Let’s start this off by defining exactly what a hybrid course is. A hybrid course is the blend of face-to-face interaction such as in-class discussions, group work, and live lectures with Web-based technologies such as discussion boards and virtual chat rooms (wimba/collabortate). Since hybrid courses are still a very new concept, there is still much to learn on how to find the right balance between face-to-face and online learning activities.
The concept of going to college has been constantly changing over the years. These days, many students are trying to figure out ways to balance full time jobs, as well as family responsibilities, with classes. For these students, finding class schedules that don’t overlap with their work schedules can be very difficult. The introduction of online courses has helped these students, as well as those who have who have different learning styles. But on the flip side, there are students who find online courses to be lacking in the human connection that most students get in a face-to-face class. That is why hybrid courses are now becoming a viable third option.
Hybrid courses are not a new concept, but the way hybrid courses are being delivered has greatly changed. Hybrid courses were at one point just used out of convenience. Instructors would post a few PowerPoints or assignments online that students could download. There is nothing wrong with this, but it doesn’t necessarily follow good pedagogy or get the most out of the technology.
To develop a successful hybrid course that follows the best practices of learning and teaching, instructors need to adopt a new method of teaching. They need to determine which activities are best kept in the physical classroom and which are best translated to the online classroom. The best way to do this is to articulate your course objectives and decide which ones will be best met through face-to-face sessions and which ones can be met through online methods. The instructor needs to plan what learning activities they are going to use as well as the best way to assess students.
Hybrid courses provide students the best of both worlds. They give students the chance to work with new technologies as well as engage with others face to face. But the important thing as an instructor is incorporating both in the best way possible.
Lori,
I found your post very interesting. You stated the use of Hybrid courses are still a very new concept and are even being considered a viable third option is true and I would even state Hybrid courses are even considered the first viable option by certain organizations. One organization in which I have had been associated with for the last 25 years is the military which has adopted this technique for many years.
My time with the Army has been educational to say the least when it comes to learning strategies. The military is probably one of many organizations which utilize Hybrid courses to train their learners (soldiers) to assist them in their professional development.
Throughout the years I have been associated with the Army I have witnessed the training evolve into what is today. I have been through training where the information is delivered on an overhead projector to the techniques used currently of distributive learning and blackboard.
During the career of a soldier, the Army has instituted triggering events, or cues, for a soldier to attend their next stage in professional development. These events or cues are promotional selections for a soldier to advance to the next rank. Prior to the decision to introducing Hybrid courses in the professional development courses, the Army would send each soldier to the dedicated location for training. This location and length of training was determined by the soldier’s job in the Army.
When the Army completed an analysis of how to streamline their instructional strategies, it was determined the Army could create a web-based course for professional development. This web-based course was developed to target the leadership development courses for all soldiers selected to the same rank, regardless of their job within the Army. The rest of their training would be conducted at the selected location. This has been very successful in allowing the soldier to conduct the leadership training at their own pace while preparing them for the next phase of instruction. The Army uses these Hybrid course structure to build upon the soldier’s job related instruction. Therefore, this means the soldier enters the next phase with identified skills and knowledge.
From my experience with the Army and their learning strategies, I would have to say the Army has developed an effective way in delivering their learning strategies by giving them the best of both worlds.
Lori,
The perspective I bring is that of a secondary (ninth grade) math teacher instructing mostly remedial or learning disable students in a general education setting (not resource, however).
While it is only a partial answer to the question of what to digitize, my experience tells me that the answer lies in social versus social/instructional interaction.
The short answer in my classroom (if I had a full choice) is that some instructional content and/or techniques benefit more from cooperative learning strategies than they could ever pick up through digital instruction. These topics have to be allowed to benefit from group interaction.
Some topics, however, would benefit from the enhanced audio-visual capabilities inherent in computerized instruction. In other words, as interesting as I think I am, I am no match for motion, visual, and color techniques I can build into an interactive instructional presentation on some topics.
Still I can envision other topics which would benefit from a sort of “tag-team” approach. Initial instruction could be traditional and direct in the classroom. A well-crafted more interesting, and more in-depth instruction can be presented online and self-paced. Practice can occur online as well. Than, back in the classroom less time is wasted with differentially-paced discovery, and in-depth application and assessment can begin.
Morris Goodrich