Significance

With the responsibilites of jobs and families, education is often considered an impossible venture.  With the advancement of technology and distance learning, those who considered continuing their educational dreams futile are now acheiving those dreams with online learning.  There are many styles of learning including the audiovisual learner, which is impossible to teach in an online setting.  Webcasting can incorporate most styles of learning by allowing the student to "watch" an instructor conducting a live class.  The students can interact, or because the class is recorded, they may watch it later and may watch it several times if needed.  The significance of this type of learning allows those who are audiovisual learners to feel, even at a distance, part of the class (Jones, Maramba, Boulos, Alexander, 2009).
The use of webcasting technology can be significant to the online student as well as the patient in the hospital.  The ability to see and hear lectures, view procedures, watch multimedia, and view equipment increases the understanding of the online student. Hospitals can also use webcasting to teach patients how to care for themselves when discharged from the hospital and, if the patient has a computer, it could be possible for them to go back and review the instructions again at home.

Jones, R., Maramba, I., Boulos, M., Alexander, T. (2009).  Use of Live Interactive Webcasting for an International Postgraduate Module in eHealth: Case Study Evaluation.  Journal of Medical Internet Research.  11(4)