For a few days now i have been wanting to comment on these two issues, workshop registration and pre-workshop learner assessment. These are two tasks that are occuring somewhere on th continent as we speak. Local societies hosting events know just how hard smooth registrations are to attain. And speakers and teachers desperately need to learn more about how to get the pre-assessment info early enough to make meaningful adjustments to course/worshop content. There is help on the web for both of these tasks. Let’s look at these.
First, Workshop Registration. There are a number of web-based services that allow you to set up your registration forms on-line for about $5 per registrant. They providea way for people to complete registration, make program choices, sign up for liuncheons or banquets and pay with a credit card in advance. You can set fees, set early registration datres, etc. The service will send you checks regularly or on specified dates, and send you reports on a wide variety of variables: how many select each option, geographic origns, etc. You selct what you want reported. The service sends an e-mail receipt and registration details to the registrant. You can customize forms. Take a look at one such service: www.regonline.ca
Next we turn to the pre-workshop survey. Again there is an online service. You create your own assessment questions. Link it to the registration, and provide the avenue for them to email the completed resonse. Take a look at surveymonkey
So here we have two services to increase information gatherinmg while reducing loads on volunteers. If you are a genealogical program planner, I think you should look into these. The links are only samples of such services. you could build these same bassic tasks into your own web-site. Website templates like the economical but sophisticated anicesite can handle simple registrations, send out surveys, and newsletter.
I think many societies struggling to grow, can use these options to encourage members, lighten volunteer burdens and promote educational goals of members.
What do you think?
Genealogy Education 