Hybrid Courses: An Overview

Michael W. Lindeman Illinois Online Network

Copyright© 1998-2004, Illinois Online Network and the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Introduction

“Hybrid Courses are the single greatest unrecognized trend in higher education today"

Graham B. Spanier, president of Pennsylvania State University

What is a hybrid course?

“Hybrid courses are courses in which a significant portion of the learning activities have been moved online, and time traditionally spent in the classroom is reduced but not eliminated” (Garnham & Kaleta, 2002) “Half ‘bricks’ and Half ‘clicks’” (Bleed, 2001)

What is NOT a hybrid course?

 A traditional “Distance Education” course with no F2F component.

 A traditional F2F course that simply uses a Web site or other Web technologies, without reducing seat time. (Blended Learning)

Goals of a hybrid course?

 An attempt to combine the best elements of traditional face-to-face instruction with the best aspects of distance education. (Preparing to Teach Hybrid Courses, 2003)  Promote independent learning  Alleviate a shortage of classrooms

What does a Hybrid course look like?

    Small to large classes (15 to 200 students) Wide variety of disciplines Various educational levels (High school to graduate) Traditional college age students and older adult students

What does a Hybrid course look like?

 a reduction of class time  eliminate one class meeting a week  shorten class time  meet for several weeks, don’t meet for several weeks (Spilka, 2002)  90% - 10% rule (Brown, 2001)

What does a Hybrid course look like?

 Online activities  case studies, tutorials, self-testing exercises, simulations, and online group collaborations, information transfer, exchange of ideas, testing, essay-writing.  Use of "entrance tickets," i.e., handing in assignments to gain permission to attend an in-person class, was popular. (Garnham & Kaleta, 2002)  An introductory statistics course at Ohio State University is developing a hybrid course with a "buffet" style -- a choice of classroom or virtual activities. (Young, 2002)

What does a Hybrid course look like?

 wide variation in technologies used  e-mail  cd-roms  Webliographies  internet resources  chats bulletin boards  file sharing  Simulations  self-testing and automatically graded quizzes

Who is using Hybrid Courses?

      

Brigham Young University:

English Composition Fairfield University: Biology

Indiana University- Perdue University at Indianapolis

(IUPUI): Introduction to Sociology

Penn State University:

Elementary Statistics Rio Salado College (Maricopa Community College District): Introductory Algebra

University at Buffalo (SUNY):

Computer Literacy

University of Central Florida:

American National Government       

University of Colorado-

Boulder: Introductory Astronomy

University of Illinois at

Urbana-Champaign: Economics Statistics

University of Southern Maine:

Introductory Psychology

University of Southern

Mississippi: World Literature

University of Tennessee:

Spanish

University of Wisconsin-

Madison: General Chemistry Virginia Tech: Linear Algebra

Examples of Hybrid Courses

 Hybrid Course Samples at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/LTC/hybrid-course samples.html

Designing Hybrid Courses

 “table of comparative advantage” technique encourages us to place the right activities in their most appropriate environments. (Brown, 2001)

What you need to know to design a Hybrid course

 How to facilitate & manage online interaction  How to assess students’ online work  How to integrate online and face-to face teaching  How to use the technology  That you must get started

early

 Redesign requires more time than you anticipate!!!

(from Preparing to Teach Hybrid Courses, 2003)

Advantages of Hybrid courses

 Increased Learning  Fosters independent learning  Interaction  Flexibility  Convenience  Increased Instructor satisfaction

Caveats of Hybrid Courses

 Requires more time and resources to develop than traditional courses  Requires specific technology skills, both of student and instructor  Requires self-motivation of students  Instructors experience a “loss of power”

Key factors that lead to success

 Faculty development for design of blended programs  Both Technology and instructional support  Student preparation for success in learning in blended programs (Voos, 2003)

The Future

 "Within five years, you'll see a very significant number of classes that are available in a hybrid fashion," says John R. Bourne, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering who is editor of the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks. "I would guess that somewhere in the 80- to 90-percent range of classes could sometime become hybrid." (Young, 2002)

The Future

 "It seems to have been an all or nothing at many schools -- all online or all in person," says Mr. Cummins, who helped design and teach an online course last semester as part of the new effort. "I think we're in a transition in trying to redefine the delivery of courses." (Young, 2002)

Resources

 Center for Distributed Learning of the University of Central Florida  Learning Technology Center of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

Bibliography

Bleed, R. (2001). A Hybrid Campus for a New Millennium. EDUCAUSE Review, 36(1), 5.

Brown, D. G. (2001). Hybrid Courses are Best. Syllabus: New Dimensions in Education Technology, 15(1), 1.

Garnham, C., & Kaleta, R. (2002). Introduction to Hybrid Courses. Teaching with Technology Today, 8(6), 5.

Johnson, J. J. (2002). Reflections on Teaching a Large Enrollment Course Using a Hybrid Format. Teaching with Technology Today, 8(9), 9.

Lago, M. E. (2000). The Hybrid Experience: How Sweet It Is! Retrieved 04/23/03, 2003, from the World Wide Web: http://www.convergemag.com/Publications/CNVGNov00/hybrid/index.shtm

Preparing to Teach Hybrid Courses (2003). [PowerPoint Presentation]. Learning Technology Center: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Retrieved 04/21/2003, 2003, from the World Wide Web: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/LTC/UW-CollegesHybridFoxValley.ppt

Sands, P. (2002). Inside Outside, Upside Downside: Strategies for Connecting Online and Face-to-Face Instruction in Hybrid Courses. Teaching with Technology Today,, 8(6), 6.

Spilka, R. (2002). Approximately "Real World" Learning with the Hybrid Model. Teaching with Technology Today, 8(6), 4.

Voos, R. (2003). Blended Learning - What is it and where might it take us? Sloan-C View, 2(1), 3.

Young, J. R. (2002, March 22, 2002). 'Hybrid' Teaching Seeks to End the Divide Between Traditional and Online Instruction. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved April 14, 2003, 2003, from the World Wide Web: http://chronicle.com/cgi2 bin/printable.cgi?article=http://chronicle.com/free/v48/i28/28a03301.htm