Constructing Hybrid Programs: Combining the Best of FacetoFace with eLearning

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Constructing Hybrid Programs Combining the Best
of Face-to-Face with e-Learning

• Dr. Stephen W. Dunnivant
• Gulf Coast Community College

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What are Hybrid Courses

• Hybrid courses are courses in which a significant
  portion of the learning activities have been
  moved online, and time traditionally spent in the
  classroom is reduced but not eliminated.  The
  goal of Hybrid courses is to join the best
  features of in-class teaching with the best
  features of online learning to promote active
  independent learning and reduce class seat time.

• http//www.uwm.edu/Dept/LTC/hybrid-courses-definit
  ion.html

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What are Hybrid Programs

• Hybrid programs are degree or certificate
  programs in which a significant portion of the
  learning activities have been moved online, and
  time traditionally spent in the classroom is
  reduced but not eliminated.  The goal of Hybrid
  program is to join the best features of in-class
  teaching with the best features of online
  learning to promote active independent learning
  and reduce class seat time.

• http//www.uwm.edu/Dept/LTC/hybrid-courses-definit
  ion.html

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Lets take a closerlook at a fullhybrid-program

• Gulf Coast Community College
• Educator Preparation Institute

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GCCCs EPI

• Early Childhood Education
• Childcare Certificate program (CDA-CT)
• Early Childhood Education (A.A.S.)
• Instructional Services Technology (A.A.S)
• Pre-elementary Education (Social Sciences)
• Teacher In-service Childcare Training (Lifelong
  Learning)
• Substitute Teacher Training
• Alternative Teacher Certification (Hybrid)

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IS THERE A TEACHER SHORTAGE?

• Florida Universities graduate 6,000 education
  majors each year
• 3,000 immediately leave the state
• Half of the remaining last under 5yrs in
  classroom
• 14 will leave after their first year
• Florida hires between 25-30,000 teachers a year
  (19,317 hired 03-04)

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WHERE are the SHORTAGES?

• LOCATION
• Broward, Orange, and Dade counties hired in
  excess of 2,000 teacherseach
• Bay County Schools hired 250 last year (1/2 Alt
  Cert)
• SUBJECT AREA
• Science, Math, ESOL, Foreign Language, Reading,
  Exceptional Student Education, vary by district

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ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION

• Standard Teacher Certification Pathway
• Typically entail a 4-year degree from a College
  of Education with a student-teaching
  experience.
• Alternative Teacher Certification Pathway
• College graduates holding a four-year
  baccalaureate degree in any area can be hired by
  a school principal and apply for a three-year
  temporary certificate
• In that three years the candidate must pass the
  General Knowledge Skills test and their
  subject-matter area certification examination

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Immediate Hire Path to Certification
Four-year degree College Graduate (Non-Education)
D.O.E./District Identify Course needs
5yr Certified
General Education Methods Classes (12-21 hours)
Teach 2 years
OR
OR
DISTRICT
D.O.E.
G.C.C.C.
UNIVERSITY
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Teacher Certification Update
Pre-Hire EPI Path to Certification
10-15-2005
Four-year degree College Graduate (Non-Education)
Substitute Teaching (recommended, not required)
5yr Professional Teaching Certificate
Apply for 5yr Certificate
Wait for notificationof acceptance background
check results
(30 days to process)
If necessary
DISTRICT
D.O.E.
G.C.C.C.
UNIVERSITY
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ORIGIN OF ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATE

• Florida DOE reports that well over ½ of new
  teaching certificates are alternative
  certificates (career transitions)
• Chancellor of Community Colleges proposed model
  out of Indian River Community College
• Florida State Board of Education endorses model
• All 28 Florida Community Colleges now have
  state-approved Educator Preparation Institutes

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LOCAL IMPACT

• Bay District Schools reports hiring 250 new
  positions in 2005-2006 academic year
• Over ½ of these are alternatively certified on 3
  year temporary certificates
• Bay District Schools reports an additional 50
  teachers currently under contract requiring EPI
  program
• Bay, Gulf, and Franklin County superintendents
  have submitted letters of support for GCCC EPI

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REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Possess a bachelors degree or higher from an
  accredited institution of higher learning and
  have at least a 2.5 overall GPA in the
  applicants major field of study
• Submit to background screening
• Be of good moral character

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Challenges for Participants

• Most of the potential population already holding
  Bachelors degrees also hold full-time jobs
• Many of these also have children already
  attending K-12 schools during the day, making
  their presence at home during the evening of
  great importance to the development of their
  children
• Attending evening classes, or classes of longer
  duration were not amenable to many potential EPI
  candidates (some Florida EPI programs offer only
  Month-long full-immersion programs8AM-5PM for
  4 weeks)
• COST Financial Aid is largely unavailable to
  those already holding 4-year degrees

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The Solution Create a Full-Program Hybrid

• Offer EACH class composing the EPI program as a
  hybrid course
• Conduct face-to-face Saturday sessions only once
  a month throughout a 6-8 month program
• Compress semesters from 16 weeks down to 8 weeks
• Allow students to complete the program at
  different paces (3 courses per semester, or 2, or
  1)
• Tier One Classes (1st 8 weeks)
• Tier Two Classes (2nd 8 weeks)
• Tier Three Classes (3rd 8 weeks)
• Design weekly on-line activities within a Course
  Management System for EACH of the programs
  courses

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EPI Courses and Costs

• EPI COURSES
• EPI 0001 Classroom Management 3 hrs.
• EPI 0002 Instructional Strategies 3 hrs.
• EPI 0020 The Teaching Profession 2 hrs.
• EPI 0004 Teaching and Learning Process 3 hrs.
• EPI 0940 Teaching Profession Field Experience 1
  hr.
• EPI 0030 Diversity 2 hrs.
• EPI 0945 Diversity Field Experience 1 hr.
• EPI 0010 Foundations of Language and Cognition 3
  hrs.
• EPI 0003 Teaching and Technology 3 hrs.
• There are several fees associated with the EPI
  program.  Your EPI Coordinator will let you know
• when these fees are due.  Fees are subject to
  change.
• Fingerprint and Background Check 46.00
  (Required upon acceptance in program)
• Teacher Certification Application 56.00
  (Required upon acceptance in program)
• TUITION
• Current tuition is 67.36 per credit hour.
  (includes 5 per credit hour distance learning
  fee) (non-Florida residents pay 229.78 per
  credit hour)

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Summer Mini-Semester

• SUMMER 2006
• EPI 0001- CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT (3 credits)
• EPI 0002- INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES (3 credits)
• EPI 0020- THE TEACHING PROFESSION (2 credits)
• Meeting DatesMay 13, 2006
• June 24, 2006
• LocationStudent Union West
• 3rd floor, rooms 347,348,350800AM-400PM

• Weekly Online Activities
• Visit http//www.gulfcoast.edu
• Click Blackboard link
• Click Student Access button
• Click Login button
• Enter Username password
• Click Login
• Click link to desired course
• VISIT EACH COURSE on MONDAY of EACH WEEK

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• EPI 0001 CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT (3 credits)

• Instructor Nancy Sheffield
• Text How to be an Effective Teacher, The First
  Days of School, Harry T. Wong and Rosemary T.
  Wong. 29.95

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• EPI 0002 INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES (3 credits)

• Instructor
• Patricia SchenckText
• A Teachers Guide
• to Classroom
• Assessment,
• Dr. Susan Butler. 29.95

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• EPI 0020 The Teaching Profession (2 credits)

• Instructor Gaynell JonesText Becoming a
  Teacher, Forrest W. Parkway and Beverly
  Hardcastle Standford. 82.00

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• THE COURSE DESIGN PROCESS
• EPI 0001 CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT (3 credits)

• Hired Course Developer to create hybrid
  versions of each course (9 courses total)
• 8 weeks of activities, including 2 Saturday
  sessions
• Didactic Quizzes 20, Authentic Assignments 60,
  Saturday Activities 20

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COURSE INTERACTION

• Threaded Discussion Forums

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COURSE INTERACTION

• Threaded Discussion Forums

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Tips for Designing Hybrid Courses

• Tip 1 Take it easy
• Start early 3-6 months in advance and produce
  actual learning modules that meet specific
  learning goals and are relatively easy to manage
  and grade.
• Redesign is an incremental process. Try not to
  include too many new activities at first. Start
  small and you can build it one step at a time.
• Experiment and learn as you go.
• Keep technology use simple in order to avoid
  turning the course into a support nightmare and
  gradually add more advanced technology.
• Remember that as you increase significantly the
  number of assignments and opportunities for
  feedback, you also potentially increase your own
  work load. Don't burn yourself out!

University of Wisconsin http//www4.uwm.edu/ltc
/hybrid/faculty_resources/tips.cfm
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Tips for Designing Hybrid Courses

• Tip 2 Focus on design, not technology
• Critically re-examine course goals and objectives
  and consider carefully 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.
• 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."
• Don't overload the course online activities take
  longer than you think they will.
• Focus on the integration of the online and
  face-to-face components. Connecting what occurs
  in class with what is studied online is critical
  so instructors do not end up teaching two
  parallel but unconnected courses.
• Review the examples of hybrid courses available

University of Wisconsin http//www4.uwm.edu/ltc
/hybrid/faculty_resources/tips.cfm
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Tips for Designing Hybrid Courses

• Tip 3 Use the resources already available
• Search for discipline-specific Web sites for
  available content.
• Check out MERLOT and other learning object
  repositories.
• Look for publisher content available online,
  especially in lower-level courses. Check with
  textbook vendors for test-bank, cartridges, etc
• Use online help resources such as facilitation of
  group work, managing discussion forums, etc.
• Tip 4 Don't go it alone
• Talk with and get advice and feedback 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 faculty who have
  taught hybrid courses or professionals from your
  faculty development or technology centers.

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Resources

• Dr. Stephen Dunnivant Chair of Technology and
  Faculty Development Gulf Coast Community
  Collegesdunnivant_at_gulfcoast.e
• Dr. Susan Butler Director of Educator
  Preparation Institute (GCCC)sbutler_at_gulfcoast.edu
  
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Learning
  Technology Center (LTC) http//www.uwm.edu/Dept/L
  TC