Building Learning Communities with Hybrid Courses

NMC Online Conference on Social ComputingNovember 2004Robert Kaleta and Alan Aycock

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Session Presenters

Bob Kaleta

Alan Aycock

Session Overview1. Hybrid definition and description

2. Social interaction in hybrid courses

3. Role of asynchronous discussion forums

4. Hybrid assignment demonstration

5. Pedagogical advantages

6. Lessons learned

Hybrid Course DescriptionDefinition

• Partially online courses where significant portions of the course learning activities are online and face-to-face classroom time has been reduced.

• Partially online

• Partially face-to-face

Hybrid Course DescriptionTerminology

• Hybrid• Blended

Opportunity• Hybrid courses provide an opportunity to

combine the best elements of face-to-face instruction with the best aspects of distance education

Basic Hybrid DescriptionStudents

• Spend more time working individually and collaboratively on assignments, projects, and activities

Faculty • Spend less time lecturing and more time

reviewing and evaluating student work and guiding and interacting with students

Hybrid Courses & Community

Initial concerns of faculty• Fewer face-to-face meetings

• Less social interaction with students• Will not know students as well• Will not feel connected to students• Will have less discussion

• Less social interaction between students

Hybrid Courses & CommunityHybrid course outcomes

• More interaction with students• Greater student participation in discussion

• Online and in class

• Know students better• Academically and personally

• Feel more connected to students

• More interaction between students

Hybrid Courses & CommunityWhy is there greater social interaction?

• More opportunities for interaction• Asynchronous discussion forums• Face-to-face discussion• Small group work

• Online• Face-to-face

• E-mail• Online chat

Hybrid Courses & CommunityCourse redesign is critical

• Must build-in opportunities for interaction

• Must provide guidance and parameters

• Must incorporate in assessment plan

• Must integrate with face-to-face component

Asynchronous Discussion Forums• Most common online activity in courses

• Stable technology that is easy to use

• Permanent threaded record of submissions and interaction

• Removes or reduces problems with group work

• Reduces many social and cultural factors that inhibit face-to-face discussion

Hybrid Course Assignment

Anthropology of Religion• Senior-level course• 20-25 students• 1/3 Online• 2/3 face-to-face

Hybrid Assignment Design“Closing the loop”

• Rehearsal

• Reflection

• Sharing

• Responding

• Debriefing

Pedagogical AdvantagesStudents must participate

Students address one another directly

Threads allow complex issues to be systematically discussed and reviewed

Time for students to reflect

Stimulates in-class discussion

Hybrid Courses & CommunityAsynchronous discussion forums

• Lessons learned • Frame the discussion

• Identify the instructor’s voice

• Keep the conversation going

• Assess learning outcomes and learning process

• Integrate with face-to-face component

Contact InformationLearning Technology CenterUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

LTC@uwm.edu

414 229-4319

Alan Aycockaycock@uwm.edu

Robert Kaletakaleta@uwm.edu