The Challenge of Hybrid Teaching

Synchronous hybrid courses, where some students participate in person on-site and others via distance learning, are challenging for both instructors and students. Instructors must lead both a physical and a virtual classroom at the same time and design learning activities in which students can participate either in person or virtually (Binnewies & Wang, 2019). Often, both categories of students feel neglected despite an instructor’s best efforts to accommodate both groups. Here are some recommendations for maximizing the learning experience for all participants in hybrid courses.

ITACS maintains a Hybrid Instruction "How To" wiki with information about our hybrid classrooms and general best practices. (Requires NPS login)

Plan the Course for Online Students First

Instead of planning a course first for on-site students, then considering how online students could participate, begin by planning activities and assignments for online students. Because on-site students will be able to participate in most activities designed for online learning, this will ease the workload required to design and conduct the course and help online students feel recognized and included as full participants (Beatty, 2019).

Emphasize Active and Interactive Learning

While readings and lectures can effectively deliver content, incorporating active learning strategies such as problem-based learning, simulations, student research and presentations, debates, and multimedia discussions increase engagement and facilitate deeper learning for students both in the classroom and online (Heliporn et al., 2021).

The benefits of a blended environment will only be realized when multiple engagement opportunities afforded by the two contexts are developed to present students with a range of different experiences, individually and collaboratively. A critical aspect of this development is the integration of the online and classroom components. (Jeffrey et al., 2014)

Following the principles of active learning and planning for online first, take advantage of educational technology to create content and activities that on-site and online students can access simultaneously (McMurtrie, 2020). Consider these options:

• Give all students a chance to see each other’s faces. Introduce yourself with a short video on the course’s Sakai site and ask your students to do the same.
• Use Microsoft Forms for real-time knowledge checks and polls during class.
• Record short (5-10 minute) microlectures or lightboard videos to view before class or for exam reviews.
• Use a virtual whiteboard for you and your students to solve equations, draw diagrams, etc.
• Pair up online and onsite students for discussions using breakout rooms in Zoom or Teams.
• If students are required to answer questions in class, make a point of calling on both online and on-site participants during each session.
• Encourage all students to use online chat during class sessions. Check chat frequently or assign a student to monitor for questions.
• Mix online and on-site students on Zoom or Teams for group projects.
• Using the Forums tool in Sakai, require both on-site and online students to participate in asynchronous online discussions. Use these forums instead of in-class discussions for the participation component of a course grade.
• Adopt a flipped classroom approach. Record video lectures for students to view outside of class, then use scheduled class time for interactive learning.
• Request a FLEx Space classroom equipped with multiple cameras, microphones, and monitors.

Provide Equal Opportunities for Advice and Consultation

Reserve some portion of office hours exclusively for online meetings and make it clear that students who attend classes on-site can schedule virtual consultations at those times.  If most online students are based in a single time zone other than Pacific Time, consider scheduling online office hours at times likely to be convenient for those students.

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome

The attitude that instructors and students bring to a hybrid classroom is just as important as the technology used inside it (Bower et al., 2015). In the first class session, acknowledge that hybrid courses are challenging for everyone involved and ask students for their help to make the course a collaborative success.

If you want to keep your students engaged in a synchronous class, you must change the view on the screen that they are looking at approximately every 5-10 minutes. This means that you cannot just put the camera on yourself for 1, 2 or 3 hours and talk away, or just keep the view on the slides for the entire class, either. They will drift off as their attention wanders. You can actually choregraph the class following this 5-10 minute rule.

• Start the class with the camera on you.
  • Describe what you are going to cover that day, etc.
• When you are done with the intro part and are ready to teach, change the view from yourself to the slides.
  • Keep it on the slides until you get to a slide that requires more explanation or expounding upon, and then change it back to you.
  • When you are done, go back to the slides.
  • This will ensure a constant view change for your students and keep them more engaged throughout the class.
  • Rinse and repeat throughout the lecture.
• When you are going to ask a question to the class, prompt them that you are doing so.
  • You can say something like, “Okay, I have a question and I am looking for an answer from someone here.” This prompts them that a question is forthcoming, and they get their mute buttons close to them in case they choose to unmute to answer the impending question – this ensures only a short delay from your question to an answer.
  • If you do not do so, then there is a significant delay from when you ask the question, then they realize that a question was asked, and then they adjust the switchology to unmute, and it will take an additional 10 seconds to actually get answer, as a minimum.
  • Prompting them ahead ensures a smoother flow during the class.

1. Either the faculty member OR another person designated by the faculty will operate the AV/IT in the classroom.
2. To mitigate risks, faculty members should pre-coordinate with their designees to review the procedures, practice with the systems in the classroom, and contact ITACS with questions and issues prior to the start of class when possible.
3. Faculty member or designee must use the PC in the lectern and join the Zoom or Teams session (scheduled by the faculty member). DO NOT connect laptops or other mobile devices to the lectern for this effort.
4. If students need to share their screens or their apps for others to view, they would do it using their own laptops through normal Zoom or Teams sharing functions.
5. Students with a mobile device or laptop in the classroom will need to keep their microphones and speakers muted to prevent feedback in the Zoom or Teams sessions.
6. The faculty member/designee should be prepared to repeat questions from resident students, particularly for larger classrooms.
7. If a problem arises during a classroom session, call 831-656-6911 and provide a name and call back number to whoever answers the call (note: the 831-656-6911 number has no caller ID).
8. For advanced support prior to the start of a class, the faculty member should submit a regular ticket to the ITACS Help Desk (TAC) or call x1046.