Ease of use and usefulness of webinars in an open distance learning environment: an activity theory perspective

• Authors: T. M. van der Merwe;M. E. van Heerden
• Venue: Proceedings of the South African Institute for Computer Scientists and Information Technologists Conference
• Year: 2013

In a previous paper we reported on our and our students' initial experiences with a webinar (WEB-based-semINAR) tool in a low bandwidth environment where the student body was largely previously disadvantaged. Several issues that impacted on the ease of use and usefulness of the tool were identified. We concluded the research by stating that as early technology adopters, we may well have invited some of the issues reported. We subsequently changed the webinar software, and presented another series of webinars. This paper presents an update on our and our students' perceptions of the ease of use and usefulness of the webinar as a collaborative tool. Employing the useful lens of Activity Theory, we present a qualitative and quantitative overview of data obtained from various sources, including 92 students in a post-course survey. In particular, we report the results by considering the dynamics between the webinar tool, the subjects, the community, the object and goals of the series of webinars, the rules, and the divisions of labour employed. Tapping into thematic patterns and commonalities, we identify remaining tensions that may have accounted for individual variations. As such, this research builds on lessons learned, and offers a much needed foundation, some benchmarks and some pointers for future implementations of the webinar as a collaborative tool in an Open Distance Learning environment.