Text CITL Professor S: Flipped Online with Synchronous Meetings

What challenges did you experience in transitioning to this hybrid style of delivery? What attracted you?

(Note: I’m not sure the definition of a blended course, but I’m guessing it’s a mix of synchronous/asynchronous material, which is what I’m referring to in my response) For me, teaching a blended class is an exercise in trust and balance. In a typical F2F class, it is very easy to see who is regularly attending class, how closely they appear to be paying attention to lectures and activities, and to address anything that may not be clearly understood by students promptly. In doing so, I can usually assess how each student is doing and try to address potential issues pretty effectively. When I teach a class, I want every student to succeed and do my best to support them throughout the semester. However, when I deliver class material via asynchronous videos, I have much less ability to quickly assess and address misunderstandings, lack of attention or participation, etc. so I have to trust that students are able to make some of those assessments themselves and communicate with me when they are experiencing issues. I've learned though that many students either do not have the skills to self-reflect and self-assess or they choose not to do so until it may be too late for me to offer any support to help them. Thus, I find I have to walk a fine line between extending trust and frequently following up and checking in on their activities to ensure that students are actually viewing recorded lectures, completing readings and assignments, and learning the material.

Describe a typical class session (or week's schedule)--whatever gives us an inside look at how it works.

Live class sessions are typically divided into two parts: the first, shorter portion is reserved for answering questions about the lectures, readings, and assignments, as well as offering reminders and tips to complete the coursework successfully. The second is for applying key concepts discussed in the asynchronous material in a hands-on way that allows me to answer questions, clarify understandings, and have some face-to-face time with small groups of students. I also use this time to determine how many students have actually viewed required materials. one thing that's worked well is that I set up an activity in several google docs that students use in small breakout groups of 4-6. they work on these questions and discussions collaboratively. I like that I can watch their progress on the google doc in real time, and I also pop into each breakout room a few times to answer questions and give feedback on their work. I'm usually trying to connect this week’s activity to previous course content and set the stage for upcoming topics.

What communication (or learning) strategies do you use or find most effective?

I primarily rely on announcements via Canvas that go out as an email and then is visible to students on the course landing page. Additionally, I hold regular meetings with project groups during class, and often have regular interactions with smaller subsets of students while they are in their breakout rooms. I found this is to be effective in fostering a real sense of connection, even if it's entirely virtual, and this is when I get the most questions about course content and assignments. I also offer virtual office hours (by appointment) and reserve one live synchronous class session per week for questions from students. Interestingly, however, my office hours are rarely attended and there are usually very few, if any, questions posed during the live Q&A sessions. It's the breakout space where all the good stuff happens.

Advice for faculty who are just starting out?

I’m still working on the trust balance question, and I’m not sure what the best approach is, but I would recommend that you include frequent, low stakes (e.g., low point values) quizzes and other knowledge checks very regularly to ensure students are doing their work, and stay motivated to engage with the materials. I also recommend holding regular meetings with small groups of students in breakout rooms during class. Most of them just won't come to office hours, I don't know why, but they really start talking when I meet them in these rooms. Part of me thinks students just want us to show that we're interested in them, after all the pandemic stuff, but I also think that as they get more comfortable with this this method of flipping the course and having synchronous online meetings it is making them more aware of what they need to know, and how they want to learn.