BEST PRACTICES AND PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR DESIGNING & FACILITATING MORE EFFECTIVE HYBRID & ONLINE COURSES

1. BEST PRACTICES AND PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR DESIGNING & FACILITATING MORE EFFECTIVE HYBRID & ONLINE COURSES Susan Ko Penn State Harrisburg, May 11, 2011

2. Sloan Definitions Of Online, Hybrid

3. A Body of Evidence and Experience to Build On

4. Some Points of Consensus About Effective Online Teaching & Learning Important elements include • Orientation, training, and 24/7 support available for both faculty and students • Opportunity for interaction with instructor, other students, content • Deliberate design of course & activities • Community-building • Active and meaningful presence of instructor

5. More Points of Consensus • Diverse approaches to instructional activities • Coherent, consistent & logical organization of classroom • Detailed syllabus & instructions to set expectations, schedule, consistent classroom nomenclature • Clear protocols for communicating • Integration of the f2f and online elements

6. What are your biggest concerns and worries about teaching online?

7. Common Fears & Misconceptions 1. Online instructors have to be online 24 hours a day or the opposite, just parachute in 2. Online education is alienating, and it’s difficult to form close ties online 3. Techno geeks are the best instructors

8. Fears & Misconceptions 4. The lonely lecturer (for hybrid courses): If I put my lectures online, no one will come to class

9. What do I mean by Design? • Purposeful planning with objectives and outcomes in mind • Creating structured opportunities for teaching and learning, including assignments and assessments • Arranging and organizing course elements • Integration of all the course elements

10. What does Facilitation involve? It’s more than just interaction in the discussion area… • Initiating and moderating discussion • Assisting student learning through interaction with students and setting up student-student interaction opportunities • Stimulating interest of students • Skillful guidance for students in learning activities

11. Facilitation also involves • Providing feedback to develop student critical thinking and highlight problem areas • Providing feedback to bring awareness to strengths and weaknesses of performance and to refer students to appropriate resources

12. Design Might involve a team-- • Instructional designer, graphics designer, subject matter expert, faculty, project manager, etc. • Instructional designer paired with faculty • Faculty working together Or mainly one faculty’s efforts…

13. Design can engage you in a complex web of considerations

14. Or a rambling flow chart of actions and directions Image: Instructional Design by Lauren Pressley

15. But can also be straightforward and simple planning framework

16. Design Beginnings • Start with your goals, learning objectives and desired outcomes • Special skills or competencies to learn? • Audience analysis—presumed prior knowledge, level, adult vs. 18-22, working students, military students, geographic range • Course environment—LMS, Web 2.0, predominantly synchronous/asynchronous

17. With some special considerations • Class Size: Small group strategies, peer review, more interactive content or self assessment, incremental assignments, fewer but strategic assessment occasions • Course Length: Accelerated, term or semester length and designing in accord with the pacing

18. …special considerations • Student Preparation: Online can make available resources targeted to writing, research skills, prior knowledge assumed (review materials) if needed

19. Other Design Principles • Purposeful use of readings, multimedia and web resources (Why am I looking/listening to this?) • Taking best advantage of and playing down weaknesses of LMS and other tech tools

20. Other Design Tips • Pay attention to pacing and sequence of online and to transition between f2f and online in hybrid classes • Think through the role each type of technology tool will play • How well does that old favorite—lecture, activity, assignment, etc. fit in the context of an online or hybrid course?

21. More considerations • Particular skills and approaches you want to emphasize throughout the course? (E.g., problem-based learning, collaborative projects, research-focused, etc.) • Some types of activities that would fit well into the context of your subject matter? (E.g., role playing, scenarios, debates, case-studies) • Real-life applications that can be built into assignments and discussion?

22. Case Study 1 • A course in English grammar and composition is to be delivered completely online for the first time. The English and writing faculty have two main concerns: 1. The course will be too boring in the online format since it will be all text,

23. Case Study 1 • 2. beyond the feedback from the instructor on the student papers, they are not sure how to promote student-student interaction since they do not want students to reinforce the errors of their classmates. Can you think of any activities and ways of presenting material for this subject matter that could be designed to stimulate interest and promote interaction among students?

24. Case Study 1 If this were to be a hybrid course instead of a completely online one, can you think of any activities and ways of presenting material for this subject matter that could be designed to stimulate interest and promote interaction among students for both f2f meetings and online portion?

25. Case Study 2 • A course in American history was delivered for the 1st time in hybrid format, with class meetings f2f every other week. (Students are not required to participate online during weeks when the class meets f2f.)

26. Case Study 2 The instructor, Dr. Zonzo, discovered that students are active in online discussion during the weeks that the class does not meet f2f, but have a high absentee rate at f2f meetings.

27. Case Study 2 This concerns Dr. Zonzo since he uses 90% of the f2f meeting time to deliver his lectures, leaves a few minutes for questions, and then posts abbreviated notes from his lectures afterwards online.

28. Case Study 2 How can Dr. Zonzo ensure that more students attend the f2f meetings? What else should he be considering in regard to student participation?

29. Facilitation of discussion Generally starts with well designed questions from instructor but must be continually shaped and pruned—different varieties for different disciplines

30. Tips for facilitation of interactive discussion • Clear expectations and rubrics for frequency and quality of participation • Weekly expectations for regular release and closing of discussion fora--keep everyone on same page • Sharing of appropriate assignments and discussion of those assignments • Rich media and Web source materials can be focus of a discussion rather than peripheral

31. Facilitation of interactive discussion Along with feedback, is the most challenging task: • Provide choice in responding to questions • Don’t pounce on student responses but remain actively engaged • Don’t lose track of quiet students • Use email or text messaging to remind students to return to the classroom

32. Facilitation of interactive discussion • Create most initial threads and post questions that require higher level thinking Compare: a. What does the author say about X? b. What are the assumptions of the author when he says X is good? • Respond to students with follow up questions Compare: a. That’s a good example of X b. Can you describe any other situations in which X might occur?

33. Facilitating Student-Student Interaction • Promote student-student interaction by requiring responses to classmates (grading) and asking follow up questions, redirect to draw others into the conversation • Case studies, scenarios and role play/debates encourage interaction • Make real-time communication tool available for students who might want to use it even if you do not use in instruction

34. Case Study 3 Dr. Larson has noticed that there are a few students who dominate the online discussion and an equal number who seem to “lurk,” and the latter only make the absolutely required postings in the discussion forum. He has tried appointing a different group of students each week to initiate discussion…

35. Case Study 3 thinking that students would feel more involved, but has not been pleased with the quality of the discussion questions—they simply do not stimulate discussion! How can he encourage more and higher quality participation, and also foster more student-student interaction?

36. Facilitating Hybrid Classes • Discussion participation can be combo of f2f in-class and online • Online can be in prep for f2f meeting activity and/or follow-up to it • Lecture outline posted before f2f meeting, additional notes after • Student presentations for online or f2f or both—summary in f2f, at length online

37. Small Group Strategies and How to Facilitate • Small groups useful for larger classes • Require careful design and planning • Must have clear-cut tasks to accomplish • Must have clear-cut rules and timeline • Students usually need help in forming groups • Determine tools or choice of communication tools

38. Facilitating groups • Address “free rider” issue—combo of individual and group grade, peer review, monitoring (direct or indirect, e.g. group log) • Pick right number for activity • Pacing--allow sufficient time for each stage • Hybrid—use f2f time for formation, start and key points in project

39. More Ways to Stimulate Student Interest • Provide option for student-generated content, projects when possible—Web 2.0 tools make this easier than ever • Make a Web resource the focus of an assignment—new open ed resource options • Use guest speakers to advantage—synch and asynch, or f2f followed by or preceded by online • Provide real-world connection to content

40. Facilitating by guiding • Take time to frame importance or meaning of course elements • Use early diagnostic assignments • Make appropriate referrals to student support services, library, style guides, etc.

41. Facilitating by guiding • Have stock of resources that can assist different learners no matter what their level—don’t assume all students have necessary background • Make sure feedback indicates how to improve • Remind students about upcoming due dates—c’mon, it’s easy to lose track online

42. Beyond concept of “mere” facilitation—teaching! • Good faculty facilitate learning but are more than facilitators • Their enthusiasm engenders student enthusiasm—organization and preparation aid enthusiasm • Inspire & develop student critical faculties • Students appreciate faculty sharing their expertise

43. Questions? For further information, see Ko & Rossen, Teaching Online: A Practical Guide, 3rd edition (2010) available from Routledge