Redesign for Undergraduate Courses for Blended/Hybrid Delivery at McDaniel College

Streaming Media

Submission Type

20-minute Presentation

Abstract

McDaniel College, a private liberal arts college in Westminster, MD, is engaged in a process to develop a blended/hybrid class program for undergraduate students. The first step was piloting two blended/hybrid sections of one course, followed by a systematic faculty training initiative in blended/hybrid course design. Our goals for the initiative are to: (a) increase student-centered and active learning pedagogies, (b) increase student satisfaction, (c) expand student access, and (d) improve student retention.

The first step of the initiative began in summer 2016 when Dr. Gretchen McKay redesigned her Introduction to Western Art I for blended/hybrid delivery. Following a backward design process to re-structure the course into modules, each module contained its own outcomes aligned with readings, videos, activities, and assessments. For the online components of the class, she selected what typically works best online: presentation of content, expanded discussion, and reflection on learning. For the F2F components of the class, she selected what typically works best F2F: peer review, debates, and interactive games. Her class design was informed by the Community of Inquiry model and specifically constructed to nurture social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence in both F2F and online contexts.

In step two, Dr. McKay piloted two sections of Introduction to Western Art I in fall 2016 for 45 students. It was mostly a success, but we learned a few things.

For step three, the Provost selected five key faculty members to attempt to duplicate Dr. McKay’s success by taking a special faculty development class (Fundamentals of Redesign for Blended Learning) written, designed, and taught by Steve Kerby. The class requires approximately 40 hours of work and covers such issues as backward design, outcomes alignment, active learning pedagogies, and effective assessment strategies—all critical components of Dr. McKay’s pilot. By the end of the class, the five faculty members are expected to have a fully redesigned blended/hybrid class informed by: (a) guidelines and principles based on theory, research, and known best practices of hybrid and blended learning, and (b) our own institutional experience with McDaniel students.

The classes will then be taught and evaluated. The training/design process will be improved and repeated.

Our twenty-minute panel will: (a) discuss key features of the McDaniel initiative, (b) provide a brief tour of the faculty development class: Fundamentals of Redesign for Blended and Hybrid Learning, (c) show samples of hybrid course designs, and (d) discuss lessons learned so far.

Session

Presentation

Location

Thomas 104

Start Date

5-18-2017 10:40 AM

End Date

5-18-2017 12:00 PM

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May 18th, 10:40 AM May 18th, 12:00 PM

Redesign for Undergraduate Courses for Blended/Hybrid Delivery at McDaniel College

Thomas 104

McDaniel College, a private liberal arts college in Westminster, MD, is engaged in a process to develop a blended/hybrid class program for undergraduate students. The first step was piloting two blended/hybrid sections of one course, followed by a systematic faculty training initiative in blended/hybrid course design. Our goals for the initiative are to: (a) increase student-centered and active learning pedagogies, (b) increase student satisfaction, (c) expand student access, and (d) improve student retention.

The first step of the initiative began in summer 2016 when Dr. Gretchen McKay redesigned her Introduction to Western Art I for blended/hybrid delivery. Following a backward design process to re-structure the course into modules, each module contained its own outcomes aligned with readings, videos, activities, and assessments. For the online components of the class, she selected what typically works best online: presentation of content, expanded discussion, and reflection on learning. For the F2F components of the class, she selected what typically works best F2F: peer review, debates, and interactive games. Her class design was informed by the Community of Inquiry model and specifically constructed to nurture social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence in both F2F and online contexts.

In step two, Dr. McKay piloted two sections of Introduction to Western Art I in fall 2016 for 45 students. It was mostly a success, but we learned a few things.

For step three, the Provost selected five key faculty members to attempt to duplicate Dr. McKay’s success by taking a special faculty development class (Fundamentals of Redesign for Blended Learning) written, designed, and taught by Steve Kerby. The class requires approximately 40 hours of work and covers such issues as backward design, outcomes alignment, active learning pedagogies, and effective assessment strategies—all critical components of Dr. McKay’s pilot. By the end of the class, the five faculty members are expected to have a fully redesigned blended/hybrid class informed by: (a) guidelines and principles based on theory, research, and known best practices of hybrid and blended learning, and (b) our own institutional experience with McDaniel students.

The classes will then be taught and evaluated. The training/design process will be improved and repeated.

Our twenty-minute panel will: (a) discuss key features of the McDaniel initiative, (b) provide a brief tour of the faculty development class: Fundamentals of Redesign for Blended and Hybrid Learning, (c) show samples of hybrid course designs, and (d) discuss lessons learned so far.