Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support Blog

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:

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.

 

(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 hybrid modality is especially effective for:

 

• 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.

 

Defining the definition: Hybrid courses build upon face-to-face and both online modalities (see our previous blog articles for these modalities), offering unique benefits such as increased versatility in where the class can meet and how content can be delivered. Specifically, hybrid courses require real-time class meetings, taking place on university scheduled dates and times in a pre-assigned CMU classroom. In addition to the required face-to-face sessions, some hybrid class meetings may take place virtually (through a remote synchronous interface, such as Webex or MS Teams). A third element of hybrid courses is the opportunity for instructors to incorporate asynchronous learning activities in lieu of scheduled class meetings. Such asynchronous components are delivered online, with the expectation that students will engage with, or complete assigned work instead of meeting for a specified live session. Of course, like all modalities, students in hybrid courses are expected to complete all assigned work (during or outside-of-class sessions) as directed by the instructor. The most important differentiator between hybrid courses and other modalities is in how class sessions are to be delivered: primarily in-person, with opportunities to hold online synchronous sessions or through asynchronous learning exercises.

 

Within the context of the hybrid course modality, assessment design can vary based on instructor preference, discipline, or other specified criteria. From a follow-up application activity to a large-scale project or a midterm exam, when applied appropriately, many assessment methods can be useful to measure learning in hybrid courses. That said, formal assessments, such as tests and exams may be administered just as hybrid content might be delivered: during required in person sessions, virtually, or even in-person remotely at pre-determined locations within pre-assigned timeframes (e.g., proctored or monitored through an official, CMU-approved method, like at our Certified Testing Center or one of our satellite campuses).

 

The many moving parts of the hybrid format, including variation in class meeting format, attendance, and engagement expectations can often confuse students. As such, for hybrid courses to be successful, it is imperative for the instructor to plan the delivery mode for each class meeting well in advance. It is also necessary to communicate these expectations to the students clearly, as early in the semester as possible (e.g., through the course syllabus), and through regular reminders to ensure that students are prepared to engage with the course as expected. To reiterate and emphasize: face-to-face class meetings are required in hybrid courses, while the option remains for some content to be delivered via synchronous virtual sessions and/or through asynchronous learning experiences, as determined by the instructor in advance.

 

Considerations as you prepare to teach your hybrid course:

 

1. Communicate your expectations and address student assumptions. Although the course modality is clearly specified for students as they register for a course, they don’t always grasp the nuanced differences between the various offering formats. Additionally, based on their previous experiences and those of their peers, students may have an inaccurate understanding of the modalities and unfounded expectations before they even ‘enter’ your class. This is particularly common and detrimental for hybrid courses.

Therefore, it is imperative that instructors clearly communicate details regarding their course modality and expectations for student attendance and engagement as early in the semester as possible. Prepare your students to engage successfully with your course by addressing any assumptions that students bring into our course right from the start. For example, be sure that meeting times, dates, locations, and assignment expectations are accessible by including them in the syllabus and multiple places within your Blackboard shell. Again, to position your students to succeed and reduce instructor frustration, we must ensure that our students know how to navigate and access the multiple modes of course engagement and what we expect of them.

 

2. Let your content guide delivery. Hybrid course design offers instructors a rare and valuable opportunity to let your content guide delivery and inform how you facilitate student engagement. While it may seem like this is equally true in other modalities, the hybrid modality really does offer the best of all worlds. Simply put, some learning experiences are best delivered face-to-face, while other content can be effectively delivered remotely or asynchronously. As you decide the best way to engage students with course content, consider which of these may be most conducive for achieving student learning outcomes. For example, if in-person participation will significantly improve the learning for a particular topic or skill, use this to guide your design. On the other hand, if remote learners can just as easily assimilate a section of content, the flexibility of online asynchronous may allow for mastery of content while fostering student independence and self-driven learning. In this case, real-time class sessions could also be utilized for more application or discussion-based activities (much like a “flipped” class session) or extra practice, resuscitation, or Q&A opportunities.

 

3. Avoid duplicating efforts, and prioritize your priorities. Much of what makes an equitable, rigorous, authentic learning experience, is applicable in any course delivery format. The resources and considerations provided here and the previous articles of this series (focusing on face-to-face and online modalities) also apply to hybrid classes. Consider the skills you already have and the content you’ve already prepared for various delivery modes, and go from there. This will allow you to align your practices across delivery formats and contribute toward producing consistent learning experiences in any modality without duplicating your efforts. This goes without saying that anything you, as the instructor, choose to do must be prioritized based on several factors; the method through which you deliver your content must be yours and yours alone (within the parameters established by your department, program, or the university). Keep personal sustainability, workload capacity, and general feasibility in mind. When in doubt: choose strategies that will be reasonable and sustainable to execute and experience and prioritize practices that ensure a high-quality and enjoyable learning experience for you and your students.

 

4. Take advantage of your resources; partner with CIS to develop your course and outsource building content in Blackboard. As with all modalities, the Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support (CIS) is available to help support your course design. Our CoursePro services can help copy content between shells, build/deploy assessments and rubrics, enhance visual aesthetics and presentation of materials within the shell, verify accessibility, and more. With advance notice, CoursePro, Instructional Design, and Teaching and Learning support staff can even carry out a Blackboard Review or proofread your course shell, offering recommendations to enhance, streamline, and support effective and efficient delivery of your content online.

 

Resources to support these endeavors: in addition to those resources linked above, you might also consider these.

• Read these articles:
  • Reflecting on Remote and Online Teaching: Making Meaning and Moving Forward discusses how reflecting on past experiences (particularly when it comes to online and remote instruction) can strengthen your perspective and your teaching practices.
  • Moving on From Remote Instruction to Online Learning, and Beyond offers some candid conversations about such teaching applications.
• Access a diverse array of online course resources and instructional recommendations on our CIS Online Course Instruction
• Check out our award-winning media maker spaces! Want some individualized support on your upcoming course design (in any modality!)? Sign up for any of our TL Pro or CoursePro services
• Enroll in any of our on-demand self-paced trainings, perhaps the Designing eLearning Workshop.

 

Be sure to check back next week; we’ll continue this conversation, applying the same considerations as we focus on the Hyflex 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

 

References:

Reflecting on Remote and Online Teaching: Making Meaning and Moving Forward. (2022, October 2). The Patricia K. Cross Academy. Retrieved October 4, 2022 from https://kpcrossacademy.org/reflecting-on-remote-and-online-teaching-making-meaning-and-moving-forward/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=enewsletter&utm_campaign=Oct-2022&utm_content=blog-read-more.