KEY TAKEAWAY
Getting it Right Takes Time
You may not “get it all right” the first time — that’s okay. Remember to orient your students to your blended course, strive for consistency between online and face-to-face communications, and solicit feedback from your students about their blended experience; try to incorporate opportunities for improvement. Part of learning to “blend” is deciding what can be improved upon going forward, especially as new and innovative technologies emerge.
Steps to Implementation
There are many roads to Rome, as the old saying goes, and blended learning offers the possibility for multiple modes of teaching and learning; however, it can be overwhelming to create or adapt a course to the blended model. This checklist can be used as a starting point when tasked with teaching a blended course. In addition, at Fanshawe, we also use the Quality Matters Consortium (QM) rubric and standards for online and blended course delivery to help guide instructors to achieve course quality benchmarks.
You can obtain more information about QM by contacting Organizational Development and Learning (ODL).
Before the Course Starts
- Anticipate your technology needs. Ensure that you have received any technical training and support resources necessary (for example, how to use components of FOL effectively for blended activities)
- Find a teaching buddy. Identify colleagues to whom you can turn for guidance (technical or pedagogical) once your course begins.
- Anticipate your student’s needs. Communicate to students the technical support resources available at Fanshawe or ensure that your FOL course provides info on where to get help.
- Remind yourself that it is okay to “Keep It Simple Starting” (KISS) with your blended course. (You can add features in the second iteration.)
- Set up your course FOL for the online portion of the blended course (e.g., use an FOL template or follow a consistent instructional design look and feel, create/configure online quizzes and discussions, set up your grade book, etc.)
- Complete and upload all course documents (e.g., syllabus, schedule, protocols, rubrics, etc.).
- Complete and upload all online content/assignment modules (if not feasible, complete and upload at least the first three weeks’ worth of modules).
- Check the functionality of all links and online media components.
- Step back and self-assess your blended course design. What are you missing? (You may find it helpful to consult the QM rubric for guidance.
- Ask a trusted colleague to review your course documents and online materials. (You may wish to share the QM rubric with your colleague as a starting point.)
During the Course
- Ensure that students know that they are enrolled in a blended learning course with both face-to-face and online components (e.g., on the first day of class/in an introductory email message/Module in FOL).
- Orient students to the online portion of the course (e.g., via an in-class demo, an online screencast, etc.) and clarify for students the relationship between face-to-face and online.
- Reiterate to students the technical support resources available to them (other than you!). For instance, consider setting up an online “Technical Help” discussion area in which students can assist one another with technical issues.
- Reiterate to students your preferred method(s) of receiving questions and other student communications.
- Make an effort to “be present” in both the face-to-face and online portions of the course (e.g., at a minimum, use online announcements, discussions, or other tools to send periodic messages).
- Strive for consistency between online and face-to-face communications and with your course documents (e.g., syllabus). Hold students (and yourself) accountable to established procedures.
- Solicit feedback from students periodically.
- Keep a running log of modifications you wish to make to the course the next time you teach it.
- Communicate change if you need to adjust your course design in any way during the term (e.g., change in assignment details/due dates) in writing.
- Ask for help from others when you need it.
- Consider asking a trusted colleague to observe your teaching in both face-to-face and online contexts.
After the Course
- Make a backup copy of all electronic communications/online components. (FOL stores previous courses for two years, but you can also use the “Copy/Import/Export” tool in “Course Admin” to download your course materials.
- Review all student feedback received.
- Create a prioritized “punch list” of course changes based on feedback from students, colleagues, and your own observations. (Be sure to include to-do items for checking links, reviewing the currency of content, and changing any dates that appear in your materials immediately prior to the next iteration of your course.)
- Decide when you will make the changes.
- Make changes as appropriate prior to teaching the course again.
