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SELECTING FACULTY TO TEACH IN THE HYBRID MODE
The ideal faculty to bring into
the hybrid teaching format will have most,
if not all, of the qualities below:
- An expressed interest in trying something new.
- Prior online teaching experience
- Prior online course development experience
- Experience using Learning Management System (WebCT)
- Instructional technology skills such as scanning, audio & video file
creation, web design etc.
- Have used a course web site or web-enhanced aspects
- Departmental approval
- Have adequate time for course development (personally, departmentally)
One semester for development or release time from teaching one course are the
most common departmental considerations given to faculty. Though
monetary compensation for course development is often an added incentive,
however, it
is important to note that money is never a substitute for time.
- As with students, time management skills and a commitment to continuing
participation in the online community
- Have a support system: instructional designers, media production support,
a peer community of other hybrid instructors that meet to share experiences.
When you are teaching the online portions of your hybrid course, you are responsible
for some areas that may not be part of the classroom repertoire. Clearly, some
of these areas play an important role if
F2F teaching, but their implementation may be dramatically different in a hybrid
course. For example, encouraging interaction between students and with
the instructor is important in any teaching situation. Online this requires
the use of a discussion tool. It is quite different encouraging students to
raise their virtual hand in an online class. Is there an equivalent to "calling
on" students online? The student who hides quietly in the
back of a classroom may avoid notice, while online perhaps his responses are
graded and visible to all participants for comment.
These areas are generally agreed to be important goals when teaching
online:
- Clearly communicate expectations (such as how often you expect students
in drop in online, or how you expect posted responses to look) and requirements. Establish
guidelines and models for the class and for participation that provide enough
structure for the students but allow for flexibility and negotiation both
for them and instructor.
- Teach students about online learning (this might include "netiquette"
about appropriate responses to peer work)
- Be a good role model by checking in & posting regularly. Let
your students know you are there by commenting on their posts and asking
additional
questions
for them to consider. The best online discussions have daily participation. Be
willing to facilitate the discussion
- Provide collaborative small group assignments that have online and F2F
elements. This is one way to encourage interaction.
- Mandate
participation (at least two posts a week) and incorporate it into student
evaluation and grading.
- Have students post their assignments and encourage feedback to one another
on their work. Grades should be shared privately.
- Set up a well-organized course site (that includes things such as a syllabus,
help area, etc.)
- Include an meta-area where students
can reflect on what it is like to learn online. These are often called by
names such as the "lounge" that
suggest informality. In
WebCT, these can be anonymous posting areas. Reflection transforms a
student from being a mere participant in learning into a reflective practitioner.
- Provide a survey at the end of the term. The results will help you reflect
on what worked and what needs improvement. Reflective questions include:
How were you as a learner before you came into this course? How have you
changed? How do you anticipate this will affect your learning in the future?
- Don’t lecture when you write and post. Good eLearning courses feature
many small modules rather than units, chapters and weekly assignments.
Students may need hardware, software and a broadband connection to utilize
online materials and complete assignments.
The pairing of hybrid courses that are often taken together or in a sequence
is another approach. The hope is to allow students to take two
courses in one semester without requiring them to come to campus more than
once a week. It
appears though that non-traditional, part time students will often still elect
to not take two courses instead of one because of
the work load, total hours required and cost which are still doubled and outweigh
the less time on-campus aspect.
Difficulties most often cited by faculty:
- Time demands
- Technical problems
- Depersonalized
- Lost spontaneity in lessons
- Lack of control
- Reduced face-to-face contact.
- Difficulties faced by novice technology users.
- Lack of technological resources at home
Further Reading for Faculty
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