Preparing for and Teaching Hybrid Courses Midwest EDUCAUSE

Preparing for and Teaching Hybrid Courses Midwest EDUCAUSE March 25, 2003 Mary Sudzina, Ph. D. University of Dayton Robert Kaleta, Ph. D. & Carla Garnham University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Copyright Mary Sudzina, Robert Kaleta, and Carla Garnham 2003. This work is the intellectual property of the authors. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the authors. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the authors.

Session overview l l l l Definition and Advantages Contrasting perspectives Barriers encountered What faculty need to know Faculty development program Major lessons learned Comments and questions

Hybrid Courses l Definition and description – A significant amount of learning has been moved online making it possible to reduce the amount of time spent in class – An attempt to combine the best elements of traditional face-to-face instruction with the best aspects of distance education

Hybrid Courses l Hybrid/Blended courses are: – NOT traditional “distance education” courses l – NOT simply traditional classes with a Web site l – Online time replaces some classroom time NOT just transferring information to the Web l – Not entirely online Involves an extensive course redesign NOT all alike l Many different formats and schedules are possible

Time Out of Class l Students spend more time working individually and collaboratively on assignments, projects, and activities l Faculty spend less time lecturing and more time reviewing and evaluating student work and guiding and interacting with students

Teaching and Learning Benefits l More learning, understanding, and retention – – l More interaction and discussion – l Students are more engaged More student and learning centered – l Faculty experience is highly positive University of Central Florida research on grades Less listening and more active learning Faculty can teach in new ways – – Accomplish new learning goals and objectives More hands on student involvement with learning

Top Down or Bottom Up? l A top down perspective l A bottom up perspective

Barriers Encountered Teaching Hybrid l l l Time Technology Course redesign Student expectations Riskier Support

What Faculty Need to Know l How to facilitate & manage online interaction l How to assess students’ online work l How to integrate online and face-to-face teaching l How to use the technology l That they must get started early – Redesign requires more time than anticipated!!!

Faculty Development Program l Course redesign is critical – – l Good teaching is central Technology is secondary Process – – Models Hybrid “blended” approach Involves hands-on, practical experiences l l l Development of online learning modules Active learning assessment techniques Integration of online with face-to-face learning Development of course syllabus http: //www. uwm. edu/Dept/LTC/hybrid. html

Case. NEX Website l Materials are online – – – l Over two dozen cases Critical perspectives Articles and resources Videoclips Threaded discussions Tutorials http: //casenex. org

Major Lessons Learned l Course redesign (good pedagogy) is central l Good pedagogy has to be a reason to use the technology l Greater engagement and interaction l Students learn more and students can extend themselves beyond the classroom l Riskier and more time-consuming l Faculty and students like the Hybrid course model l Hybrid experience affects the way faculty approach their other courses

Resources for Hybrid Courses l UWM Hybrid Course Web Site http: //www. uwm. edu/Dept/LTC/hybrid. html l UWM Student Hybrid Course Web Site http: //www. uwm. edu/Dept/LTC/hybridcourses. html l Teaching With Technology Today -- Hybrid issue http: //www. uwsa. edu/ttt/browse/hybrid. htm

Contact Information Carla Garnham University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee cgarnham@uwm. edu Robert Kaleta University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee kaleta@uwm. edu Mary Sudzina University of Dayton sudzina@udayton. edu

Thank you for attending.

Seven tips on “going Hybrid” Developed by Learning Technology Center University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Seven tips on “going Hybrid” ü Tip 1: Take it easy l There is no single standard approach to a Hybrid course Start early and produce concrete learning modules Redesign is an incremental process l l – – Experiment and learn as you go Keep it simple

Seven tips on “going Hybrid” ü Tip 2: Focus on design, not technology l Avoid the “course and a half syndrome” Don’t overload the course: things take longer than you think they will Focus on the integration of the online and faceto-face components l l

Seven tips on “going Hybrid” ü Tip 3: Use the resources already available l Search for discipline-specific Web sites Check out Merlot and other “learning object depositories” Look for publisher content, especially in lower-level courses Take advantage of online help materials such as facilitation of group work, managing discussion forums, etc. l l l

Seven tips on “going Hybrid” ü Tip 4: Don’t go it alone l Talk with and get advice from experienced Hybrid course instructors Discuss your problems and progress with colleagues, whether they are using the Hybrid or not Get feedback and support from LTC professionals l l

Seven tips on “going Hybrid” ü Tip 5: Manage your students’ expectations l Explain and justify format of course and assignments clearly and repeatedly Make sure that students understand equivalence between amount of work in traditional class and in Hybrid class Students must be aware that not all online work can be completed at home Make all assignments and other course expectations as explicit as possible right from the start l l l

Seven tips on “going Hybrid” ü Tip 6: Prepare for anticipated problems l Prefer simpler technologies to reduce risk and complications Break down and phase in longer assignments Provide time management tips for students Be very clear about what students are expected to do, and how you will grade them Prepare technology help sheets Identify place to go for live help l l l

Seven tips on “going Hybrid” ü Tip l l 7: The little things count! Things will occasionally go wrong; plan carefully and be flexible about making adjustments where needed Ask for feedback from your students often and take their responses seriously Don’t organize too tightly, there’s always some slippage due to “transaction costs” of working online During the course, falling behind or sloppy recordkeeping can be fatal: stay current and keep copies of everything