Readings:
- Joosten, T. (2015, March 18). The secret is the blend. Inside Higher Ed.
- Note: there are numerous additional sources in this reading if you want to learn more. One very useful item is the University of Central Florida Blended Learning Toolkit.
- Joosten, T. (2015, February 1). Why do blended? Learning Technology…Juice.
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. (2020). Ten questions to consider when redesigning a course for hybrid teaching and learning. Hybrid Courses.
Practical tips for faculty who are preparing to design and teach their first blended course (Kaleta, Skibba, & Joosten, 2007, pp. 138-139):
- Begin the course redesign process by re-examining course goals and objectives and by considering how they can best be achieved in the hybrid environment.
- Develop new learning activities that capitalize on the strengths of the online and face to face learning environments.
- Integrate face to face and online learning activities to avoid teaching two parallel and unconnected courses.
- Learn to make the transition from a lecture-centered teaching approach to a more learner-centered teaching focus.
- Avoid the common tendency to cover too much material and include too many activities in the redesigned course that result in a “course and a half.”
- Acquire and practice the skills needed to effectively manage and facilitate online discussion and interaction.
- Learn to create an online community of learners by providing an inclusive, positive, and friendly learning environment where students feel safe sharing ideas.
- Keep technology use simple in order to avoid turning the course into a support nightmare and gradually add more advanced technology.
- Develop a plan for conducting course activities when technology fails.
- Manage student expectations regarding the hybrid format and course workload.
- Identify and develop plans, materials, and activities to help students with the technology and time management challenges many encounter.
- Use the tools in the course management system to get organized and stay organized when teaching hybrid course
Kaleta, R., Skibba, K., & Joosten, T. (2007). Discovering, design, and delivering hybrid courses. In A. G. Picciano & C. D. Dziuban (Eds.), Blended learning research perspectives (pp. 111-143). The Sloan Consortium.
As many will eventually transition back to their previous institutions/organizations, there is great potential to leverage lessons learned during the recent onlining due to COVID-19, especially the use of learning technologies and online pedagogy. Blended/hybrid learning offers exciting possibilities, but requires careful, intentional design. Think about if you would consider incorporating these practices in your courses. If no, why not? If yes, what are some of the challenges and opportunities that you anticipate?
Additional Optional Resources:
- Cleveland-Innes, M., & Wilton, D. (2018). Guide to Blended Learning. Commonwealth of Learning.
- Mirriahi, N., Alonzo, D., & Fox, B. (2015). A blended learning framework for curriculum design and professional development. Research in Learning Technology, 23.