Institute/Session Summary:

For many students a hybrid class is like 2 separate classes, creating twice the amount of work.  For faculty, tracking what happens face to face and what happens online may be a nightmare.  Although much is written about hybrid courses, little attention has focused on the pedagogical design for an effective, cohesive unity of the whole. Most of the attention is on designing the online piece as an add on to the face to face experience.

This session will focus on the design for the learning process in the whole experience and how students, tutors, faculty move from one learning environment to another. Participants will be guided through a planning process which will help weave the seemingly disparate parts of the course into one, coherent whole, which is trackable by both faculty and students.

Participants will see samples of hybrid courses as well as learn the difference between a web enhanced course and a hybrid course.  The definition of a hybrid course will take into account legal definitions from state departments of education, union concerns and issues, as well as academic issues.

The major part of the time will be spent in creating customized hybrid courses and trainings. Participants are encouraged to bring their own syllabi and/or materials, so that they can work on their own course. They will use a checklist to choose components for their hybrid course. Then using the planning matrix, they will weave together the various pieces and map out both parts of the course into a cohesive whole. This will be done both individually and  collaboratively. Groups will be  organized by subject matter and interest. The institute outcome of well planned and well crafted hybrid courses will be shared with the whole group.

Finally, participants will be encouraged to continue to Part II, where they actually create the online portion of their class.  Part II may happen on their own campus or at TIDE – Technology Insitute for Developmental Educators, a summer institute at Texas State, San Marcos, Texas.

The learning outcomes for the institute:

• Participants will distinguish between web enhanced courses and hybrid courses.
• Participants will be able to define the term “hybrid class”, taking into account state requirements, union requirements, and academic requirements.
• Participants will use a hybrid class planning matrix handout to create their own course.
• Participants will share their hybrid course design with the whole group, contributing to overall picture of the wide variety of hybrid courses.
  

This interactive project-based institute will include computer examples of hybrid courses as well has print handouts, which include both hybrid course planning documents and a one week completed matrix, demonstrating the weaving together process for a developmental reading class.  These original handouts, created and designed by the presenter, will be used as working documents during the session. Each participant will also receive a CD with the computer examples and copies of the handouts for future reference.