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When Indiana University announced on March 15 that all university-sponsored, in-person campus events would be canceled for the rest of the academic year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Hall Center for Law and Health never missed a beat on its Grand Rounds lecture series.

Instead, the Hall Center quickly switched gears to an online format for the two remaining lectures and has drawn large audiences. On April 30, Professor Patricia Zettler of The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law will present “Approving Opioids” via a Zoom Webinar. (Registration is required.)

Grand Rounds traditionally brings national health law experts to speak at IU McKinney and the lectures offer no-cost Indiana Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits.

Hall Render Professor of Law Nicolas Terry, Executive Director of the Hall Center, immediately pivoted to the online option. “We really never thought of canceling, only converting,” the delivery of the Grand Rounds lectures, according to Brittany Kelly, Hall Center Associate Director.

Within a few weeks, the April 16 online event came together. Invited speaker Professor Montrece Ransom, Senior Public Health Analyst at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was game for the change in plans. IU’s tech support, along with the technology team at IU McKinney, provided assistance, and Kelly quickly schooled herself in creating a Webinar using free online tutorials. A run-through prior to going live allowed everyone the opportunity to trouble-shoot any potential issues.

Organizers also had to ensure that the new format complied with the rules for CLE credit. The Indiana Supreme Court issued an order on March 31 amending the limitations on allowable distance education for attorneys and judges in Indiana.

Under Indiana rules, distance education courses do not require attorneys to be in the same room as the speaker, but the courses must be interactive. Professor Ransom helped design the random prompts and polling to help attendees verify their continuing attendance and attention.

The first online Grand Rounds event drew 127 participants, and the April 30 event has already attracted more than that. “This format works, and we might look at using it in future events, even after this current COVID-19 crisis is eased,” Kelly said.

Kelly also has some tips for others considering using Webinars to connect audiences and events online:

• Practice. Set up multiple practice sessions and assign roles to those practicing so that you can see what they are viewing either as an attendee, a speaker, or a host. What settings need to be changed? What permissions need to be given?
• Prepare. Have you thought about what you would do if your internet went down? If someone on your team was unexpectedly unavailable that day? If an attendee was having technical issues?
• Perspective. Consider your Webinar from an attendee's perspective. Is it simple to register? To participate? To ask questions? Have you given them all the instructions they need to enjoy the material stress-free?

“Learning new technology can seem daunting, but if you take advantage of your resources, trust your own planning ability and build on your current knowledge base, you can seamlessly transition your event to an online format while also learning a new skill,” Kelly said.