Thank you for your interest in teleclass education. These are some of the most common questions about teleclasses and accompanying answers. If you have a question or concern that is not addressed here please contact Paul Webber (info@webbertraining.com).
What are the Primary Objectives of teleclass education?
To provide the best possible infection prevention and control information, to the widest audience, with the fewest barriers to access.
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Providing Conference Quality
Educational Opportunities
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What is a Teleclass?
By strict definition a teleclass is a live seminar to which people listen and participate over the telephone, or access through on-line recording.
What equipment is required to join a teleclass?
The minimum technical requirement to participate in teleclass Education is access to a telephone and access to e-mail, or a computer with internet access and speakers. Teleclasses take place over the telephone so you can join wherever there is a phone. The presenter's slides and handout notes, and the number of the Bridge Line and PIN code are e-mailed to all registrants at least 48 hours in advance of the teleclass so access to e-mail is necessary. A data projector could be employed to project the speaker's slides. Teleclass recordings are posted to the web site.
What is a Bridge Line and how does it work?
Teleclasses depend on telephone technology called Bridge Lines. A Bridge Line is a special telephone line that allows audio conferencing. The Bridge Line phone number and PIN code number are sent out to all registrants two days before the teleclass date. At the scheduled time all registered sites dial the number, punch in the PIN code number when requested, and are automatically in the conference. Bridge Line technology is available to us in the United States, in England, and in Australia.
What can go wrong with the Bridge Line?
Problems with our Bridge Lines are rare. Occasionally a high tech teleconference phone won't connect to the Bridge Line number directly. Once or twice participants have had to request operator assistance in making the call because their internal phone system wouldn't do it directly. If participants call in more than 10 minutes before the scheduled teleclass start time an automated voice will tell them to call back later. If too many people dial in at the same time some of them might hear an annoying beeping sound at which time they will have to hang up and try again. Since telecommunication technology can be fragile, it's possible that someone might get "bumped off" the call for some unknown reason and have to phone back in.
What's the difference between a participant, a registrant, and a site?
A participant is anyone who is listening to the teleclass. A registrant is the specific person whose name is on the teleclass registration form as a contact. A site is the facility from which the telephone call is made into the Bridge Line.
How many people are allowed to listen in at each site?
We impose no limit to the number of people that can participate at each site. On average, there are 16 people participating at each registered site. Most facilities will gather everyone together in a conference room. Some sites link up several conference rooms internally and then phone to the Bridge Line. The more the better.
What if a site phones in to the Bridge Line from more than one location?
The registration fee is per site (per telephone connection). If one hospital phones the Bridge Line from two different locations it would be considered as two sites, and should therefore be submitting a second registration. Teleclasses work on trust.
What does the registration fee buy?
For the teleclass fee you are invited to have as many people as you wish listen to the live teleclass. You are given access to the on-line recording of the teleclass, permission to tape record the session, copies of the presenter's slides and a black & white handout of the slides, and you get to be a part of an international community of thousands of healthcare professionals who also believe in teleclass education.
Is the long distance call to the Bridge Line included in the registration fee?
The cost of the long distance phone call is the responsibility of the registered facility.
Are recordings of teleclasses available?
Recordings are available on-line in the Recording Library of webbertraining.com, and are also available on CD. For more information on the Enhanced Recordings available on CD contact Paul Webber, paul@webbertraining.com
How long are teleclasses?
A typical teleclass is 60 minutes long. Periodically we will have longer, 90-minute teleclasses.
How does teleclass education impact developing nations?
A decision was made at the outset to make access to Teleclass Education barrier-free. Healthcare professionals from developing nations are provided with unlimited access to teleclass materials. In coming months and years the teleclass recordings, transcripts, and handout notes will be translated into a variety of languages to make them as accessible as possible. Very few of these healthcare professionals in the third world would have the opportunity to receive this information otherwise.
Who is involved in teleclass education?
Teleclass education is made possible through the effort of many people and organizations. Paul Webber heads up Webber Training and hosts most teleclasses. Dr. Syed Sattar of the Centre for Research on Environmental Microbiology at the University of Ottawa plays an integral role in the strategic planning and successful execution of the teleclasses. Maria Bennallick, Debbie King and Lauren Tew run the British Teleclass Series. Jane Barnett and her colleagues in Australia and New Zealand run the South Pacific Teleclass Series. Mike Essensa creates exceptional graphics and develops our Enhanced Recordings on CD. Every presenter, every sponsor and everyone who has ever registered for a teleclass are also important partners in teleclass education. It takes thousands of us to make teleclasses really work.
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