Hybrid Courses a blueprint for success

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Hybrid Coursesa blueprint for success

• Patricia S. Rahmlow
• Assistant Professor, Computer Science
• Montgomery County Community College
• Blue Bell, PA

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Background

• Undergraduate BS Math, Ursinus College
• Graduate MBA, St. Josephs University
• Experience
• Computer Industry 20 years in various positions
  including programming, customer support and
  marketing
• Academic MCCC since January 1998
• Online Spring 2000 (approximately 30 sections to
  date)
• Hybrid Fall 2003 (4 sections to date)

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Burning Questions?

• What one question do you want answered today
  about hybrid courses?

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What?

• Is your definition of a hybrid course?

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Why?

• Why do you want to teach a hybrid course?
• Why do students want to take a hybrid course?
• Why should you teach a hybrid course?
• Why should students take a hybrid course?

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How?

• How often will you meet?
• Why did you choose this time frame?

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What?

• What part of your course will be online?
• What part of your course will be outside of the
  classroom?
• What types of support materials are available to
  the student for out of classroom learning?

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Help?

• How often will you be available to the student?
• What mechanism will be available for
  student-to-student help?

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What is a hybrid course?

• A blended course using technology to help achieve
  your goals
• An approach to teaching that replaces some
  in-class activities with online activities
• Instruction that is highly structured but still
  flexible
• Teaching that is more learner focused than
  face-to-face courses

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Advantages Faculty

• More material can be covered
• You can do the teaching you really want to but
  never had time to do
• Focus on more interesting / complicated topics in
  classroom

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Advantages Students

• Students pace can be personalized to match their
  progress
• Weaker students can receive more of facultys
  attention
• Stronger students can be released from events
  they do not need to participate in

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Advantages Students

• Face-to-face communication
• Exposure to learning environment prevalent in
  workplace
• Exposure to communication methods prevalent in
  workplace
• Extra help before taking completely online course

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Disadvantages Faculty

• Faculty must do more planning
• Faculty must monitor goals
• Faculty must learn to see things in a new way
• Faculty must question their own premises
• Faculty must be available outside of traditional
  work hours

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Disadvantages Students

• Students must understand what is being done
• Students must be motivated
• Students must be able to manage their time
• Students must be technically competent
• Students must ask for help

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Where do you begin?

• Analyze what you do
• Determine what you dont enjoy doing
• Decide what you can do better
• Define student needs
• Identify what students can complete without your
  immediate help

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Analyze what you do

• Lecture
• Demonstration
• Discussions
• Lab exercises
• Field trips
• Guest speakers
• Web quests

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Determine what you dont enjoy doing

• What parts of teaching do you just plain wish you
  didnt have to do?
• What parts of your teaching are rote?
• What parts are you extraneous to?
• What parts do you have so well documented that
  they can stand alone?

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Decide what you can do better

• What topics need more time in the classroom?
• What topics are better in a conference mode?
• What additional topics would you like to cover?

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Define student needs

• What are students weaknesses that curriculum
  does not address?
• What would enable students to better use their
  time?
• What would allow students to focus on their
  interests or specialties?
• Do students need multiple evaluation strategies
  to demonstrate their mastery of the material?

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Identify what students can complete without your
immediate help

• Group projects
• Group discussions
• Mini-research projects
• Group research projects

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What do the experts say?

• Cynthia Villanti
• Mohawk Valley Community College
• Hybrid courses enable a balance between
  faculty-centered and student-centered models
• Maintain face-to-face learning environment
  including non-verbal communication
• All communication skills are developed verbal
  (speaking and listening) and written (reading and
  writing)
• Hybrid can increase student retention
• On-campus assessment addresses honesty concerns

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What do the experts say?

• University of Southern Indiana
• Students and faculty in hybrid courses faced the
  greatest challenges (compared to online and
  face-to-face)
• Difficulties not due to course design
• Hybrid courses take more work from the student
• Hybrid courses take more coaching from faculty

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What do the experts say?

• University of Southern Indiana
• Switching modes causes confusion
• Out of sight, out of mind
• Different number of meetings for various hybrid
  courses
• Advising problems with determining whether a
  student is a good candidate for a hybrid course

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What do the experts say?

• University of Southern Indiana
• Online part is sometimes superficial
• Instructors active in classroom discussion, not
  usually in online discussion

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MCCC Courses

• Fall 2004
• Total sections 1847
• One to ten credits
• Any day or time
• Online sections 92
• Hybrid sections 6
• Telecourses 14
• Face-to-face sections 1741

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MCCC Courses

• Disciplines
• Computer Science
• Education
• Engineering
• Faculty Training / Course Development
• Online training

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Resources

• Richard D. GreenwoodProfessor of English, MCCC
• Faculty Focus NewsletterSaxon G. Reasons at
  saxrea_at_usi.edu
• AFT On Campushttp//www.aft.org/publications/on
  _campus/oct03/technology.html

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Examples

• CIS110 Hybrid
• CIS114 Hybrid

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Questions