The document provides guidance for faculty and staff on teaching in online and hybrid learning environments. It offers 5 tips for creating an online community, ensuring accessibility of course materials, engaging students, helping students succeed, and setting up the classroom environment early. It also discusses strategies for active and collaborative learning using tools like Zoom, polling, think-pair-share activities, and Google Suite. The goal is to welcome all learners and keep them engaged through a flexible approach that considers different learning styles.
The document provides guidance for faculty and staff on teaching in online and hybrid learning environments. It offers 5 tips for creating an online community, ensuring accessibility of course materials, engaging students, helping students succeed, and setting up the classroom environment early. It also discusses strategies for active and collaborative learning using tools like Zoom, polling, think-pair-share activities, and Google Suite. The goal is to welcome all learners and keep them engaged through a flexible approach that considers different learning styles.
The document provides guidance for faculty and staff on teaching in online and hybrid learning environments. It offers 5 tips for creating an online community, ensuring accessibility of course materials, engaging students, helping students succeed, and setting up the classroom environment early. It also discusses strategies for active and collaborative learning using tools like Zoom, polling, think-pair-share activities, and Google Suite. The goal is to welcome all learners and keep them engaged through a flexible approach that considers different learning styles.
The document provides guidance for faculty and staff on teaching in online and hybrid learning environments. It offers 5 tips for creating an online community, ensuring accessibility of course materials, engaging students, helping students succeed, and setting up the classroom environment early. It also discusses strategies for active and collaborative learning using tools like Zoom, polling, think-pair-share activities, and Google Suite. The goal is to welcome all learners and keep them engaged through a flexible approach that considers different learning styles.
GUIDE Welcoming Learners to an Online/Hybrid Learning Environment Breakdown of Online/Hybrid Learning
Teaching online courses is a combined mixture of in-person and online experiences that revolve around flexibility and accessibility. The pandemic pushed many educators out of their comfort system to explore online learning. Here’s five tips that can serve as inspiration to instructors:
1. Create Community for all
Make it a priority to welcome all learners prior to the beginning of the term and choosing to be engaged on camera for the remote learners feel seen and heard. A great example of this would be to use icebreakers for students and instructors to get to know one another. Interactive icebreakers would be better especially when using platforms such as Zoom. The tone must be set in the beginning by establishing guidelines and expectations that the instructor and remote learners agree to.
2. Accessibility
The materials used will need to be uploaded to the educational platform along with where you would post the syllabus for all students to have access to. The benefit of having made everything accessible is that students will not have any issues or disruption with accessing the materials needed to be successful in the course. Don’t be afraid to use instructional technology from a previous year. The goal is to use what will work best for the instructor and the remote learners. The platform needs to be user friendly and offer technology support.
Course materials should be versatile to keep students engaged throughout the term. Some examples would include modules, instructional videos, discussion prompts, individual assignments, group assignments, etc. All course materials should be created with the remote learner in mind and be made accessible for all students. Class recordings are a great asset to be incorporated to online learning environment because the student can go back and watch the recording at any point during the term. Zoom, when used makes it easy to record sessions and provide accessible links afterwards.
3. Engagement
When creating assignments/modules, plan out each to be shared for remote and in-person environments so that you can easily shift to the information needed, if you course delivery needed to shift or if you had to offer both during the same term. When speaking about instructions and expectations, present the information in a way that each student fully understands mission of the course.
For presentations, choose tools and activities that will support your teaching style, along with collaborate with the overall mission of the course. Keep student engagement at the forefront of your mind. Opportunities should be implemented for students to easily engage and to increase their knowledge of the topic being taught. Recognize that all students learn differently, so don’t be afraid to create time for questions to be asked and for students to chat amongst themselves via
1 the chat. A small group being created on the digital platform of your choosing is a great way of creating opportunities for students to engage with their peers online.
4. Help students succeed
Students need access to resources and the most important resource is the instructor. Communication is key and an opportunity to eliminate confusion about course expectations and guidelines. Share openly your teaching style and what your role is to the student. Hosting virtual office hours will accommodate remote learners and it would be ideal to have set hours share at the beginning of each term. Assess the needs of your students from end of the term survey and don’t be afraid to check in with your students during the term to open the lines of communication.
5. Know your classroom environment well and set-up early
It’s so important to test out all platforms that you plan to use and introduce your remote learners to. Keep in mind that this may be an adjustment for some, so not all will be aware of how certain platforms work. Taking the time out to familiarize yourself and the students through recordings will be a big help.
Test the sound and ensure that the location selected gives you the best connection for students to hear and see what is going on in the virtual learning environment. Leave room for flexibility in some cases where you know technology issues may present an issue. Post the contact information for technology support on the platform where students will access modules/assignments. Always arrive early and prepare to stay a few minutes after the course ends to answer any questions.
Strategies for Active Learning in Online Environments
According to Bonwell and Eison, active learning strategies involve students doing things and thinking about what they are doing. This framework can assist instructors on having a better understanding of how students:
1. Encounter (new) information and ideas
2. Engage with information and ideas 3. Reflect on their learning
Online Tools for Active Learners
1. Zoom a. Share screen b. Breakout Rooms c. Polling d. Nonverbal Feedback 2. Poll Everywhere 3. Google (docs, sheets, slides)
2 Active Learning Strategies
Strategy 1: Polling Strategy 2: Think-Pair Share Strategy 3: Minute Paper Strategy 4: Small Group Discussions Strategy 5: Short Student Presentations
Collaborative Learning
Collaborative learning is a type of active learning that involves several students working together and sharing the workload. Research has shown that there’s a positive correlation between collaborative learning experiences and students’ learning outcome achievements. Some of the collaborative activities are designed for student to complete during instruction. In a virtual learning environment, an online discuss board would suffice.
This is a wonderful way to increase engagement for your students enrolled in a virtual learning environment. One of the end goals is that this will help foster a supportive community and help students take part in the overall teaching/learning experience.
Strategies for Effective Collaborative Learning
1. Foster an inclusive environment
2. Intentionally design and plan for collaborative learning 3. Communicate the purpose and expectations 4. Partner with students 5. Engage specific technologies to facilitate the collaborative learning
Tools to facilitate Collaborative Learning
1. Google Suite 2. Google Docs 3. Google Slides 4. Google Jamboard 5. Course Works
3 References
Barkley, E.F., Major, C.H., & Cross, K.P. (2014). Collaborative learning techniques: A handbook for college faculty, second edition. Jossey-Bass.
Beatty, B. (2020). Can HyFlex Options Support Students in the Midst of
Uncertainty? EDUCAUSE Review.
Beatty, B. (2019). Hybrid-Flexible Course Design: Implementing student-directed hybrid classes
(1st ed.). EdTech Books. Retrieved from https://edtechbooks.org/hyflex
Bonwell, C.C. & Eison, J.A. (1991). Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report 1. Washington, D.C.: George Washington University.
Educause Learning Initiative. (2020). ELI 7 Things You Should Know About… The HyFlex Course Model. EDUCAUSE.
Gannon, K. (2020). Our HyFlex Experiment: What’s Worked and What Hasn’t. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Harbin, M.B. (2020). Collaborative note-taking: A tool for creating a more inclusive college classroom. College Teaching 68(4), 214-220.
Kelly, K. (2021). COVID-19 Planning for Spring 2021: What We Learned About Hybrid Flexible Courses in Fall 2020. PilonEdTech.
