Literature Review: Impacts and effects of online learning and

webinars to adult learning processes

Helen Lee

CUIN 7347: Seminar in Learning Design and Technology

Instructor: Dr. Bulent Dogan

November 11, 2019

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION 2
KEY CONCEPTS COMING FROM SELECTED RESEARCH LITERATURE 3
RATIONALE FOR ONLINE LEARNING AND WEBINARS 3
CONTEXT FOR ONLINE LEARNING AND WEBINARS 5
APPROACHES TO ONLINE CURRICULUM DESIGN 6
GAPS IN THE LITERATURE 9
CONCLUSION 10

Introduction

When looking at statistics on the increase usage of online learning environments in the

professional learning setting or even in higher education, it is clear with the advancement of technology,

more organizations are either utilizing or am starting to leverage online learning in professional

development or learning curriculums. This literature review serves to review the effectiveness of online

learning and webinars for adult learning and looks at an overview of relevant literature to help further

answer the question of: How does the increase usage of online training and webinars affect adult

learning processes? The rationale and reasons this topic was selected is because in my professional

experiences, I have noticed more and more organizations are leaning towards offering online

professional development.

Whether it is full topics put in a video online with some quizzes at the end of the videos or a live

or recorded webinar, it would be important for us to learn more about how online learning affects adult

learning processes and whether online learning is effective for adult learners. It is also important to

consider the factors which help determine whether online learning can be effective and consider online

learning from both an educational viewpoint as well as a training/webinar viewpoint. Studying this topic

can provide additional insight into the adult learning process and allow professionals in talent

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development or professional development roles to understand what would provide for effective online

educational technology learning tools, what are some considerations to include within what is feasible

for an organization, and how the adult learning process can shift from classroom training to online

learning and training.

Key concepts coming from selected research literature

Below are some terms which will be mentioned in this literature review, based on highlighted literature

papers:

 Complexity Theory and the Learner-Centered Assessment Model (L-CAM) – which describes

a model between the curriculum design to program outcomes to learning outcomes from

faculty to learner-centric relationships.

 Constructivist-based instructional design and facets of adult learning – includes instructional

activities which requires collaboration and interaction, and learners which become more

responsible self-directed learners.

 Creativity – leaving the status quo of an environment and fostering learner’s creativity in

learning environments

 Interaction, collaboration, and supportive learning – areas which have been identified as

playing into the influence of the effectiveness of online learning experiences.

 Motivation, maturation, and experiences – some factors which define context for an adult

learner to sustain learning

Rationale for online learning and webinars

The advance of technologies, especially communication and educational technology tools such

as WebEx, Blackboard, Learning Management Systems, Skype and more has allowed different

organizations to leverage these tools to provide e-learning or online learning as a method of

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professional development or learning curriculums in higher education. According to the article,

Enhancing Employee Development through Online Training, professional development in around 80

percent of US firms now involves online training to some extent. Online learning and webinars also help

mitigate some issues with face-to-face training such as having enough trainers or mobility of employees

who live farther away from available training centers. With online training programs, they can reduce

costs and provide a cost-effective means of employee development; be flexible and convenient enough

to meet most participant needs; and overcome barriers pertaining to space and time (Enhancing

Employee Development through Online Training, 2017 and Seda, 2016). Online learning can also be one

solution to keep learning and development programs a high priority, while keeping lower costs that

come with in person learning. However, according to both Carlson (2009) and Foley (2013), online

learning does not necessarily replace face-to-face learning entirely. Rather, in-person programs can still

happen, with online learning and webinars supplementing for those who do have mobility, time, and

travel cost concerns.

From a higher education perspective, online enrollment has increased from 9.6% in 2002 to 32%

in 2011 (Luscinski, 2017), suggesting that being enrolled in an online course, or to even have the option

is important. Having this option could impact access of higher education to student learners who are

nontraditional, defined by seven characteristics: entry from high school to college delayed by 1 or more

years, having dependents, being a single parent, full time employment, financial independence, part

time college attendance, or the lack of a high school diploma (Luscinski, 2017). Similar to the rationale

for companies, online learning in a higher education environment allows for flexibility and also help

overcome some barriers pertaining to space, time, and location – such as access to transportation,

needing childcare, or proximity to the university or college to attend classes.

Context for online learning and webinars

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 The previous section provided some rationale as to why online learning is being utilized, aside

from knowing that technology is advancing to allow this type of learning platform. This section will

address some of the context for which online training and webinar occurs to further set the stage of

understanding the effectiveness of online learning and webinars.

There are some studies which indicate online learning opportunities tend to benefit learners

who have stronger academic and socioeconomic backgrounds (Davis, 2013), who are matured, self-

disciplined and motivated, well-organized, and having a high degree of time management skills (Kumar,

2015 and Ruey, 2010). Motivation has also been mentioned in several articles as an engagement factor

to help sustain learning through an online platform (Ruey, 2010; Davis, 2013; Luscinski, 2017; Bailey,

2018; Kumar, 2015; Seda, 2016). What previous research shows is that motivation, maturation, and

experiences are some factors which define the context for adult learners to sustain learning. Although it

is not suggested that all three of these areas contribute to sustainability of learning online, if any one of

these areas were on the lower spectrum, it could have an impact on the adult learning process while

participating in an online learning course or webinar. For instance, Kumar (2015) provides some of the

pros and cons of online education, one example of which is limited social interaction. This ultimately

impacts a student’s experience and has the possibility of more limited networking opportunities.

Another example is looking at a student or learner’s motivation to a particular online course or

webinar and under what circumstances are students taking an online course or webinar: is it a

mandatory checklist item, what are the student’s interest into the topics presented, how is the online

course or webinar presented to employees, in particular, for their professional development and the

support they receive, if any. Burstein (2013) mentions that “webinars can be valuable when they are

offered and consumed under the right circumstances, or when they address areas unrelated to

approaches to innovation – training to sue a technology, or information about the details of a new

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legislative requirement, for example.” This is a common theme found across several research papers

where they discuss how motivation as well as being able to have a worthwhile experience in an online

course or webinar are some factors which impact the effectiveness of online learning.

There is also research that further drills down to the learner level of whether the design of an

online course or webinar is actually beneficial to the learner. For webinars, if topics need to be further

tailored or customized by the learner after attending a webinar, then these might work less well than

webinars which are more focused on training or diffusing of objective information on a discrete topic of

shared concern and consequence (Brustein, 2013). For online courses, the return of investment could be

achievement outcomes such as access to a degree attainment from a higher education perspective or

access to more professional development opportunities from a working organization perspective

(Carlson, 2009).

Approaches to online curriculum design

As with traditional classroom design, there are many approaches to online curriculum design. It

is important to note that the design of an online curriculum is an important aspect to consider because

it can impact a learner’s experience and what adult learners consider as an effective course taken

depending if the design of the course met their needs or not. Luscinski (2017) mentions that with online

courses, principles of instructional design as well as an understanding of cognitive structures should be

used in developing effective adult online learning environments. Similarly to how we need to consider a

sense of belonging in traditional classrooms, it is beneficial to consider adult cognitive structures, such

as a sense of connectivity to others in an online learning environment, as these factors could help

predict some behaviors, such as a lack of interest.

Some model approaches to online curriculum design involve constructivist instructional

strategies, while others, especially targeting online training modules, discuss models of the transfer of

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skills. Consider first of a constructivist online learning. Ruey (2010) describes implementing a

constructivist-based online course with various instructional strategies such as “requiring students to

engage in collaborative, contextualized learning by simulating and assuming an authentic role” in actual

society; and requiring students to be in charge of a discussion of their own teamwork; or for learners to

own more of their own learning. Some considerations to a constructivist instructional learning is that

students’ typically have to be more self-directed and could take more time for learners to adjust to a

course, to take responsibility for their own learning and to keep pace with the timeline online. In the

study completed by Ruey (2010), results showed that learners’ learning expectations and satisfaction

within the study were diverse and unpredictable; however there were positive correlation shown

between sense of directed facilitation from the course instructor, as well as receiving feedback and

explanations of students’ work from instructors. One note to take into consideration is that Ruey’s study

took place from a higher education setting in a course offered by the Department of Adult Education at a

National University in Taiwan. Hence, while a constructivist approach might work from an educational

setting, consideration needs to be given for online learning in professional settings where there may not

be dedicated instructors or trainers as facilitators, or that a particular online learning program would be

as long of a period as what would be taken in an educational setting.

However, we can still consider strategies and constructivist practices such as a more

collaborative and contextualized learning environment or for emphasis to employees about the

importance of learning or taking professional development in a particular topic area. Take for example in

Seda’s 2016 study where he looked at observational training models of e-training versus traditional

training delivery methods on professional students in contemporary organizations. Different from Ruey’s

study which discussed constructivist instructional strategies for adult online learning from an

educational setting, Seda’s study mentions the design of e-training from a professional setting and

describes four components to observational learning: attention, retention, reproduction, and

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motivation. All four of these components are important parts to e-learner engagement and it is

mentioned that mixed-methods theories such as socio-cultural theories, and even constructivist theories

are also used in Seda’s case study to explore learners’ experiences. Seda’s research also mentioned that

instructors also play an important role in engagement, however, also mentioned from the perspective of

organizational goals and how employees also need the support from their management for effective e-

trainings.

There are also models which focus on the flow between curriculum design, program outcomes,

and learning outcomes, such as the Learner-Centered Assessment Model (L-CAM) in Pickett’s 2015

study. Pickett looked at a model which incorporates more of the learning outcomes as part of the

assessment process of a learning design and discussed integrating complexity and creativity in adult

learning environments. The purpose of this model puts learner at the center of the learning process and

to develop a curricula from a learner-focused perspective. As part of the L-CAM model, it looks at the

integration of complexity factors, such as creativity, and structural activities relationships. The results of

Pickett’s study showed a final online creative learning model integrating components of the L-CAM

model and principles of constructivist pedagogy to foster creative behavior.

In summary of the approaches mentioned in Ruey (2010), Seda (2016), and Pickett (2015)’s

studies, the common similarities to takeaway are the mention of constructivist pedagogy and strategies,

even in different contexts and application. All three studies also mentioned models which discuss an

instructor’s role: whether they lead as a mentor (Ruey, 2010); provide available support and their

strengths and weaknesses as an instructor (Seda, 2016); or support in fostering creative behavior in the

classroom environment (Pickett, 2015). Each of these studies also call out student factors such as

motivation, learner schemas, and support for the learner in some way, whether it is physical support

(e.g. from a manager or support to understand learning outcomes). These studies also support the

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understanding that there are several different factors which affect creating an effective online learning

model as mentioned in the previous section discussing the context for online learning and webinars.

Some additional notes from these three studies is their methodology for their research in

looking at the effectiveness of online learning. All three studies used mixed-methods (both qualitative

and quantitative measures) to highlight in their research. Seda’s paper presented the most holistic

review in his data by outlining several sub-research questions within the topic of effectiveness of e-

training – also looking at employee performance and employee motivation. Thus for professionals in

talent management or professional development looking at evaluating online training, it can be stated

that a mixed-method assessment would be beneficial to not only understand quantitative data from

sources such as survey data or participant statistics; but to understand the qualitative data that

highlights factors affecting effectiveness of online training and to be able to gather the feedback or

opinions of adult students after taking an online course, training, or webinar.

Gaps in the literature

In reviewing the different literature regarding online learning for adult learners, I have noticed

that there isn’t any standard methods when it comes to evaluating online learning. While prior

experience tells me that because of the different experiences and focuses in adult learners, they also

have a greater diverse range of expectations and satisfaction with online learning. My literature review

have also shown that this factor alone makes it difficult to plan and analyze results from online trainings.

With some areas, such as webinars for instance, the entry point in developing a webinar should not be

the analysis of some result, but rather than a define topic as mentioned by Burstein (2013). Given this,

there is still a step within instructional design models, such as Dick and Carrey’s, where either

instructions or training developers consider useful metrics of evaluation for the learning goals of an

online course, curriculum, or webinar.

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 Other gaps included the direction of the literature I reviewed. There are several which are

geared more towards academic settings as opposed to professional settings; however a caveat in my

literature review is that I was not looking at a specific industry from the professional side, rather online

learning from an overall perspective. This could have impacted this point mentioned, or could have

shown different results that was not captured in the literature I selected.

Conclusion

Several of the research had overlapping findings; all of which demonstrate there are many

factors which affect adult learning and in determining whether online trainings are effective for adult

learners. Findings also show that the adult learning process has a level of complexity which differs from

a younger audience. Considerations such as design of an online learning; learner motivation, maturation,

experiences and interest; and an instructor’s facilitation, role, support, and feedback are all important in

measuring effectiveness. While there may not be a standardized method to determining whether or not

online learning is effective for adult learners, what was important to takeaway are the benefits and pros

to online learning, including increased access to adult learners, convenience, and more flexibility from a

learner’s perspective. From a company’s viewpoint, while online professional development can be a

cost-savings measure, it would be worth to further explore how to pair together traditional training

settings with online training and further equitable means of accessing learning through technology. For

example, are employees actually learning from purely online formats or would it be more beneficial to

supplement with hybrid models. From a higher education perspective, it would be interesting to further

consider different online models compared to traditional classroom models which promote learner

engagement, such as having a gamified curriculum.

Further research could also be more field specific, such as the public sector, where educational

technology might be more behind than their private counterparts or where not everyone is required to

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interacted with technology as frequently on a day to day basis, to look into how can educational

technology tools help facilitate learning online for those who are not used to online learning. What I

have noticed in the research is that many times, there are theories provided, but not a lot of practical

application to apply. Hence, final takeaways for professionals who are in talent management,

professional development designers, or online learning designers would be the following suggestions:

 When selecting online training or webinars (or in the creation of them), organizations should

consider their audience, how these trainings are presented to their employees, and what

support is management providing that would reflect the organizational goals for the

implemented online trainings or webinars.

 Instructors or designers should consider what kind of interactions would best meet the needs of

both the learner(s) and the objectives of an online course. Given the technology available, could

webinars, for instance, include Q&A chats, or for presenter contacts to be shared with the

audience for further follow-ups after webinars (Burstein, 2013; Enhancing Employee

Development through Online Training, 2017; Kumar, 2015).

 Consider when best to utilize an online model versus a hybrid model or in-person trainings.

Based on the research, company culture plays a role into how employees might perceive online

learning and it is also worthwhile to consider employee feedback as well as the setting for which

online trainings are provided.

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References and Works Cited

Bailey, A. et al. (2018). Making Digital Learning Work: Success Strategies from Six Leading
Universities and Community Colleges. Retrieved from:
https://edplus.asu.edu/sites/default/files/BCG-Making-Digital-Learning-Work-Apr-
2018%20.pdf
Burstein, R. (2013). Making the Most of Webinars. Retrieved from:
https://hbr.org/2013/03/making-the-most-of-webinars
Carlson, K. (2009). Challenges Faced, Solutions Implemented. T+D, 63(10), 11. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.uh.edu/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=eue&AN=44678383&site=ehost-live
Davis, M. H. (2013). Factors predicting student success in an adult online learning
program (Order No. 3599866). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
(1464388477). Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.uh.edu/docview/1464388477?accountid=7107
Enhancing employee development through online training. (2017). Development and Learning
in Organizations, 31(3), 32-35. Retrieved from:
http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.lib.uh.edu/10.1108/DLO-03-2017-0019
Foley, S. (2013). The classroom connection. Independent Banker, 65(10), 82-83. Retrieved
from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.uh.edu/docview/1473887172?
accountid=7107
Kumar, D. (2015). Pros and Cons of Online Education. NC State Industry Expansion Solutions.
Retrieved from: https://www.ies.ncsu.edu/wp
content/uploads/sites/15/2017/06/WP_OnlineEducation_170629.pdf
Luscinski, A. (2017). Best Practices in Adult Online Learning. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing
(10608529). Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1953258591/?pq-
origsite=primo
Pickett, M. C. (2015). Integrating Complexity and Creativity in Adult Online Learning
Environments. Journal of Higher Education Theory & Practice, 15(7), 97–104. Retrieved
from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.uh.edu/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=eue&AN=114543849&site=ehost-live
Ruey, S. (2010). A case study of constructivist instructional strategies for adult online learning.
British Journal of Educational Technology, 41: 706-720. Retrieved from: 10.1111/j.1467-
8535.2009.00965.x

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Seda, A. (2016). The effects of e-training versus traditional training delivery methods on
professional students in contemporary organizations (Order No. 10124844). Available
from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1807416551). Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.uh.edu/docview/1807416551?accountid=7107

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