THE PROS AND CONS OF LEARNING TO CODE THROUGH WEBINARS
Coding is also important for students because it helps to increase confidence. Because coding empowers students with applicable skills such as creativity, problem-solving and persistence, it also empowers them to more confidently face a variety of challenges and opportunities. I feel that it hones problem-solving and analysis skills, such as finding errors and thinking logically. Further, coding often helps people develop teamwork and interpersonal skills since software and application projects are often cross-disciplinary and collaborative.
However, I feel that with the incline in the digitalization, there are various prevalent platforms that provide the jewel in the town platforms that makes everyone accessible to all the webinars and contests.
Just like two sides of the coin, there are pros and cons of learning coding through webinars. Now, I want you to get familiar with the pros and cons.
PROS
FLEXIBILTY
Webinars allow you to learn coding from the comfort of your own home, eliminating the need to travel to a physical location for classes or workshops. Webinars provide an interactive environment where you can ask questions and receive immediate feedback from instructors or fellow participants.
COST EFFECTIVE
Webinars are generally more affordable than traditional coding schools or workshops, making them an attractive option for budget-conscious learners.
CONVENIENCE
Webinars provide an interactive environment where you can ask questions and receive immediate feedback from instructors or fellow participants. Gone are the days when all of your employees were under one roof. While having a flexible remote work policy makes it easier for companies to attract and retain talent, it does present a training challenge. How do you reach all of your employees for important training sessions when they’re spread around the city, the country, or the world? Webinar training allows companies to cross this divide easily. Workers can register and watch webinars on their computer, wherever they are, for a completely synchronous learning event.
SME ACCESS
Social learning — a training methodology that focuses heavily on leveraging personal networks and mentorship program to connect workers with knowledgeable subject matter experts (SMEs) — has become all the rage. Instead of being confined to the SMEs in your company or in your local area with traditional training methods, webinar training gives you the platform to leverage SMEs from anywhere. If they’re willing and available, you can have any SME lead a webinar training, which is a big boost for any social learning initiative.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Webinars offer technical support, which is helpful to individuals who may experience issues with software installation or other technical problems.
CONS
TECHNICAL ISSUES
Things can and do go wrong during a live webinar training session. Should your internet cut out, your training materials stop cooperating, or your microphone simply not want to connect, you can’t get that time back with participants. These snafus are made even worse if it’s a recorded webinar intended to be used later. Prerecording your webinar session gives you some room for error, but it’s important to ensure that the webinar tool you purchase is reliable, compatible with multiple devices and operating systems, and comes with helpful vendor support.
NO PERSONALIZATION
As opposed to the LMS experience, where companies can put up different training types and learners can find the type that works best for their needs, the webinar format is one-size-fits-all. If a webinar attendee doesn’t do well in that type of digital classroom environment, they won’t be as engaged and won’t retain as much information.
Where possible, companies should aim to reformat webinar training sessions into different formats to better engage all of their workers (e.g., turning webinar presentation materials into a reference slide deck).
LACK OF HANDS ON HANDS EXPERIENCE
Learning coding through a webinar may lack hands-on experience compared to an in-person class. Webinars may use simulations and examples, but it may not provide real-world coding exposure.
If there’s one area where webinar training really can’t compete with the classroom experience or a proper e-learning course, it’s the ability for learners to interact with the training material. In a live webinar environment, learners often only have the ability to ask questions, and in a recording, they simply sit there and watch. Whiteboard software platforms with webinar capabilities can give instructors and learners more tools to collaborate and interact with the material. Seek these systems out if you want to make webinar training more interactive, or better, complement your webinar training with more interactive learning formats (games, simulations, assessments, etc.)
DISTRACTIONS
Learning through a webinar requires self-discipline and focus. However, some individuals may find it challenging to stay focused when distractions such as other work or family obligations can occur in the same space.
LIMITED FEEDBACK
Webinars may not offer immediate feedback from instructors or peers, which could be detrimental to some individuals.
TIME MANAGEMENT
Self-directed learning can be challenging, especially when attending a live webinar. You need to have the discipline to manage your time efficiently and focus on the material.
Furthermore, No team work.
- It’s hard to meet your classmates, not to mention to make friends with them.
- It takes more discipline to follow through a course
- Many courses are not integrated yet, meaning you don’t find a sequel or a prerequite, making many courses one-off experiences.
And therefore, learning coding through a webinar has several benefits such as flexibility, accessibility, and lower costs. However, it also has some drawbacks such as limited interaction and feedback, lack of hands-on experience, and potential distractions. It is essential to weigh the pros and cons and consider personal learning preferences when choosing the best method of learning coding.
