Online, In-person or Hybrid Class?

In today’s learning environment, classes may be in a variety of formats from traditional face-to-face to online classes. There are generally four different categories: Face-to-face, hybrid in class and online, online synchronous with zoom meetings, and online asynchronous. I have had a chance to teach in all 4 situations and they each have strengths and weaknesses. It is important to match the right method with the class goals. There is not one right answer. Just a few of my thoughts on the subject:

Some areas to consider is the level of the class, can the students work independently or will they need regular guidance on the lessons. In the design area, I find an advanced layout course might be more able to work without class time while a beginner class that is just learning the software will need more face time to follow the instructor and learn the lessons more in-depth for later application.

If the class has a good variety of online learning materials, which can be expected of an online course, it may also help in a hybrid course. There are times it might be beneficial to let the students work from home on some days and use online tools for learning different apps such as the mind-mapping discussed in an earlier posting. It is something they can download to their home computers, which might not be possible at school. This could allow the students to learn of tools they may use in later classes or work to improve their concept development skills. Then in a later classroom visit, discuss their experiences. For the online class a discussion board can allow them to share their experiences.

There are many factors for determining online, in-person or a hybrid approach which could be a book more than a blog post.

Do the students have the experience and knowledge to work on their own? Knowing your students helps here to gauge whether they will work on their own and meet deadlines.

Are the materials suitable for online in full or part? If there are a large amount of apps and digital resources, a hybrid or online aspect might work well.

Does the course need good immediate feedback for sharing ideas and concepts? Brainstorming creative concepts and sharing ideas requires people to be able to communicate real time, either in person or online at the same time.

Do the students have the tools to work at home? If they do not have the computers, software or tools, they may need to be in the classroom.

Is the class open to students from far away? This may limit it to synchronous or asynchronous online.

One requirement for synchronous learning online should be to require cameras and microphones to work. I find the students stay at the computer if they know the teacher can see them. Plus if they are visible with their fellow students, they know the class is watching the lesson and participating when they see the person talking.

Last thought for asynchronous online classes: Keep them online. Do not give a three week project and expect them to check in or work on it during the first two weeks. Break it down to weekly steps that must be turned in, then give feedback so they know you see them participating each week. This can be through discussion participation or feedback on what they turned in. A student will not be as invested in a class if they think the teacher does not know if they are doing something.

This is a long post, that only breaks the surface of the topic, but I am happy to discuss in-depth course design for any of the situations.