Author: Dr. Sarah Learman, Teaching and Learning Consultant, Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support
Differentiating between CMU’s now official modality types (as approved by the Academic Senate1) has proven confusing for students and faculty alike. Here, we’d like to clarify the different modality definitions and help you apply this understanding to your own course design and delivery. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at each modality (as defined at CMU1), discuss how courses taught in each modality may look, and provide resources as you prepare for your next course offering.
While instructional modalities and how we deliver our content may vary, the quality of the learning experience should not. Although courses offered in different formats will look different, they should be equally as engaging and rigorous so that students enrolling in a course offered through any modality will get a consistently high-quality experience. Of course, as in every CMU course, in any modality, students are still expected to engage with and complete their coursework as directed by their instructor.
Defining your modality:
“Face-to-face courses meet in a CMU approved location with required specific meeting days, times, and location as noted in the course registration system. Internet-based and other technology may be used to enhance instruction in and outside of class. Proctored or monitored exams may be required.” 1
(1Definitions were developed by the Academic Senate’s Course Modality Definition Committee, a sub-committee of the CMU Academic Senate, and were approved on 12/7/21).
Many courses are appropriate for delivery in several modalities with appropriate course design; however, the face-to-face modality is especially effective for:
- Intensive (degree/major-required) courses with a lab or strong hands-on requirement.
- Objectives that include or are best supported by collaboration and group work that is most effectively executed in close physical proximity.
- Large classes where providing regular and quick feedback to every student would be challenging.
Defining the definition: When courses are offered “face-to-face” students and instructors are expected to meet, in person, at the assigned times in the assigned classrooms to engage in course-related activities. In other words, a predominant mode of engagement between faculty and students takes place, in real-time, in the same physical space. What occurs during in-person meetings and how instructors facilitate interactions between students and their content is at the instructor’s discretion (or other pre-specified criteria). For example, the classroom learning experience may include group work, full class discussions, instructor-delivered content, individualized activities, or another strategy. There are countless opportunities as to how your face-to-face course can look.
While the in-person/in-classroom component is a predominant element of face-to-face courses, it does not have to be the only component. As before the pandemic, it is still perfectly reasonable for a face-to-face course to include components expected to occur outside of the classroom space, such as homework assignments, pre-class readings, or other coursework. The format that such coursework is carried out may be textbook based (either on or offline), utilize pre-recorded videos, require collaborative interactions or community engagement, and anything in between. Likewise, just because a course includes in-person elements, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be flipped or incorporate active learning elements, where students navigate assigned content prior to the class meeting in preparation for a more interactive, application-based exercise occurring during class time, while everyone is “face-to-face”.
As with other course components, how assessments in a face-to-face course are administered varies based on instructor preference, discipline, or other specified criteria. Again, as was the case before the pandemic, just because a course is face-to-face, does not mean that assessments, such as projects, papers, or even exams, cannot take place at home, outside of “official” class time, or during class time either remotely (via Blackboard) or in person with paper/pencil or utilizing digital technologies in the classroom. From a follow-up application activity after class ends to a midterm exam, all these methods for assessing learning, when applied appropriately, can be useful during and outside of face-to-face class sessions.
Considerations as you prepare to teach your face-to-face course:
- Stick to your modality. Design your course so that it clearly aligns with the face-to-face modality parameters. While it may be tempting to bend modality elements based on our experiences or assumed student preferences, adhering to the approved definitions will offer a more consistent experience for our students across their courses and will greatly enhance their overall learning experience at CMU.
- Leverage design elements across course modalities. Applying the principles of learner centered, backward design and other instructional design models are a great place to start, as robust course design prepares instructors for effective teaching in essentially any delivery mode. Such evidence-supported strategies, along with instructor preference, and other contributors, can effectively inform how your course will be structured physically and logistically. For example, to maximize efficiency, instead of relying on paper-based assignments collected and graded in person, utilize Blackboard to assign, collect, and grade student work. This allows students to have a consistent way to submit assignments, view grades, and access course materials. Plus, once built into Blackboard, course materials can easily be copied over into any teaching shell, saving you time on future course prep.
- Outsource building in Blackboard. Instead of spending time doing the tedious legwork of clicking and building content into your Blackboard shell, take advantage of the various support services offered through CIS’ CoursePro team. Such services include copying content between shells, building/deploying assessments and rubrics, enhancing visual aesthetics and presentation of materials within the shell, verifying accessibility, and more. With advance notice, CIS staff can even carry out a Blackboard Review or proofread your course shell and offer recommendations to enhance, streamline, and support effective and efficient delivery of your content. Watch this short video to learn more about the CIS CoursePro Services (6:13). For help with all things Blackboard, submit a CoursePro ticket.
Resources to support these endeavors: in addition to those resources linked above, you might also consider these.
- Want individualized support on your upcoming course design (in any modality!)? Email us, request a consultation, or sign up for our TL Pro services. For help building assignments or any content into Blackboard, submit a CoursePro ticket.
- For further reading, check out two of our most recent articles Falling Back Into Our Classrooms: Expectations are the Antidote and Falling Back Into Our Classrooms: Practical Applications to Start Moving Forward. These articles discuss expectations as an effective means to enhance your classroom teaching experience and offer more practical application steps to support your course prep (including the value of building flexibility into your course).
Be sure to check back next week; we’ll continue this conversation, applying the same considerations as we focus on the Online Asynchronous teaching modality. Want help with something else? Email us today!
For modality comparisons, see the key factors below: Senate Definition, Class Meetings, Best for courses that…, Benefits, and Challenges.
| Modality | Key Factor: Senate Definition |
|---|---|
| Face to Face | Face-to-face courses meet in a CMU approved location with required specific meeting days, times, and location as noted in the course registration system. Internet-based and other technology may be used to enhance instruction in and outside of class. Proctored or monitored exams may be required. |
| Online Asynchronous | Online Asynchronous courses are completely online with no required meeting days and times, but may offer optional synchronous meetings. All formalized instruction and coursework are completed online. Students will complete assignments by established deadlines. Proctored or monitored exams may be required. |
| Online Synchronous | Online Synchronous courses are completely online with required specific meeting days and times where students are expected to be actively engaged in a virtual setting. All formalized instruction and coursework are completed online. Proctored or monitored exams may be required. |
| Hybrid | Hybrid courses have required specific meeting days and times outlined in the course registration system and require face-to-face class sessions in a CMU approved location while other required class sessions can be a mixture of synchronous online meetings and asynchronous online activity. Instructors will determine which class sessions will be held in which modality within the specified course day and time range and these will be announced in the course syllabus. Proctored or monitored exams may be required. |
| HyFlex | HyFlex courses meet on specific days and times simultaneously face-to-face and synchronously online. Course meeting dates, times, and location(s) are noted in the course registration system, and face-to-face meetings occur in a CMU approved location. Students can change their mode of attendance freely according to their need or preference. At the instructor’s discretion, access to course content may be available online asynchronously. Proctored or monitored exams may be required. |
| Modality | Key Factor: Class Meetings |
|---|---|
| Face to Face | In-person |
| Online Asynchronous | None |
| Online Synchronous | Online via web meeting platform |
| Hybrid | In-person, with the option to use asynchronous activities or online synchronous meetings in lieu of some in-person meetings as identified in the syllabus |
| HyFlex | In-person and online simultaneously |
| Modality | Key Factor: Best for Courses that… |
|---|---|
| Face to Face | Courses (typically major/minor) with a lab or strong hands-on requirement
Objectives that include or are supported by collaboration and group work, most effectively executed in close physical proximity Large classes where providing regular and quick feedback to every student would be challenging |
| Online Asynchronous | Courses that require independent critical thought where additional processing time would be of benefit to the student
Courses in programs where students are known to value flexibility Courses that generally include many objective assessments that can be automatically graded Students with strong independence, and self-directed learning skills |
| Online Synchronous | Large classes where providing regular and quick feedback to every student would be challenging
Classes that have interaction but not hands-on or lab components Classes that are primarily focused on direct instruction with the added benefit of flexibility to students Courses in programs where students are known to value flexibility with real-time communication and instruction. |
| Hybrid | Classes that incorporate independent work and interactive, hands-on, or lab components.
Classes with in-depth projects or tasks and where both interaction and additional processing time would be useful. Students with strong independence, and self-directed learning skills. |
| HyFlex | Classes with interactions that may effectively take place in-person or remotely
Classes that largely focus on direct instruction with the added benefit of flexibility to students Courses in programs with online options, or significant enrollment of off-campus students |
| Modality | Key Factor: Benefits |
|---|---|
| Face to Face | Real-time communication and instruction with easy integration of hands-on learning and interaction |
| Online Asynchronous | Promotes independent learning
Most flexible schedule & location |
| Online Synchronous | Allows students flexibility of location with real-time communication and instruction |
| Hybrid | Blend of independent learning and real-time interaction; driven by most effective method to deliver specific content |
| HyFlex | Allows students flexibility of location with real-time communication and instruction |
| Modality | Key Factor: Challenges |
|---|---|
| Face to Face | Limited flexibility for students limiting inclusivity |
| Online Asynchronous | Limited or no real-time communication
Requires thoughtful planning of content delivery, instructions and quick feedback |
| Online Synchronous | Technical challenges of streaming
Intentional planning of interaction (prepare materials, directions, groups, etc.) |
| Hybrid | Requires thoughtful planning, with clear integration and communication of scheduled online and in-person components |
| HyFlex | Technical challenges of streaming and ensuring engagement of all students
Intentional planning of interaction and content delivery to ensure equal access for all participants |