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Flexible Course Delivery From the Teaching & Learning Centre at Seneca College

Welcome to all Seneca College Faculty, and thank you for joining us to learn more about teaching and learning practice in hybrid-flexible courses.

If you are going to be teaching a Flexible course, the best place to start is with the next offering of the professional development course, “FunFlex: The Fundamentals of Flexible Course Design and Delivery.” This is an online, asynchronous course, meaning that you can complete the three course modules on your own schedule, at times that work for you. The course is facilitated by a member of the Teaching & Learning Centre team, and also connects you to a Community of Practice on Microsoft Teams where you can share resources with colleagues.

Resource Contents

If you would like to learn more about Flexible teaching before the next offering of FunFlex, here is an online learning pathway you may follow:

  1. Course Delivery at Seneca
  2. What Makes a Successful Flexible Course?
  3. What does a Flexible Course Look Like?
  4. How will the Technology be Different?
  5. Where Should I Start with Design?
  6. How Should I Approach Assessment?
  7. What Instructional Strategies Should I Consider?
  8. Checklists
  9. Seneca Success Stories
  10. Flexible Teaching Resources

If you have any questions or ideas, please reach out to teaching@senecacollege.ca

Course Delivery at Seneca

Flexible delivery is one of the four current delivery modalities at Seneca. They are:

  1. Online = Students learn remotely and are not required to come to campus. Online learning can be synchronous – scheduled online class time with professors – or asynchronous – no scheduled class time and learning is independent.
  2. Hybrid = Some parts of the program or course are online and other parts are in person. Students will need to come to campus for part of their program or course.
  3. In-person = Programs or courses are fully in person and require students to come to campus
  4. Flexible = Using innovative learning spaces, professors teach a class to students in a classroom or lab and broadcast to students online at the same time. In courses delivered in the flexible format, students have a choice, for each class session, of coming to campus for an on-campus experience or learning remotely online.

In Flexible Delivery (sometimes called “Flex”), students choose among three modes to engage with their instructor, peers, and the content:

  • Students may join professors in the face-to-face physical classroom
  • Synchronous online students join the class through a videoconferencing platform (Zoom, MS Teams, etc.). Their video is displayed on large monitors, and they interact with the instructor and students in the classroom
  • Asynchronous online students work through a set of learning materials, including class recordings, on their own schedule and engage with classmates and the instructor through Learn@Seneca.
The bottom line: In ALL modes, students engage in thoughtful discussion with their classmates and interact with their instructor. Instructors engage and interact with face-to-face and remote online synchronous students at the same time, while also planning for students who view the recordings and complete their work asynchronously online. HyFlex requires intentional planning to create a successful learning environment that engages all your students, no matter the mode they choose.”

The Center for Online Learning, Research and Service at the University of Illinois

Key tips as you get started...

Like all new teaching methods or approaches, there are both challenges and affordances associated with this mode. We emphasize three things as you embark on your Flex teaching journey:

Be Yourself! Everyone who teaches Flex does it in their own unique way. Consider how Flex can work for you and your students.

Keep the lines of communication open. Are your students understanding your expectations? Do they have any questions about being in the classroom versus being online? How is Flex working for them? You can assess and iterate together until you have a plan that works.

Flex teaching is more than the technology which enables it. Learn the technology through the support in ITS, and explore more resources here about how to design your course to meet your students’ learning needs.

What Makes a Successful Flexible Course?

Brian Beatty, a professor at San Francisco State University, and a pioneer of this approach, describes four fundamental values that underlie effective HyFlex teaching. You can read more in his free online resource, Hybrid-Flexible Course Design: Implementing student-directed hybrid classes (2019). A great place to start is to review the four fundamental values and consider how these can inform the design decisions that you make as you craft your course.

  1. Learner Choice: Provide meaningful alternative participation modes and enable students to choose between participation modes daily, weekly, or topically.
  2. Equivalency: Provide learning activities in all participation modes which lead to equivalent learning outcomes.
  3. Reusability: Utilize artifacts from learning activities in each participation mode as “learning objects” for all students.
  4. Accessibility: Equip students with technology skills and equitable access to all participation modes

By considering these four values, and trying to align your teaching practice with them, you will go a long way toward ensuring a successful Flexible course.

What does a Flexible Course Look Like?

Next, here is a great overview of Flexible pedagogy from the Harvard Extension School: Division of Continuing Education, which works primarily with adult part time learners. This video contains a demonstration of a Flexible class in action, as you can see from the screenshot below, and some wonderful tips on instruction.

How will the Technology be Different?

To learn more about how to operate your Flexible classroom at Seneca, please:

  1. Register for a Classroom Technology Workshop to review the technology in the classroom, practice classroom set-up and shut down, and ask questions.
  2. Read the ITS web page on how to use a Flex Classroom. Read out to ITS with technology-related questions.

Overview: Your Flex-enabled classroom will be very similar to a regular classroom, with just a few additions. First, you will notice a high quality microphone on the podium, and ceiling microphones throughout the room so both the teacher and students can be heard. You can mute the ceiling mics when you need to, and enable them when students are participating. You will notice a large screen on which to project the video conference call so that the online learners can be seen and included in the classroom community. You can share your screen through this video conference to show slides or other content. Last, you will notice cameras at the front and the back of the room, allowing you to toggle between instructor and classroom views. You can turn auto-tracking on and off, and access a number of zoom presets which are helpful for demonstrations, etc. The possibilities are endless, and you can use the technology in the way that works for you and your students.

Teaching and engaging students across these modalities can be challenging, but achievable and rewarding. It allows you to bring students into your classroom who might not otherwise have that opportunity.

Center for Online Teaching, Research and Service, University of Illinois

Where Should I Begin with Design?

We recommend that you begin with creating an asynchronous online course to form the “backbone” and foundation of your course. Begin course design by creating a set of topic-based modules within Learn@Seneca. Each module should contain a sequence of activities that leads to desired learning outcomes. Where possible, activities should be grouped in a clear, recognizable rhythm, such as “pre-lesson, live session, post-lesson.”

Within the module, look for activities that lend themselves to live discussion, demonstration or other such active learning. Build the live session around these. Here is a collaborative document of lesson plan samples and templates.

Create a variety of invitations for online learners to participate, and for classroom learners to add to the Learn@Seneca artifacts (e.g., discussions, reflections, etc.). Write the instructions out very clearly. Here is an example of instructions for an activity from Kevin Kelly (2020).

If you’re in the room, turn to a (socially distant) neighbor and share what you wrote. If you’re on the video conference, I’ll put you in breakout groups of 2 or 3. If you’re watching the recording, press pause and participate in the Think-Pair-Share discussion forum. Then come back and press play. I’ll summarize the ideas of the people who are live.

Last, we always recommend recording appropriate parts of the in-class session (such as mini-lectures, etc.) and add recordings to the Learn@Seneca module.

How Should I Approach Assessment?

When students sign up for a course or section in “Flexible” mode, they have the assurance of participating in their choice of modes. Wherever possible, this flexibility should extend to course assessments. This is in keeping with the spirit behind the hybrid-flexible course model: to provide flexibility for students in our busy, modern world to learn and to demonstrate their learning in the mode of their choice among equivalent alternatives developed by their instructor.

  • In the Flexible Environment, assessments that work best are typically task-based, authentic assessments.
  • Single, high stakes assessments should be reconsidered in favour of more frequent, lower stakes assessments which allow for students to progressively build knowledge and check on their developing understanding. Such assessments also allow for faculty to check in with students who are at risk.
  • Strict, time-limited assessments should be reconsidered in favour of assessments completed over a duration of time (e.g., 3 days), making it manageable for asynchronous online students.
  • Fact-based assessments should be reconsidered in favour of authentic assessments which require students to apply knowledge to a real-world problem or scenario representative of the sort of knowledge work a student would take part in when working in that industry/profession.
  • If a high-stakes test or exam is required, then all attempts to make the testing conditions as accommodating, humane and inclusive as possible should be made.
  • If on-campus testing is required, students should be informed of this at the time of signing up for the class, and suitable accommodations made for those in need.

What Instructional Strategies Should I Consider?

(Adapted from the University of Illinois’s resource on HyFlex Pedagogy.)

Always remember that in a Flexible class, the students are afforded the choice of how to participate each week. The student chooses when and how to engage with the class and there are no penalties based on their choice of on-campus, synchronous broadcast, or the asynchronous classroom. Keep that at the center of your focus as you develop your course. Ask yourself: is there parity between the experiences of students in the three modes of delivery?

It is important to take proactive steps to not “forget” the students who are not directly in front of you in the classroom. Faculty must be adept at encouraging students in each modality, but especially the synchronous broadcast to engage with the students in the classroom. These instructional strategies will help you be successful in your Flex course.

Pedagogical Suggestions

Plan early and focus on structure. Flexible courses have a lot of moving parts. By planning early and creating a consistent structure for lessons, you will be able to better manage your in-person and remote synchronous (online) students. It is also important to plan ahead for how the online asynchronous students will engage with the class.

Inform your students how and where they should communicate. Identify the preferred communication channel when you are in a blended synchronous environment. Should students use their microphones and speak? Should they use text chat? When students must split their attention between audio and text chat, conversations can be hard to follow. Help your students focus so that they do not miss important information. Instructors also need to make a plan for how they will monitor the text chat and the in-person and video interactions.

Distribute your attention. When designing for a Flexible environment, it is very important to distribute your attention so that the remote synchronous students are not forgotten. A good lesson plan and communication strategy can help you with this issue. Be transparent when possible with students, for instance, "I will be talking for 5 minutes to explain a concept, and then I will check in with the Zoom chat first, and then with the classroom students." You may find that students settle back and relax a bit when they know what to expect.

Ask for and incorporate student feedback. Ask your students for feedback about the course and its structure. A quick informal poll, a survey, or a discussion asking for feedback about the class structure can give you valuable insight about what is working — and not working — in your course. Take the feedback and adjust moving forward. Your students will appreciate it.

Asynchronous communication. Provide asynchronous communication options for all the students to use. You can use Ed Tech tools such as Padlet, and especially the Learn@Seneca Discussion Board. This conversation can extend the learning in many meaningful ways, and can also help build community among the modes.

Use polling. Polls are another strategy to easily cross among the three modes of your students. Seneca faculty all have access to the professional version of Mentimeter, which is extremely helpful for engagement and knowledge checks. Whichever tool you select, be sure to create a wrap-up about the poll after students in all modes have participated. What have you learned? What does it mean? Students can also be assigned this sort of wrap-up summary.

Back channel chat. Use Zoom chat for a back channel during class. This allows students to participate without speaking and can assist students with hearing difficulties. Remember to delegate managing the back channel to a student. Invite them to speak up with interesting observations and questions throughout the lesson. Consider building time into your lesson plan to check on this communication channel.

Checklists

Checklist A: Flexible Teaching Technology

Before your first class, you might find it useful to review how to do the following things:

  1. Initialize podium computer and data projector
  2. Access all your files via the podium computer, as you will not be able to connect your laptop to the Flex technology in the room.
  3. Start video conference through your choice of Zoom, WebEx, Big Blue Button or Teams
  4. Through the video conference platform, select speakers, camera, and microphone
  5. Use camera controls to switch between audience and presenter mode
  6. Select “HD” under camera feed
  7. Turn auto-tracking on and off as needed
  8. Control sound volume and mute/enable ceiling microphones as needed
  9. Use “blank displays” if you need to access something privately from the podium
  10. Do frequent sound checks to ensure virtual learners can hear the classroom
  11. Mute ceiling microphones if there is unintended background noise
  12. Share your screen and switch between applications as needed
  13. How to deploy breakout rooms and recall students
  14. Know how to contact ITS for help if needed

Checklist B: Flexible Course Design

The following are suggestions that you might consider useful in your Flex Course:

  1. Design active learning opportunities and collaborative activities for students attending online class sessions and students attending face-to-face sessions.
  2. Use collaborative tools (e.g., Google docs, Padlet, etc.) to connect students across participation modes.
  3. Include a variety of assignments (in-class and outside of class sessions) that demonstrate mastery of course objectives to allow for student choice.
  4. Share presentation materials in the Learn@Seneca course so they can view them before, during, and after the online class sessions.
  5. Provide clear, step-by-step directions for students on how to join the online class session and a link to join the session.
  6. Employ online surveys to collect student feedback after each class session (e.g., survey in Microsoft Forms or through Learn@Seneca).

Checklist C: Flexible Course Delivery Tips

There are many moving parts of a Flexible course. Here are some considerations that you might find helpful as you review your facilitation plan.

  1. Invite students to introduce themselves both live and in the discussion board.
  2. Use ice breaker activities (and equivalent) to build and sustain a sense of community.
  3. Record your class (or those appropriate parts of the lesson) for those learning asynchronously. Share the recording in the Learn@Seneca module after class.
  4. Create connections between the live and asynchronous students through ed tech tools such as Google docs, Padlet, Discussion Boards, and more.
  5. Consider inviting student volunteers to watch the video conference “chat” and to look for raised hands
  6. Facilitate a discussion with students about how to succeed in the Flex course
  7. Consider holding online office hours to connect with students

The above checklists and considerations are adapted from:

Seneca Success Stories

College embraces hybrid learning to give students flexibility (Oct. 26, 2021), Globe and Mail. This Globe and Mail article highlights the work of Scott Pugsley, Professor and Industry Coordinator within the School of Fire Protection Engineering Technology, October, 2021.

Read “Flexible learning brings Seneca classrooms to you,” an article in Seneca News on real-life stories of faculty teaching in the Flexible classroom.

Read the It’s Time for Flexible Classrooms – Introducing HyFlex Course Design and Delivery article from the June 2021 issue of the Academic Newsletter.

Flexible Teaching and Learning Resource List

Please visit our collaborative resource list here for articles, videos, podcasts and more!

Credits:

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