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Structures to Support Hybrid Learning
What structures should be in place to support both students and faculty in a hybrid approach? Garcia and Weiss (2020) reported that pandemic-relevant research regarding online learning has demonstrated that success in online education is effective only if two conditions are met. First, students must have consistent access to the internet and computers. Second, educators must have recent, targeted training and support for online instruction. 4 Addressing these issues likely requires policy makers and administrators to prioritize these issues to improve the online portion of hybrid learning. Perhaps the most critical factor in developing a hybrid approach to teaching and learning is to plan activities that encourage student engagement. The emphasis on student engagement in the classroom as a means of improving student outcomes has been considered best practice for more than a decade. However, it is important to also structure the online learning component of the hybrid approach to encourage student engagement as well. A long-time leader in online education and a winner of the Sloan Consortium’s Award for Excellence in Online Teaching, Bill Pelz, has suggested the following three principles to improve student engagement in online learning:
The key to improving student engagement in online learning
1. Let the students do (most of) the work 2. Interaction is critical 3. Strive for presence (Hanover Research Council on Online Teaching, 2009 5 )
Let’s consider how to put these three principles into action. First, letting students do most of the work does not mean that the instructor gives students an assignment online and then sits back and waits to see what they produce. Students learn more when they are interacting with the material in a meaningful way. This requires the instructor to be thoughtful in crafting objectives and assignments that require students to comprehend the material and apply it in the context of what they are learning. Even when the online component delivers required knowledge via faculty videos or text, the instructor must require students to do something with the material presented. In the Hanover Research Council on Online Teaching report (2009), projects that will require students to actively do something with the content may include activities where students: § Lead discussions § Find and discuss web resources § Help others learn (peer assistance) § Grade their own assignments § Analyze case studies 6 The instructor’s role doesn’t end with presenting the assignment. Rather, the instructor must be in contact with students, providing assistance throughout the process. Timely, constructive, actionable feedback is part of this support. Students are more likely to be engaged if they see the value in what they are doing. The instructor’s role is to (1) develop learning objectives clearly related to their career goals and (2) interact with the students to help them see how accomplishing the objective is necessary for their future (Wood, Barry, 2020) 7 .
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