Online Teaching

What is Online Teaching? 

Online instruction refers to courses that are delivered virtually online. Students and instructors connect via technology to review lectures, submit assignments and communicate with one another.   

Types of Online Courses: 

  1. Fully Online: Synchronous (or Remote) and Asynchronous Teaching 

The question sometimes arises, “Haven’t I been teaching online by Zoom since 2020? The answer is yes and no. 

Teaching remotely using Zoom or Blackboard Collaborate is still live, in-person teaching. Instead of meeting in a physical classroom, faculty and students meet by webinar.  The class sessions occur at the same time the class would have been scheduled to meet in the classroom.  After adjusting to the nuances of teaching by webinar, faculty see that teaching remotely is similar enough to what they are used to doing when teaching on-campus. 

On the other hand, asynchronous online courses usually have no live, in-person meetings or in-person instruction. The entire course is conducted asynchronously. It requires a significant redesign to adapt the course for asynchronous online delivery to intentionally plan content delivery, assessment, and student engagement in the absence of live, in-person instruction. 

Asynchronous online courses use weekly deadlines to keep students on schedule, including a mid-week deadline to ensure students actively participate throughout the week. A course that relies heavily on interaction/discussions, such as a seminar, may use three deadlines per week to keep the interaction moving and introduce new discussion topics as the week progresses. Meeting the deadlines requires a significant commitment on the part of the students and the professor.  An asynchronous course is no less rigorous.  It meets the same objectives as the on-campus version of the course.  Students and professor work on the course as they are able each day and throughout the week, while the weekly deadlines and the mid-week deadline(s) keep everyone actively engaged. 

Subject: Urgent: Access Your Online Course for Success!

Dear [Student Name],

I hope this email finds you well. I’ve noticed that you haven’t yet logged into Blackboard for [Course Name]. Your success in this course is important to me, and I want to ensure you have the best possible start.

Why Logging In Is Crucial:

  1. Access to course materials
  2. Important announcements and updates
  3. Upcoming assignment deadlines
  4. Interaction with instructors and peers

Next Steps:

  1. Log in to Blackboard using your student credentials
  2. Navigate to [Course Name]
  3. Review the syllabus and course schedule
  4. Introduce yourself in the welcome forum

Need Help? If you’re experiencing technical difficulties or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out:

  • [Instructor Name and Email]

Remember, your engagement from the very beginning is vital for your success in this course. We’re here to support you every step of the way.

Best regards,

[Your Name]

[Your Title]

[Course Name]

Download Template in PDF

Synchronous remote delivery is still live teaching and generally does not require a complete redesign of the course. Once faculty adapt to teaching by webinar, they quickly realize that most of the small group activities and large group interactions they commonly use can be adapted to teaching remotely by Zoom. 

For more information see the pages on online courses, teaching blended courses, and teaching synchronous remote courses. 

Resources 

  1. Hybrid / Blended

Blended courses combine the best of both worlds – the convenience of online learning along with live, in-person meetings with the professor and students. This combination is a powerful means of engaging students. Common formats for the on-campus meetings involve meeting once per week, once every other week, or once per month. When creating a blended course, it is vital to create synergy between the online and on-campus activities so they are experienced as one integrated course rather than two separate experiences. 

There are two broad approaches to creating a blended course. The first approach is to bring students to class prepared. This can be a full flipped approach or any modified version, but students must complete assignments prior to class so they show up well prepared. The second approach involves teach then practice. A professor may decide that a topic needs to be taught in-person, and then students can continue to practice and apply the information in the online activities. Most blended courses use one or both approaches.
With successful implementation, blended courses lead to stronger learner outcomes (Boston University, n.d.). Students still get the much-needed face time with their classmates and professors, while also benefitting from the asynchronous online learning resources. One study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education found that students in blended classes performed better than those in either F2F classes or online classes (Boston University, n.d.) 

Best Practices for Blended Instruction 

  • Build a Community of Learners: 

Many students, particularly first-generation college students, feel disconnected from the college experience, as if they do not belong. Some students suffer from inequities based on their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and other factors. Creating a culture of inclusivity in the classroom can help to alleviate this sense of isolation and discrimination (Barkley and Major, 2020). When students feel connected to their peers, their teacher, and the material, learning is more likely to occur. Therefore, trust, camaraderie, and engagement are essential elements in the construction of a learning community. Likewise, intentional inclusivity in course design and planning yields a stronger sense of community (Barkley and Major, 2020). 

  • Create a Strong Sense of Instructor Presence: 

Just as in fully online courses, the online component of blended courses needs to have a strong sense of instructor presence. This helps promote continuity between the in-class and the online experience, yielding a unified whole rather than something cobbled together. There are a number of ways to augment the online aspect of a blended course with a greater sense of instructor presence. 

  • Write as if you are teaching. Imagine teaching one of your favorite classes or talking to one or two of your favorite students in your office. What you think and feel when you write comes through in your writing. Writing as if you are teaching recreates the animation and fun you have when teaching. Students will hear your voice and feel your presence as they read. 
  • Introduce everything. Some Blackboard features create the effect of “throwing materials at students.” Students click and a file is presented or a video starts to play or they are transported to website without explanation or objectives. No professor would make a habit of teaching that way in-person. Think of the things you would say when presenting a handout, video, assignment, etc. and write similar introductions so that before students click on anything, they know what you want them to do and why. It’s what you would do in person. 
  • Engage Through the Flipped Classroom: 

Time spent live and in-person with students is a precious commodity in the blended environment. The flipped classroom is a time-tested method to ensure the in-person time is used to maximum benefit. In this approach, classroom activities and homework exercises swap places (Herreid and Schiller, 2013). The students’ first encounter with new material will occur outside the classroom in their textbooks or in online materials. In-class time is then used for facilitating application of the new knowledge. 

  • Integrate the Components Deliberately. 

Consider carefully how best to integrate the in-person and online components of a blended course. Avoid simply tacking on the online element to a previously designed course. The pieces need to complement each other to create an engaging and reasonable whole. Instead, instructors should see the creation of a blended course as “a complete redesign,” one in which each activity or resource fits seamlessly (University of Waterloo, n.d.). 

  • Create two schedules. 

Many professors find that creating two schedules is a useful way to plan a blended course. The first schedule is your personal planning tool. It can be as detailed as needed to clearly delineate the topics and the activities you will conduct in-person and the topics and activities that will occur online before and after class. Add columns as needed to plan the in-person and online activities in detail. Once your version of the schedule is complete, it can be pared down to a simpler student version that lists every course requirement and every deadline. 

References 

Boston University. (n.d.). Center for Teaching and Learning. Blended learning. http://www.bu.edu/ctl/guides/blended-learning/  

Herreid, C., & Schiller, N. (2013). Case Studies and the Flipped Classroom. Journal of College Science Teaching, 42(5), 62-66. Retrieved June 4, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43631584  

University of Waterloo. (n.d.). Centre for Teaching Excellence. Best practices for designing blended courses. https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/teaching-tips-planning-courses-and-assignments/best-practices-designing-blended-courses  

  1. Hyflex 

In March, 2020, schools closed their doors and shifted to remote teaching and learning while instructors pivoted to teaching by webinar using platforms such as Zoom. By fall 2020, it was clear that some students were languishing in remote learning and needed to be in person. As a result, some schools offered limited in-person instruction which meant that teachers were now teaching some students by webinar while other students were present in the classroom at the same time. Class sessions were often recorded for review or for those unable to attend. This hybrid combination is known as hybrid flexible learning or HyFlex. It wasn’t new, but suddenly it was commonplace in the K-12 system and now Montgomery College is introducing it. 

HyFlex Instruction offers a number of advantages. Students can attend class in person, online by webinar, or watch recorded sessions. This flexibility enables a high degree of learner agency. It also requires a high degree of learner responsibility. 

Best Practices for HyFlex Instruction 

  • Design the Course to be Web-Centric
    “The best way to support all learners during this time of uncertainty and flux between the remote and in-person worlds is to continue planning for remote learning—because it’s the only way to be consistent, accessible, and nimble enough for the changing tides, while also leveraging all of the skills the students gained in the new self-directed world of learning.” (Finegan, 2021). We don’t know when the next disruption will occur or if there will be another wave of some variant causing another shutdown, but if we design the course to be web-centric, teaching and learning can continue. This involves creating a robust blackboard site to support learners in between class meetings and, where appropriate, recording each class meeting. 
  • Create One Class
    All students should be actively included in all class activities, regardless of their physical location. Creating a web-centric course involves a shift in thinking. Instead of teaching in-person with some students attending by webinar, we can shift to teaching by webinar while having some students are present in-class.Having a laptop cart can enable the students who are in class to actively participate in the webinar in real time. For example, instead of asking a question of the in-person students and then asking the online students to comment in chat, ask all students to type their comments in chat. You comment as the responses scroll by and ask students to elaborate as needed in chat or on web camera. This creates a dynamic of “we” rather than “us and them.”“By focusing on creating one class, connected virtually through strategic grouping, partnering in-person learners with remote peers, and even implementing remote classroom jobs—for example, students in a Cedar Rapids school can apply to be the greeter, teacher assistant, tech assistant, or chat monitor, regardless of their physical location—educators ensure that all learners are collaborating and connecting as one community.” (Finegan, 2021) 
  • Use Backward Design
    It’s easy to focus on topics and learning activities, but there is an even better way to ensure that all students meet the course objectives. Backward design involves writing your objectives, then writing assessments for each of the objectives, and then planning instruction that carries students from where they are to where they need to be in order to meet the objectives and pass the assessments. It’s not teaching to the test. It’s teaching by objectives. 
  • Ensure the Classroom Technology is Adequate
    Work with the IT department to get the classroom fitted with web cameras, a wireless lapel mic, and enough monitors to see all of the remote students on screen. A laptop cart is one way to ensure that all students in-class can participate in real-time. See Tips for Teaching HyFlex and Staggered Hybrid Courses with Remote Learners for a list of considerations. 

 Resources 

Bruff, Derek (2020, June 11) Active Learning in Hybrid and Physically Distanced Classrooms
(https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/2020/06/active-learning-in-hybrid-and-socially-distanced-classrooms/) 

Grand Valley State University (2021, April 5) Tips for Teaching HyFlex and Staggered Hybrid Courses with Remote Learners https://www.gvsu.edu/elearn/help/tips-for-teaching-hyflex-and-staggered-hybrid-courses-137.htm 

Finegan, Juliana. (2021, May 12) 5 Keys to Success in Hybrid Learning.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-keys-success-hybrid-learning  

Educause (2020) 7 Things You Should Know About The HyFlex Course Model
https://library.educause.edu/-/media/files/library/2020/7/eli7173.pdf  

University of South Carolina Center for Teaching Excellence (n.d.) HyFlex Course Delivery: A Practical Guide https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/cte/teaching_resources/docs/hyflex_course_delivery_practical_guide.pdf  

Loyola University of Chicago Information Technology Services (2021, May 21) Teaching a HyFlex Course: Best Practices and Ideas to Consider https://www.luc.edu/its/itrs/classroomtechnologies/hyflexclassrooms/  or https://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/itrs/pdfs/classrooms/HyFlex_Best_Practices.pdf  

Back To Top