Instructional Mode & Course Modalities
In-Person/Face-to-Face Instructional Mode & Modalities
In-person courses are considered a traditional mode of teaching in which the instructor and students are all simultaneously present in the classroom space. Typically, this would include the physical presence of all students with the instructor, but can also accommodate an option for remote attendance by the instructor or students if needed due to COVID-related interruptions.
In-Person: Physical Presence
This type of in-person course is the traditional model. The instructor and the students will both be in the physical classroom space, although some homework and supplemental course materials may be offered through the course Canvas site.
In-Person: Remote Presence
In this version of the in-person course, some or all students will be physically present in the classroom, but the instructor may offer a live stream option or present remotely via Zoom. Classroom instruction will take place during the assigned class time, although some homework and supplemental course materials may be offered through the course Canvas site.
There are some modalities under Hybrid/Blended that may also be appropriate for describing the In-Person/Fact-to-Face expectations for interaction such as Split Sections or Alternating Weeks. Not all are appropriate but you may see some of the modalities below being used in connection to this Instructional Mode in an effort to better explain course expectations.
Hybrid/Blended Instructional Mode & Modalities
Blended courses are a structural decision as much as they are a pedagogical one because they operate through a replacement model. What that means is that you take an in-person course and replace some of the in-person time (e.g., live lecture or content delivery) with online elements (e.g., recorded lecture).
For example, if your course was scheduled for in-person meetings two times per week, in a blended format you might shift to just once per week for the in-person meeting with the other weekly meeting in an online (synchronous or asynchronous) format.
It is important to note that in a blended course, credit hours would stay the same because the content or activities are simply shifted online. So, blended courses are a structural change that combines in-person and online pedagogies. People also refer to these kinds of courses as hybrids, which is interchangeable with blended.
In-Person Driver
This kind of blended course would have topics or content introduced during the in-person component of the course, and students would practice and reinforce what they learned through the online component.
Online Driver
Another model of a blended course is called an online-driver. This is also sometimes referred to as a “flipped” classroom model. A blended course in the online driver model works in the opposite way to the in-person driver. Rather than have concepts presented in-person first, the concepts are instead introduced online, with the in-person component of the course used for students to practice and apply what they have learned.
Remote Lecture (Similiar to In-Person: Remote Presence)
In this version of a blended course, some or all students will be physically present in the classroom, but the instructor may offer a live stream option or present remotely presenting via Zoom. Classroom instruction will take place during the assigned class time, although some homework and supplemental course materials may be offered through the course Canvas site.
Split Sections
In this version of a blended course, students would be split into different sections to accommodate the safety requirements of social distancing based on COVID capacity. For example, a third of the class might meet in person on Monday, another third on Wednesday, and another third on Friday, with the remainder of the class seat time for each group of students occurring online - while students participate online during the class times, they do not attend in person. This model requires technology in the classroom that will accommodate lecture recording or live streaming for those students who are not attending in person. Testing may require the use of alternative or online assessments.
You should expect to hear from your course instructor prior to the class start for how this will work for the course and what day or group you may be assigned to for rotation into the classroom.
Alternating Weeks
This model of a blended course would have students meeting in the classroom during alternating weeks of the course, with the other weeks taking place online.
You should expect to hear from your course instructor prior to the class start for how this will work for the course and what day or group you may be assigned to for rotation into the classroom.
Experiential Learning
Another model of a blended course is one that focuses on experiential learning. This might include a service-learning component that is completed online or outside of the classroom environment, a course focused on team-based learning, an internship experience, or any other time that you are replacing part of the class time with an experience-based learning opportunity.
Hyflex
The hyflex blended model is one of the more flexible (hence its name). In the hyflex model, students are able to choose which modality, whether in-person or online, they want to engage with during any point in the course. For example, a student could attend in-person on Monday, but then decide to engage in the course online on Wednesday.
Online Interactive
Online interactive course models have the majority of the course being held online, but there may be certain activities that are offered in the in-person environment such as exams, certain requirements related to labs, or other experiential learning requirements.
Distance/Online Instructional Mode & Modalities
Online courses are traditionally defined as those in which 100% of the delivery takes place in the online environment through asynchronous activities, synchronous meetings, or a combination of both asynchronous and synchronous methods.
Synchronous
Synchronous-driven online courses are those in which the instructor and students meet regularly online in real-time meetings for lectures or other activities. The course may also be supplemented with other online activities or materials, but the majority of the student seat time is offered through synchronous meetings.
Asynchronous
Asynchronous-driven online courses are those in which students are rarely if ever, required to meet in a synchronous setting and instead complete asynchronous learning activities and engagement on their own time. Some synchronous online office hours or group meetings may be included in this type of course, but the majority of materials will be available to students through the Canvas course site.
Asynchronous/Synchronous Combination
Asynchronous/synchronous combination online courses include a mix of synchronous and asynchronous activities for students to complete. For example, students may have a once-per-week synchronous meeting with the instructor as a group via Zoom, but then spend the remaining amount of their course seat time completing other online activities as individuals or in groups. In this course format, there is a roughly half and half split between synchronous and asynchronous activities
