ACTIVE STUDENTS IN WEBINARS Line Kolås 1 , Hugo Nordseth 1 and Jørgen Sørlie Yri 2 1 Nord-Trøndelag University College, Steinkjer, Norway 2 Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway ABSTRACT To ensure student activity in webinars we have defined 10 learning tasks focusing on production and communication e.g. collaborative writing, discussion and polling, and investigated how the technology supports the learning activities. The three project partners in the VisPed-project use different video-conferencing systems, and we analyzed how it is possible to implement different learning activities in the video-conferencing tools, alternatively using external tools in combination with video-conferencing tools. The webinar technologies investigated (Microsoft Lync, MeetCon and Adobe Connect) mainly have features to create live polls, share screens and resources, chat and handle user roles (presenter, guests). Learning activities based on e.g. collaborative text production, collaborative work with spreadsheets, presentations and evaluations demand the use of external applications. KEYWORDS Webinar, synchronous e-learning, video-conferencing system, student activity. 1. INTRODUCTION As the “flipped classroom” method spreads around classrooms worldwide, it is worthwhile to consider the adoption of some of these ideas also in online learning, focusing on active students during synchronous webinars while moving one-way teacher presentations to asynchronous learning materials (e.g. videos, which the online student can watch anytime and anywhere). In the field of online learning, there is a lot of focus on MOOCs (massive online open courses) now. MOOCs are usually based on asynchronous e-learning, but also synchronous e-learning is developing as teaching methods and technology are improved. One challenge of synchronous e-learning is boring sessions with the teacher as a “talking head” with one-way presentation (Nielsen, 2005). Synchronous e-learning often uses video-conferencing systems, teaching lessons through so-called “webinars” (web seminars). Clay (2012) discusses the term webinar, and how the student in a seminar simply sits and watches someone present. Clay suggests the term “web workshop” to more correctly capture the sense that the student will be doing something instead of passively listening. Slåtto et al (2011) compare the webinar to a web conference, which was an “attempt to transfer the physical conference to internet and not very successful. The webinar is better adapted to the characteristics of internet; it is short, fast, supporting, fragmented and dependent on being seen in a larger perspective”. Slåtto et al (2011) define a webinar to be “an online meeting where several persons gather around a topic, to listen to a lecture, work on a problem, or combinations of these. A one-way presentation is usually called a webcast ”. We use the term webinar based on the definition of Slåtto et al (2011), meaning live online meetings including active teachers and students. According to de Freitas and Neumann (2009) “passive modes of delivering content and a lack of active student participation or effective interaction cause more extreme problems in distance education groups, such as high dropout rates, because of limited or no face-to-face contact between students and tutors”. This is one reason why it is important to look into how to create active students in a webinar-based learning environment. Finkelstein (2006) points out “lessons are best learned from group discussion or collaboration. Few things are as rewarding as watching the exploration of a topic take flight as learners discuss, collaborate, construct knowledge and work together to solve a problem”. 11th International Conference Mobile Learning 2015 79