hybrid classes
I haven't noticed too many hybrid classes (involving both online and in-class learning/participation). Is this something that is common and if so do certain classes/topics lend themselves better to a hybrid approach? Could someone provide an example and explanation of what this would look like?
Many of these classes will be your lab classes. The class will meet for lecture one day and other scheduled class time will meet online. It is a nice set up for technology classes.
My Introduction to Anthropology class has included several field trips which are an important part of the course, being that they are truly multi-sensory learning. I plan to also require these field trips for my on-line students. Students should be able to fit into their schedules, the visits to the various locales and complete the assignments connected to them. We would not have to meet as a group for any of these experiences because all of them involve interactive exhibits and are available most or all days of the week.
I love virtual field trips along with true field trips. A class is a class whether face to face or online.
I think there are some courses that can be highly beneficial being taught as hybrid. An example is an ICD 9 cm coding class. Students learn to code from the book and apply their knowlege to coding reports. On some days this class can meet at a medical facility and review actual records with different physician hand writting.
At the ground campus, we call it blended classes. It provides the student who may not be able to attend class at some time during the quarter (for whatever reason, out of town, illness, death-in-the-family,etc.) an opportunity to respond to questions in the classroom setting that arose during the class; upload assignments (homework) for grading; review the leacture notes and/or power point slides used for that session; interact with students in class through discussion boards; and just a similar modality as Online but not as specific.
Sarah, you may be interested in this US Dept of Education meta-analysis study on the effectiveness of online/blended learning as compared to the traditional classroom. The conclusion was when used by itself, online learning appears to be as effective as conventional classroom instruction, but not more so. While many of the studies demonstrated an advantage for blended learning, the online and classroom conditions differed in terms of time spent, curriculum and pedagogy. Also, analysts noted that these blended conditions often included additional learning time and instructional elements not received by students in control conditions. This finding suggests that blended learning should not be attributed to the media, per se.
U.S. Department of Education Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development,
Policy and Program Studies Service, (2010), Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf
