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December 11, 2009 | dlpmagazine.com
Education Trends

Online, on target

Web-based training initiatives allow education providers to reach a larger audience seeking convenient, cost-effective, broad-based learning.

by Richard Palmer

Photo: Robert Nicholas/Getty Images

 

For many business owners and trade professionals, business travel is a necessary evil, at best. The expenses involved with flying, lodging, and meals coupled with the time lost away from work and family often outweigh the benefits of connecting with colleagues face to face. Effective education is most productive when conducted in a person-to-person environment with instructors and students exchanging information and ideas. This leads to the question of how do you obtain education for yourself and/or training for your staff in the most economical and efficient manner while retaining a forum for feedback? One answer now comes via that most 21st century method: through technology.

On the road
77.0%of lab owners have taken in-person professional training during the past 12 months.
Source: October 2009 DLP Continuing Education survey.

Or online
34.2%of lab owners have taken online professional training during the past 12 months.
Source: October 2009 DLP Continuing Education surveyMany manufacturers of equipment, supplies, and materials for dental laboratories offer educational programs for customers to increase their efficiency and profitability. These programs may be presented at regional industry meetings or at manufacturer-sponsored conferences and expositions to provide an added value for their clients. However centrally located the regional meetings might be, there will invariably be travel expenses incurred even for local lab owners.

“In talking with customers, we found that they were looking for an alternative means for education in light of the economic climate and the inability to justify the travel and the cost,” said Joe Carofano, VP of Marketing at Jensen Dental. “Education in this industry has translated largely to ‘expensive,’ ‘time-consuming,’ and ‘advanced.’”

Carofano said lab owners commonly look toward their suppliers as a resource for new forms of education. “We saw a need. Consistent with our commitment, we want to understand the customer’s needs, build a relationship, and then deliver a solution.”

Converting content

Already a well-known provider of quality education through its Jensen Day in Chicago and an extensive schedule of lectures and hands-on training programs, Jensen didn’t have far to go to look for appropriate course content or presenters. The challenge was to develop a suitable delivery method that would optimize the strengths of the content while minimizing the limitations of distance learning through webinars that expanded on the content areas that were traditionally the focus of Jensen’s live hands-on educational programs.

“We’ve built a core competency around educating and helping customers be successful on the ceramic side, so we translated that idea to the alloy and refining parts of our customers’ business,” Carofano said. “We’re doing things that are untraditional as it relates to education. It’s not just about technique, it’s about identifying the right solution and bringing it to the customer in a way that can have the most direct and immediate impact on their laboratory.”

Running on a GoToMeeting platform, Jensen’s webinars use a PowerPoint-type presentation with live voice-over and a whiteboard screen for participant questions. Viewers also can ask questions over their telephone or through their computers, if equipped with a microphone. “It’s all real-time and allows people to address questions that are important to them,” Carofano said. Each webinar is registered with the NBC, and eligible participants receive one CE credit per webinar.

Tell & Show

BEGO USA also began a rollout last year of webinars based on its live training programs, but with an extra dimension. In addition to graphic illustrations, Q&A feedback, and live audio from trainers, the BEGO Morn’n Perk online educational series includes streaming video demonstrations.

“We ran about six of these programs last year to get customers and audiences familiarized with it,” said Michael Sever of Aardvark Design, the communications agency that supports BEGO with the education programs. “Once we could see that there was some genuine interest, then we rolled it out every single month as a regular program.”

Each of the monthly live webinars is  presented twice on the same day to accommodate viewers on the East and West time zones as well as through on-demand replays at any time. Sever said viewers simply need a solid Internet connection, a telephone, and the latest QuickTime Player. Before signing on, registrants can view short tutorials and run a system check.

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