Cochrane Canada Live: webinars to benefit the Collaboration and beyond

Article type
Authors
Stevens A1, Grimshaw J2, Gabriel-Cuervo-Amore L3
1Institute of Population Health, Canadian Cochrane Centre, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada;
2Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Health Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada;
3Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization,Washington, District of Columbia,United States
Abstract
Background: Online learning is an important means to facilitate the educational needs of those producing and using systematic reviews. Online learning initiatives, such as the UK Cochrane Centre Online Learning Resources, have already been underway in the Collaboration to address those needs. The Canadian Cochrane Centre, through a partnership with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization, has developed awebinar (web seminar) broadcast stream to help fulfill a role in education for those in the Collaboration and beyond. Objective: To describe the Cochrane Canada Live webinar broadcast stream as a new educational resource. Description: Cochrane Canada Live is the broadcast webinar stream coordinated by the Canadian Cochrane Centre using the Elluminate Live! interface. The interface allows real-time interaction among the moderator, speaker, and participants and includes features such as live polling, application sharing, web touring, file transfer, handling multimedia files, and the ability to record and archive for later viewing. The first and ongoing research webinar series was launched in 2009 and addresses topics related to systematic reviews. The speaker will discuss the grassroots development of this series, the purposes we hope that it serves for the Collaboration, how the interface works, and our vision for the future.