Planning for Hybrid Courses

 Hybrid courses will include a mix of F2F and online instruction (check NEST to confirm how your class is scheduled and represented to students).

The mixed modality of hybrid courses offers instructors and students the benefits of both face-to-face and online learning. In designing your course overall, apply backward design principles: identify course goals; articulate student learning outcomes; and then choose content, activities, and assessments that will best support these goals. As you choose content, activities, and assessments, consider which would be best suited for in-person versus online forums. Provide continuity between the in-person and online experiences; students should not perceive the different modalities as two distinct and unrelated courses. Develop an equally strong instructor presence in the in-person and online modalities.

In-person meetings

Promote active learning and furthering community building in the classroom by providing students the opportunity to work both in small groups and as a whole class. Take advantage of technology-free activities during in-person meetings and prioritize undertakings that work better in person. 

F2F session ideas:

  • Flipped classroom. Students read/view content before class, with class time reserved for conversation, high-level engagement. Practice knowledge assimilation, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. See Flipped Learning for more information.
  • Socratic dialogue for active learning of difficult concepts, dense readings, charged ideas, and applications of theories.
  • Technology-free discussion and conversation; use F2F sessions to facilitate students’ engagement with faculty and peers.
  • Hands-on learning: science labs, physical manipulations, music and arts, clinical skills practice, computer or other equipment-dependent instruction.
  • Working through mathematical or other problems, when faculty or peer assistance is invaluable in the process to recognize and address points of confusion.

Online component

Regardless of whether the balance of your hybrid course meets synchronously or asynchronously online, bridge the work done during in-person meetings by providing a variety of technology-based activities, such as continuing a discussion on a message board, or following up with video reactions, or having students work on Padlet boards or collaboratively on Google docs. 

Synchronous online session ideas:

  • If online meetings are synchronous, use Zoom breakout rooms or InSpace to allow students to work collaboratively in small groups, sharing technological tools together. 
    • Think-Pair-Share: Students can discuss questions together in small groups and then return for a larger discussion. 
    • Collaborative partner work: Work with partners on answering questions in a Google doc together or collaboratively sharing web-based resources on Padlet
    • Collaborative group work: collectively work on a Jamboard or Miro whiteboard creating mind maps or flow charts
    • Polling: Use polling tools such as Kahoot or Polling Everywhere to assess understanding in real time

Asynchronous online session ideas:

  • For asynchronous online work, provide students with structured experiences that are best suited for the digital format, such as collaborative note taking using Hypothesis that does not need to be done synchronously. Set due dates to allow for follow-up on work during in-person sessions. 
    • Video sharing: Create individual videos on Flip and allow for peer commentary and feedback
    • Analysis: Have students use VoiceThread to produce audio commentary for a particular existing resource or Hypothes.is for text commentary. This can be done individually or collaboratively as a class.
    • Collaborative group work: Develop group Google sites on a particular topic. 
    • Quizzes and assessments: Use asynchronous online time for open-book assessments. Check for understanding of video materials by integrating short quizzes on Panopto.

For more information or help, please email the Office for Faculty Excellence or make an appointment with a consultant.

Last Modified: Thursday, February 22, 2024 5:44 pm

CK

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