its ‘own’ water tenders and its ‘own’ equipment. But whatever the case may be, this development should not be ignored, although sharing content is still far from being an automatic process.
The synergy between a VLE, course, webinar and educational video: excellent content
There are undoubtedly many opportunities available in the future for webinars for first responders, but one must carefully consider the value that they add: why are they better than a traditional physical course? The distance one must travel and time saved are not sufficient reasons. The key could however lie in the opportunity to gain more knowledge, consistency and the synergy with other approaches.
This requires excellent content – great videos, animations and images. This content can be created for various forms of courses using high-quality sources, including PowerPoint for physical classes, in a virtual learning environment, during a webinar and for creating educational videos. The result can be greater educational returns.
The importance of excellent content that can be used on multiple platforms is still frequently underestimated. It is a labour-intensive process that involves a large number of aspects, and that in turn means investing resources. Once again, a number of strategic choices underlie this, choices that will determine whether there is a future for the webinar over the short, medium or long term!
Sausage rolls make the difference
John and Bento brought sausage rolls with them from Brabant for Richard and the FireWare team – an unbelievably tasty treat. The aroma, flavour, their look, the responses from all the attendees, the fact we could lunch on them together and the light-hearted discussion over the sausage rolls…
The snack once again highlighted the fact that humans are such social creatures, how important our senses and small talk are, and especially how much energy can be created and how valuable it is to truly talk to each other. And that includes the role that humour and irony play when you are physically together and do not have to communicate through a monitor.
It was those sausage rolls that once again reminded us that gaining skills is not just about efficient teaching, learning and the transfer of knowledge. It also involves the senses, a social component and interhuman contact. And that’s why a webinar will never be a substitute, but at best a supplement to the process of gaining skills.
We love sausage rolls!
