Faculty Guide to Hybrid Courses

Why offer Hybrid Courses?

Hybrid courses offer a number of advantages over face-to face teaching and totally online courses. Instructors from other colleges have reported that the hybrid course model allows them to accomplish course learning objectives more successfully than traditional courses do. Most faculty have noted increased interaction and contact from many of their students and between the students and themselves.

The hybrid model gives instructors more flexibility with their classes. For example, a professor of technical writing was better able to approximate a “real world” written environment for her students by using the hybrid model. (Read Rachel Spilka’s article "Approximately "Real World" Learning with the Hybrid Model," Teaching With Technology Today, March 20, 2002).

Both students and instructors liked the greater convenience afforded by the hybrid course model, which allows coursework to be scheduled flexibly and erases the time spent commuting and finding parking. Time flexibility was overwhelmingly the most popular feature of the hybrid courses for the students.

Most importantly, faculty almost universally believe that their students learn more in the hybrid format than they do in traditional class sections. Instructors from other colleges report that students write better papers, performed better on exams, produced higher quality projects, and were capable of more meaningful discussions on course material. These qualitative assessments of better student learning are supported by quantitative data from the University of Central Florida, which show that students in hybrid courses achieved better grades as than students in traditional face-to-face classes or totally online courses. Data from the University of Central Florida also show that student retention in hybrid courses are better than retention in totally online courses and equivalent to that of face-to face courses. For more about University of Central Florida research on distance learning models, see DL Impact Evaluation at http://Pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~rite.

What is the key to developing successful hybrid courses?

To teach a successful hybrid course an instructor must invest significant time and effort in redesigning a traditional course. Because class time is reduced and a significant part of learning is moved online, instructors must re-examine their course goals and objectives, deign online learning activities to meet these goals and objectives, and effectively integrate the online activities with the face-to face meetings. In addition, many faculty need to acquire new teaching skills, such as learning to facilitate online discussions and assess student online learning; they may also need to acquire some new technology skills.

What is the GPC Hybrid Fellowship?

During 2003-2004, the Center for Teaching and Learning created a model faculty development program for teaching and creating hybrid courses and supported 55 individuals in their efforts to design, develop and teach their first hybrid courses.

The instructors represented a variety of disciplines, including English, Math, Business, Social Science, Science and Nursing. As part of their training, instructors are expected to develop a hybrid virtual classroom that contains a dynamic syllabus, content (learning modules), a resources section, assignments, and a biography and virtual orientation. In preparing for this, hybrid fellows have taken classes in pedagogy and technical skills. Many of the classes are delivered at the Hybrid Fellowship Retreat, held September 26, 2003 at Indian Creek Lodge. Courses covered that day include those from the attached GPC Hybrid Course Guidelines.

Hybrid Course Development Guidelines
Checklist & Deadlines

In order to ensure quality offerings in the new hybrid format, the following items must be completed by the course completion deadlines for any course supported and/or funded by Georgia Perimeter College (GPC). As is indicated below, some of the items require documentation of completion. It is the responsibility of the Authors to work with their campus leadership, the Center for Distance Learning (CDL) and the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) to develop an internal timeline for the completion of the items to allow for the planning for appropriate use of campus and district resources. Contact Debi Moon or by phone at 404-244-5728 regarding questions about this checklist. Acknowledgment of course completion will be communicated in writing to the faculty member, Department Chair, Campus Dean, Provost, and the Vice President for Educational Affairs.

Print the Checklist

Prior To / During Development

_____ 1. Complete the Introduction to Building a Hybrid Course class. Contact the CTL  for class times.

____ 2. Complete the GPC WebCT Vista training. All hybrid courses will need to be offered on the GPC template. Contact Educational Technologies Training  for class offerings.

_____ 3. Attend the GPC Exemplary Hybrid Course Design class. All hybrid courses must meet these guidelines. This class will be offered at the Hybrid Fellowship Retreat.

_____ 4. Attend the Copyright Course for Faculty. This class will be offered at he Hybrid Fellowship Retreat. Contact the CTL  for other class times.

_____ 5. Participate in the Hybrid Fellowship Retreat, September 26, 2003.

_____ 6. Notify your department chair of your intention to teach a hybrid course at least two semesters prior to offering the class to permit them adequate time to allow for scheduling changes.

____ 7. Attend classes necessary regarding compliance with Web Accessibility Guidelines and the ADA. All hybrid courses must meet these guidelines to be offered. Contact Educational Technologies Training for class information.

____ 8. Secure copyright permissions for content not developed by the course author and provide copies of these permissions to Debi Moon, or Center for Distance Learning, 3251 Panthersville Road, Decatur, GA 30034.

Once course is developed:

_____ 9. When course content is complete and finalized, it should be edited for grammar, spelling and consistency of style.

____ 10. When course content is complete, the course should be reviewed by the Center for Distance Learning and Educational Technologies for technical quality.