Those who wish to spend less time in class and more time getting work done may be in luck next term.
Instructional designer Michael Chamberlain has been working with 11 faculty members to create “hybrid 50/50” courses for spring term.
Hybrid courses, also called blended courses, require students to only attend physical classes one day per week instead of two. Instead of a traditional class that might meet on Tuesday and Thursday, a hybrid class would only meet either Tuesday or Thursday.
In place of the second day of class, students will have all of the information and instruction from a full day of class available online.
“These classes would have half the number of classroom meetings, with the balance of instructional activity going on outside the classroom, allotted by online or facilitated by [an] online environment,” Chamberlain said.
According to Chamberlain, these classes will create enormous benefits for busy students, the faculty and the school itself.
The most important benefit for students is the flexibility of the course. PSU has a large number of nontraditional students, and these courses allow for students to be more strategic in their schedule planning.
“If you start mixing and matching, and you find that you can get your degree accomplished more quickly taking advantage of the hybrid classes or fully online classes offered here at PSU. I know this because I did this as an undergrad and graduate student,” Chamberlain said.
These hybrid courses could make it possible for students—especially nontraditional students—to complete a four-year academic program in four years or less.
“You want to get through as quick as possible, because every year you spend here you are paying all of the fees as well as the tuition,” Chamberlain said.
He also mentioned that productive time for a student might not fall during traditional class times.
“Suppose that you have kids. It is 9 p.m. and you finally get them to bed—are you going to go to PSU to attend a lecture? Probably not. But if you’ve got a hybrid course, you can work on the course from your home then,” Chamberlain said.
Hybrid classes have the advantage of not forcing students to give up face-to-face interaction with instructors. That can be important for a lot of reasons.
The classes appeal to a broader array of students who want regular interaction with their instructor to make sure the goals of the course and assignments are clear. Also, if certain types of instruction are not easy to do online, they can be done during in-class time.
Because there is a reduced amount of seat time, it allows instructors to accommodate two classes with one classroom.
“What that means is, that in a time where there is tremendous budget pressure on PSU, [the school] can accommodate growing enrollment without having to build more classrooms, rent more classroom space, and we’re very excited about the potential of freeing up resources to support partially online, hybrid classes,” Chamberlain said.
According to Chamberlain, when the institution is saving money, it becomes possible to do things like offer small stipends for faculty to go through workshops on becoming more effective instructors and to transform the classes that are most effective.
There is a $15 online fee per credit hour, as opposed to the $30 online fee that is taken for fully online classes. This means for a four-credit class, there would be a $60 online fee for the class.
Chamberlain does not think this will deter students from the blended classes.
“If by taking a couple of hybrid classes and a traditional class, and maybe you only have to come to campus two or three days instead of five, think of the savings. If you are parking in a parking structure, gas, bus, whatever, just your transportation alone. Not coming to campus may have a convenience factor, but may also have a monetary advantage that can more than offset that online fee,” Chamberlain said.
James Woods, assistant economics professor, has been teaching “Economics 314: Public and Private Investment Analysis” since 2004. Spring term will be his first attempt at teaching it as a hybrid course.
“It is a chance to rethink and redesign the course from the ground up,” Woods said.
He is most excited about being able to get the basic stuff out of the way online, freeing up class time for more in-depth discussions.
“I could put up a definition for a class, then I can start up a discussion group online and people can comment online. It would take [the] place of questions I commonly get in class. Then when we come into class, we can handle some more complex discussions, because a lot of this basic stuff has been handled online,” Woods said.
Suzanne Atkin, public speaking program coordinator and graduate teaching assistant supervisor, is also teaching her first hybrid course during spring term, which will be a public speaking class.
“[The hybrid class will] allow for much more feedback and discussion about speeches. Students can upload practice speeches and receive feedback from his other group before the final speech delivery day,” Atkin said.
She also thinks it will give shy speakers more opportunity to talk and discuss online.
Atkin wants students to know that they will still have to deliver speeches in front of an audience, and those that do not show up for face-to-face class time will fall behind.
She hopes to begin to integrate technology to a performance-based class, and wants to utilize a tool that most students are already working with.
“It’s the wave…technology, you can’t avoid it,” Atkin said.
Hybrid classes offered spring term
Public and Private Investment Analysis (EC314) with James Woods
Native Americans of Eastern North America (HST330) with Tim Garrison
Speech (COMM220) with Suzanne Atkin
Drug Education (PHE 326) with Deborah Kaufman
Our Community, Our Health (PHE250) with Belinda Zeidler and Jane Mercer
Enhancing Youth Literacy (UNST421) with Zapoura Calvertt
International Health Inequalities (SOC 587/687) with Margaret Everett
Family Communication (COMM318U) with Kenneth W. Bagley
Listening (COMM230) with Gisele Tierney
Introduction to Urban Planning (USP311) with Louisa Jenkins Brown