Online+: A standards-based approach to hybrid learning

Editor's Notes

• #5: HEATHER The Hybrid Course Development Framework outlines -- Curriculum Standards (criteria for course selection): What types of student outcomes best lend themselves to live instruction? Instructional Standards (thoughtful course design): How can we utilize various parts of the digital platforms/LMS we have to accomplish the desired outcomes? Teaching Standards (focused on faculty delivery): How do we empower faculty to make solid decisions around course delivery techniques? Can we align top faculty across the College-system to maximize student exposure to industry experts? A new approach to how we look at selecting a course for hybrid delivery, and thoughtful decisions around instructional design elements, and the tools provided to provide to assist with their teaching of the course. With the Curriculum Standards, the goal is to create a purposeful alignment of the learning experience, examining the desired student outcomes will drive the decision-making process surrounding the optimal learning environment. Specific outcomes lend themselves to real-time interaction, we’ll examine those and select courses based on the desired outcomes. Through Instructional Design Standards, we can create consistency in the curriculum -- with clear objectives, instructional techniques can be employed to accomplish the desired outcomes. Being thoughtful about the approach to student learning is essential. And we must put faculty needs into this mix, to empower them with information to make good decisions around course delivery techniques. Teaching standards will ensure every student has the ability to achieve the desired outcomes no matter which instructor they have
• #6: HEATHER The Hybrid Classroom Manager works with School Deans to identify courses that would benefit from a hybrid instructional approach. With the goal to create a purposeful alignment of the learning experience, we will demonstrate how to examine your desired student outcomes & the tools you have available to create an op Desired Outcomes Establishing peer-to-peer connections to create a community of learners Simulating real-world human interaction Creating a space for real-time problem solving activities Providing hands-on experiences to interact with course content Keeping current with field-related trends timal learning environment.
• #7: HEATHER Type of Course Rationale & goal for blended delivery Outcomes of the course If the desired outcomes presented above are part of the curriculum of the selected course, a hybrid strategy should be employed to maximize the student learning potential and assist in achieving the course outcome. Modality Considerations The decision to create a hybrid course is made and now decisions need to be made for the modality offerings. Benefits and drawbacks exist when designing course curriculums that necessitate the student to be physically present on campus, the same present themselves with students being in a fully remote environment.   Residential Blended Student preferences Laboratory equipment necessary Hazardous substances utilized Program Accreditation restrictions Financing for students Online Plus Synchronous Student location Program outcomes lend to flexible delivery   From previous Dean discussion – So, as you are reviewing your courses on the Summer Development list or submitting requests for Fall Development, these are the types of courses you should be considering for Online+ or Flex course delivery. Look at the types of outcomes you are trying to achieve as a result of a given course. Consider its placement within your curriculum, review the objectives and the types of future experiences students will have in the work place. Do these outcomes lend themselves to live interaction? Then your answer to ‘should we include a live classroom component in the course?’ should be yes. These are a few course examples to help you get started.
• #8: Screenshot of the box
• #9: JEN In launching the new degree of Graphic Design, we were very meticulous in selecting the right courses for the right competencies the industry demands. That is only half of the battle however, as we were then faced with the challenge of delivering a quality curriculum regardless of modality. For the online course for Design Foundations, we needed to create a deep, meaningful quarter one course that sets students up properly for all other coursework to come but also challenge and engage them. The predecessor to Design Foundations was chronically on the Top 20 fail/withdraw list of courses for the last 3 years at the college, with its position on that list even higher up (sometimes within the top 10) when reviewing online only. Additionally, this being the Q1 course for their selected program, we not only had the hurdle of “typical” new student retention issues heightened by the “traditional” online environment and delivery but also a steep learning curve because of new software introduction alongside conceptual theories of design. This course has lots of “do this” and “make that” as it is a demonstrative, applied learning course. Of course, functioning as the first programmatic course that students take also makes it a pivotal course where student success, confidence, and skillset are at a critical developmental point. These 11 weeks usually set the tone for all remaining coursework to come as far as these elements go. It also functioned as our one main opportunity to help them start strong and then stay strong, learning the WHAT and WHY of graphic design but also learning the HOW of learning itself. And finally, although students select the online modality for its convenience factor and ability to control the workload throughout the week, they still wanted some form of community and connectivity not only with the instructor but also with their peers. These students often recognize that they will be with this cohort for many courses and many years to come and desire the ability to feel part of the greater whole, knowing each other and to BE known. Some of these students, even the “non-traditionals”, selected the online option but still wanted some form of traditional learning environments in brick and mortar institutions as they’ve experienced in the past. Essentially, they desired a hybrid, custom blend of the physical learning environment they knew from yesterday with the virtual learning environment they desire today.
• #10: MATT After a course is selected for a hybrid approach, specific elements within the course design must clearly present the types of learning to take place asynchronously and those elements which can be tackled with a synchronous learning session. Questions to consider within the course design process are – What is the purpose/objective of the synchronous learning activity? What is the assessment for the student during/following the synchronous learning activity? A STUDENT ROLE IN THE SYNCHRONOUS SESSION MUST BE PRESENT. How will the lesson plan be designed to assist faculty in delivery of the synchronous session? What presentation materials will be included in the Instructor Guide (PowerPoints, PDF files to share)?   Options to consider for the location of course activities   Real-time Activities Demonstration of a technique or process Live Group discussion Problem-solving, case study Student Presentations -Live with Q&A -Role Play Online (asynchronous) Activities Information delivery Vocabulary introduction & practice Quiz Recorded Presentations
• #11: MATT Storage Management: Flipping the Online classroom Linking the discussion to the Live Lab
• #13: Screenshot of the box
• #14: Storage Management: Flipping the Online classroom Linking the discussion to the Live Lab
• #15: JEN We will also discuss a training toolset utilized to empower faculty with information to make quality decisions around course delivery techniques. While the course design might be picture perfect, we still need faculty to bring the material & design to life. Through an innovative use of Adobe Connect, as well as instructional guides, we have gained faculty confidence in the approach and they are enthusiastic about teaching their students again.
• #16: Screenshot of the box
• #17: JEN Placed at end of curriculum to thread all prior learning together – leverage prior coursework as examples but also prior multimedia knowledge in crafting actual portfolio (this course is the “significance bookend” to our Design Foundations course for the entire program) Our final opportunity as not only instructors but industry gurus to lead students down the appropriate path for job candidacy Second in importance only to possessing a degree itself – the one main component all employers will equally judge you by in order to see what actual skills and competencies you truly possess (portfolio SHOWS what you know, degree states what you SHOULD know) Prior course framework called for asynchronous-only contact including selecting design projects from the past to showcase, the progress of the developing portfolio, and the final portfolio itself. Much opportunity was lost, but found again for the new course: Periodic “check points” within the course for students to synchronously meet with peers and instructor to showcase portfolio candidates and receive input on selecting the best ones for use in portfolio. Additional discussions on portfolio trends within the industry, new methods or styles of presenting portfolios, and critiquing portfolios of already established professionals out there. Allows for easy, organic way to keep the course itself constantly in update mode as “hot topics” and industry trends are analyzed throughout the course. Final portfolio presentation almost as important as the portfolio itself. That’s the hardest part of a job interview, and often where job candidates fall flat. PRESENTING about what you know and why you made something is much harder than just SHOWING what you created. Presenting to peers and panel of instructors during the course gives them mandatory but low risk practice with this critical, intimidating act. They’ll HAVE to do this during an interview, so let’s give them the safe zone to practice now (and get our input on how to improve). With all this in mind, and considering these students are all in the SAME program and are going to take the SAME course and should have the SAME deliverables and expectations, we realized that we needed to do something to ensure quality of delivery and that consistency. It will not always be the SAME instructor every time the course needs to run, so we had to build enough course structure and rigor, as well as delivery methods, into the course to ensure that consistency.
• #18: HEATHER