Web Conferencing - Now Available!
AMP continuously monitors advances in technology that may help save our clients time and money. Web conferencing is one such innovation, and it is now available. Using this technology, AMP can "host" electronic meetings of client examination committees, association boards and committees and other work groups, perhaps replacing meetings to which individuals previously were required to travel.
Through AMP's secure servers, web conferences may now take place where test development specialists review and edit prospective examination questions with content experts, program directors provide online training for passing score studies and other research, and association executives present administrative plans and proposals for review by organization boards and other decision makers. Multiple individuals may connect to a web conference and all that is needed by each participant is a computer with Internet access and a second phone line for audio communication. The Internet connection permits the host of the meeting, such as the test development specialist or association executive, to display and edit information on the computer screen of each conference attendee at his/her individual location. The second telephone connection permits real-time discussion of the material being viewed without voice delays that occur in Internet-based video conferences.
Web conferencing has the potential to save certification agencies and associations significant travel time and money and make audio conferences more productive. Although there are many meetings in which face-to-face communication may be essential, for others, such as preliminary test question reviews, educational program planning meetings, and routine training sessions, web conferencing can result in expenses of only a few hundred dollars, as opposed to the thousands involved in flying a group of committee or board members to a fixed location. In addition, volunteer committee and board members may find reduced travel commitments to be a significant benefit, making them more willing to serve their organizations.
AMP's staff has conducted several web conferences this year with excellent results and high client satisfaction. Based on our experience, it appears that web conferences of about two hours are the most effective to maintain the attention and commitment of participants. Of course, if meetings need to be longer than four hours, multiple web conferences are easily scheduled, such that a two-day, face-to-face meeting costing thousands of dollars in travel, could be replaced with multiple web conferences, conveniently scheduled over a few weeks' time, all at considerably lower expense.