Most instructors supplement
their face-to-face courses with some online materials such as online syllabi,
handouts, PowerPoint slides, and course-related Web links. All of these can add
to the learning experience, but they are merely a start to making full use of
the learning potential of the online environment in either a hybrid or totally
online course. Although there is no standard definition of a hybrid course, one
characteristic that makes a course a hybrid is the use of the Web for
interaction rather than merely as a means of posting materials, says LaTonya
Motley, instructional technology specialist at El Camino Community College in
California.
Motley, who teaches faculty
and staff how to develop online content for hybrid courses, says that one of the
biggest challenges of developing a hybrid course is deciding which materials and
activities to deliver online and which to deliver face to face. “It’s something
that each instructor must decide for him- or herself, working with an
instructional designer or someone on campus who can help them think about the
consequences of putting something online,” Motley says.
Motley offers the following
advice for creating a hybrid course:
Consider how much time
you have to create the online portion of the course, including how long it
will take for you to learn how. Learning the technology should occur before
the class starts.
Consider the students’
needs and skills. Will working online be an obstacle for some students?
Use a course management
system if possible. A course management system has the tools to make the
online content interactive. If your institution does not have a user license
for a course management system, consider one of the several free,
open-source course management systems that are currently available.
Reuse materials.
Creating online materials can be time consuming. In addition to reusing
content-related materials (and updating when necessary), whenever possible,
reuse messages or announcements.
Manage your time.
Teaching a hybrid course means you will be online more than you normally
would, replying to discussion questions and email messages. Plan
accordingly.
Provide an in-class
orientation to the online portion of the course. This is a luxury that is
often not available to instructors teaching totally online courses. Still,
you should provide in the syllabus all the information students will need to
know about working online.
Use class time for
lectures. This can help reduce the time it takes to develop online
materials, because posting lectures online is often the most difficult and
time-consuming aspect of creating hybrid courses, Motley says.
Encourage online
interaction. The online portion of the course can be an extension of what
occurs in the classroom. For example, students can work in groups to build
on the interaction begun in the classroom. Students frequently need an
incentive to engage online. Motley recommends tying interaction to grades.
Remember that just because students are working in two environments and are
free from some time constraints does not mean that students should be
expected to do twice the amount of work as in a comparable face-to-face
class.
For more articles about online instruction, check out
Online Classroom. Each issue of this newsletter features tips and insights from successful online course developers and instructors on topics such as course design, facilitation, assessment, interaction, student support and use of emerging technologies. Click here for more information and to subscribe.
