Last week, I outlined the major points to how the Hyflex Model works. This week, I want to describe the students that I feel will benefit the most from this course delivery method. As you may have guessed, this type of course isn't for everyone.
Just like pure online learning, the Hyflex model requires students to be somewhat self-directed learners. They need to make decisions on attendance and certain aspects of participation based on how well they feel they understand the content. If someone doesn't do well in this type of environment, they probably won't be as successful as you, or they would like to be. Have your students check out the two links at the bottom of this article PRIOR to signing up for your Hyflex course. The first link will help them decide if distance learning is right for them. The second link helps them to see what kind of learner they are.
So, who is the ideal student for this type of learning? I hate to say it, but it is not the first or second year undergraduate. I think that there are too many decisions that are left up to the student. I think that most traditional aged first and second year college students are not motivated enough to have the freedom of choice. They know they need to put the time in, but there is a disconnect between knowing they should be in class, and actually going--especially if it isn't mandatory! If you are someone that teaches an upper level course, would you want students coming from prerequisite courses that may or may not of attended those prerequisite courses?
Call me overprotective, but I really think this method of course delivery should be at the very minimum, reserved for third and fourth year students. The ideal target audience is graduate students. These groups of students have a track record, and are motivated to apply themselves and do well in their chosen fields of study.
Another group that will really benefit from the Hyflex Model are those adult learners that work full-time, but need to retool, or extend their knowledge for their current jobs. This model would serve this demographic well. Again, you are dealing with a highly motivated student that may not be able to make every face-to-face meeting because of job travels or meetings. If they miss here or there, they can still do well in the class and make up for the occasional miss with the content that is posted online.
Useful links:
http://goforward.harpercollege.edu/page.cfm?p=2284
http://goforward.harpercollege.edu/page.cfm?p=2285
Stay subscribed to this blog as many of my next postings will be regarding the Hyflex Model, how to implement it, who it's good for, and tips for student success in this method of teaching and learning.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
A New Version Of Blended Learning
Just this past week, I have started taking a week-long workshop from the Sloan-C organization on the Hyflex model. The Hyflex model takes blended learning to the next level. A typical blended scenario places students in a face-to-face class about 50% of the time. The rest of their course is conducted in an online environment. (This percentage is general. Each institution defines what mix of classroom to online time makes a blended course.) The Hyflex model puts the decision of attendance in the students hands.
Students decide if they should attend regularly scheduled face-to-face sessions, or if they should "attend" the online session for that week. Students can also decide to attend both the face-to-face and online sessions. Regardless of the choice students make in prior weeks, the next week, they could "attend" class using one of the other attendance options.
The Hyflex approach adds a challenge for both the student and the instructor. I am going to focus on the instructor's challenges, but I hope to do it in a way that will allow instructors to make sure they are addressing their student's needs. After all, this is what the Learner Advocate is all about!
The biggest challenge for the instructor and any development staff is the amount of work that must be put into a course that follows the Hyflex Model. In essence, faculty are developing what amounts to two courses. They need to develop their lecture materials and face-to-face activities, and they need to develop their online materials for each unit of instruction. After initial observation one might think that I will develop my lecture and then find a way to make sure that I can deliver it online. This seems to make the most sense from an amount of work and time perspective, but it isn't the correct approach to take with this method of instruction. Faculty are encouraged to develop their lecture materials and activities and post them online. Then, they should develop separate materials and activities for the online version of the course. The online materials need to meet the same objectives as their face-to-face counterpart, but the activities and how content is delivered should be different. The thinking behind this is that regardless of which delivery method a student chooses in a given week, they have the benefit of experiencing the delivery of content in two very different ways. If a student attends one, or the other, or both, they have access to all materials for each unit of instruction. This is a time intensive task that is the crux of the Hyflex model.
Useful links:
http://www.sloan-c.org/
http://itec.sfsu.edu/hyflex/hyflex_home.htm
Stay subscribed to this blog as many of my next postings will be regarding the Hyflex Model, how to implement it, who it's good for, and tips for student success in this method of teaching and learning.
Students decide if they should attend regularly scheduled face-to-face sessions, or if they should "attend" the online session for that week. Students can also decide to attend both the face-to-face and online sessions. Regardless of the choice students make in prior weeks, the next week, they could "attend" class using one of the other attendance options.
The Hyflex approach adds a challenge for both the student and the instructor. I am going to focus on the instructor's challenges, but I hope to do it in a way that will allow instructors to make sure they are addressing their student's needs. After all, this is what the Learner Advocate is all about!
The biggest challenge for the instructor and any development staff is the amount of work that must be put into a course that follows the Hyflex Model. In essence, faculty are developing what amounts to two courses. They need to develop their lecture materials and face-to-face activities, and they need to develop their online materials for each unit of instruction. After initial observation one might think that I will develop my lecture and then find a way to make sure that I can deliver it online. This seems to make the most sense from an amount of work and time perspective, but it isn't the correct approach to take with this method of instruction. Faculty are encouraged to develop their lecture materials and activities and post them online. Then, they should develop separate materials and activities for the online version of the course. The online materials need to meet the same objectives as their face-to-face counterpart, but the activities and how content is delivered should be different. The thinking behind this is that regardless of which delivery method a student chooses in a given week, they have the benefit of experiencing the delivery of content in two very different ways. If a student attends one, or the other, or both, they have access to all materials for each unit of instruction. This is a time intensive task that is the crux of the Hyflex model.
Useful links:
http://www.sloan-c.org/
http://itec.sfsu.edu/hyflex/hyflex_home.htm
Stay subscribed to this blog as many of my next postings will be regarding the Hyflex Model, how to implement it, who it's good for, and tips for student success in this method of teaching and learning.
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