You are experts in the field of Communication, Media, or Information, with strong backgrounds in research, practice, and teaching. The focus of this website is to help you explore and discover new ways to share your expertise and deliver the most effective course.
You may be creating unique material or curating resources created by others to teach; your course may be lecture-oriented, case-based, or hands-on; it can be online, face-to-face or hybrid. No matter what type of content or format you use, it is important to continuously develop and revise teaching strategies to achieve your educational goals. Remember, best practices in teaching rely on the same principles across all formats!
Are you a new or a returning part-time instructor?
Please remember that you must complete your paperwork before you can access your course in Canvas.
Familiarize yourself with technical assistance, workshops, and training opportunities.
Familiarize yourself with the learning space for your course (includes Canvas, for online and hybrid classes): All SC&I classrooms are equipped with a podium with a computer, monitor, Internet access, an overhead projector, so instructors do not need to bring their laptops to the classroom. If you bring your laptop, you may need to obtain/purchase your own video adapter to connect to the podium.
Review & update the syllabus before sending it to Program Director.
Moving from one format to another is not as straightforward as holding Zoom classes to replace an in-person classroom. Some components of your face-to-face course may remain the same, whereas others may need to adapt to fit the new ways students will connect with you, the course materials, and each other. Online course design can follow a set model for chunking your content, converting courses to an online format, or shortening/lengthening a course. Or, the course design can be free-form depending on your needs. Depending on what you are teaching and your teaching style, you will need to consider both the essentials you want to recreate in the online format and the aspects of the learning experience you might modify.
If you are not sure whether you are ready to teach online or are still new to the format, SCI IDTS has the tool for you. We have created a self-assessment tool to guide you in reviewing your comfort level in five critical areas for teaching an online course: administrative, design, facilitation, evaluation, and technical skills. At the end of the self-assessment, you will receive the results with links to resources that can help you develop an action plan for areas you want to strengthen your skills.
Take Instructor Self-Assessment: Preparing for Online Teaching (Estimated time to complete 5-10 minutes)
Three factors contribute to student retention and satisfaction with online courses:
- Engaged Learning: Facilitate active learning with your students. It encourages student agency and ownership in the learning process. This can be done by providing various opportunities and activities to apply knowledge and demonstrate their mastery of the content. (active learning link)
- Personal Connections: It is essential to cultivate and foster an inclusive course culture similar to face-to-face environments. Familiar activities such as ice breakers and discussions are good ways to overcome distance.
Michelle Pacansky-Brock’s How and Why to Humanize Your Online Class Infographics - Assessment: Prompt and specific feedback lets students know where they stand and gives them an opportunity to modify their thinking, study habits, and/or effort. A lack of teacher presence is shown to decrease student participation and satisfaction.
Synchronous Teaching
Synchronous (live) teaching uses tools and strategies to allow students and instructors to meet simultaneously.
Benefits
- Social interaction: Real-time interactions can help instructors and students feel more connected
- Immediacy: Ability to answer questions in real-time, provide feedback and guidance
- Increased accountability
Limitations
- Depending on the technologies used, it can be less accessible (student technology cost is higher for online participation, students with disabilities may need accommodations)
- Live interaction can be interrupted by network problems or other technical issues
Asynchronous Teaching
Students engage with the course material at any time they choose and from any location, as long as they have an Internet connection.
Benefits
- Flexibility
- Improves students’ ability to process information.
- Students can take time to read and re-read course material, watch videos, think and reflect before completing course activities and discussions
- Minimal technology disruption
Limitations
- Students may feel disconnected.
- Because there are no scheduled meeting times, it requires students to have self-discipline and advanced time management skills.
- It may increase grading and feedback workload for the faculty.
- Course design and development must be complete at the start.
Blending Sync and Async
The courses rely on both synchronous and asynchronous technologies.
Benefits
- Integrating the strengths of synchronous and asynchronous learning.
- Synchronous when students need support from faculty or peers, or live interaction is beneficial to the learning process.
- Asynchronous for topics that require more time to digest or when students can benefit from involving with the material at their own pace.
Limitations
- Integrating two modalities adds a layer of complexity to the course design.
In hybrid classes, “students attend traditional in-person/face-to-face meetings, supplemented with required synchronous or asynchronous online instruction.”
Benefits
- Accessibility
- Safety
- Cost efficiency
- Student engagement
“Hybrid education is an additional way that instructors can ensure that students are engaged with the course content by incorporating online learning communities, synchronous and asynchronous discussion, and a variety of online collaboration methods that encourage students to interact with the course materials, their instructors, and their peers in a variety of ways.” (Linder)
- Flexibility: It also allows the instructors to have flexible plans and multiple options for learning activities (online and face to face), even for traditional in-person classes. Having developed the online component of classes, the instructors can immediately switch to online in case of a campus or building closure; besides, sick, self-isolating students may access your course remotely.
Different versions of hybrid (or blended) classes in different colleges and schools: What Is Hybrid Learning? (psu.edu) and Hybrid Courses (cmu.edu).
Linder, Kathryn E. “Fundamentals of Hybrid Teaching and Learning.” New Directions for Teaching and Learning 2017, no. 149 (2017): 11–18. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20222.
Saichaie, Kem. “Blended, Flipped, and Hybrid Learning: Definitions, Developments, and Directions.” New Directions for Teaching and Learning 2020, no. 164 (2020): 95–104. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20428.