2 What Goes Online and What stays Face-to-Face?

The first and most important question you will need to ask yourself is “What do I want more of from my students and what do I want less of?” Then you can consider how you could achieve these goals by moving certain learning activities to an online environment and keeping or moving other activities to a face-to-face environment. For instance, what was previously “homework” may become an in-class activity.  As an example, the “flipped classroom” approach tends to refer to an approach where students progress through the foundational concepts online at their own pace (through videos, readings, etc.) before meeting in class to review important concepts and apply them to relevant real-world examples(3). However, this is just one of many possible configurations of blended learning that improves learning outcomes. You may wish to have students tackle problems online first and then discuss them in class, bringing in the relevant concepts, models, theories, or frameworks to support their initial thinking. There is no “one best way” – the nature and level of the material, the characteristics of the learners, and the preferences of the instructor all play a role. As you deliberate, consider every aspect of the course – content delivery, content discussion, assessments, and so on, in terms of the online or face-to-face environment. See Appendix 1 for a table of various ways you can begin integrating online components into a course.

One myth about blended/online learning is that you will need to make video lectures – this is not necessarily true. Think about ways in which foundational content can be provided to students in a variety of engaging ways.  For example, consider audio commentaries or short videos that emphasize what you want students to learn from the content they will be viewing.

A key part of your decision making will be whether your online components should be synchronous, asynchronous, or a combination.  Students can complete asynchronous online content, such as videos, readings, discussions, or simulations according to their own schedule and preferred pacing. Allowing students to make these decisions can increase their independence and ability to self-regulate their learning. However, as instructors move to a blended learning environment, there is often the temptation to simply replicate the previous classroom environment by making online discussions synchronous, which may negate the flexibility and cognitive capacity benefits of blended learning.

In the case of synchronous webinars or demonstrations, students will not need to travel to campus, which increases the accessibility of the course. Consider whether you need the entire class discussing something at the same time, small groups discussing something at the same time, or individuals contributing to class or group discussions at their own pace within a given time period. Higher level discussions can take place online through video blogging, written comments, or podcasts. There are many ways that students can interact with the content, with their peers, and with you, which makes blended learning an exciting and ever-changing instructional format.

Also see: Developing Online Learning Activities for Blended Courses
https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/developing-assignments/blended-learning/developing-online-learning-activities

3. Bishop, J. L., & Verleger, M. A. (2013, June). The flipped classroom: A survey of the research. In ASEE national conference proceedings, Atlanta, GA (Vol. 30, No. 9, pp. 1-18).