{"id":69,"date":"2024-01-31T09:58:52","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T14:58:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/blended-learning\/chapter\/planning-to-blend-your-course\/"},"modified":"2024-02-01T14:06:29","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T19:06:29","slug":"planning-to-blend-your-course","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/blended-learning\/chapter\/planning-to-blend-your-course\/","title":{"raw":"Planning to blend your course","rendered":"Planning to blend your course"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"planning-to-blend-your-course\">\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">When developing a blended course, in addition to regularly planning the course content and activities, you must\u00a0build and\u00a0curate digital resources, create instructional material\u00a0to guide out-of-class learning activities and\u00a0ensure the course workload is appropriate for students.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\r\n\r\n<strong>On this page<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"#considerations\">Considerations and guidance<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"#planning\">Planning<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"#references\">References<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2><a id=\"considerations\"><\/a>Considerations and guidance<\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">The following questions guide you in planning your blended course:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\">What content would\u00a0students\u00a0benefit most from accessing online\/offline on their own time, at their own pace?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\">What guidance and support will give students clarity on the learning expectations, the timeline for work completion, and the processes to follow?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\">How will you guide and monitor student work for the out-of-class activities?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\">How will the characteristics of your course (size, demographics, etc.) influence your choices for\u00a0face-to-face\u00a0and\u00a0out-of-class\u00a0activities?\u00a0(Adapted\u00a0from Caulfield, 2011)<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\">How will you ensure this modality allows students to meet the course objectives while maintaining an appropriate workload?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\">What types of resources and support\u202fwould you need to ensure you can deliver quality student learning experiences?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\">Can you include students who may not be able to attend\u00a0face-to-face\u00a0components?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\">What provisions can you make for those students?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\">What will you need to provide those arrangements?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\">How will you provide office hours and support for students?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\">Is the course multi-section?\u00a0How are you coordinating with other course instructors to ensure students in all sections have an equivalent experience?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\">How can you use a blended format to leverage new opportunities for students to learn the most difficult concepts? If there are specific areas where students have a lot of\u00a0difficulty, what\u00a0online activities could support these difficulties?\u00a0(Adapted\u00a0from Caulfield, 2011)<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\">How will you integrate face-to-face and\u00a0out-of-class\u00a0activities cohesively?\u00a0(Adapted\u00a0from Caulfield, 2011)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><a id=\"planning\"><\/a>Planning with instructional design principles<\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">There is no escaping the fact that (re)developing a course for any environment takes time. Sometimes, however, it is not practical to redesign an entire course. And, because blended learning is highly flexible in terms of delivery models, it is possible to increase the\u00a0amount\u00a0of out-of-class activities\u00a0incrementally\u00a0over several terms. For example, the first time you deliver a blended course, you may develop two or\u00a0three\u00a0blended\u00a0modules\u00a0(i.e.,\u00a0a mix of\u00a0face-to-face,\u00a0online,\u00a0offline,\u00a0and experiential). The next time you teach the course, you can build on this until you have the optimal mix of\u00a0out-of-class\u00a0and face-to-face\u00a0activities\u00a0for\u00a0student learning.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">As much as possible, the module you select should align with the following instructional design principles:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Students will benefit from accessing this content on their own time, at their own pace.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Students will have access to resources out of class that are unavailable during class (i.e., simulations, field trips, hands-on activities, etc.).<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The instructor has sufficient resources and activities to develop a module easily.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The out-of-class activities will promote or encourage increased student-to-student interaction and collaboration.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Students will have unlimited opportunities to review and practice the most difficult concepts.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Out-of-class activities won\u2019t present undue challenges for students to undertake.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Online course components are accessible per WCAG 2.0 Guidelines.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">The sections below\u00a0provide practical information to help you begin blending your course.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h3>Digital resources<\/h3>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Inventory your instructional\u00a0videos\u00a0or recorded lectures\u00a0from\u00a0previous or current\u00a0semesters.\u00a0You may be able to edit these into short mini-lectures\u00a0by chunking your lecture content\u00a0into\u00a0shorter, highly focused videos to use in your blended course.\u00a0The CTL is available to support you with this work if needed.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Import\u00a0course\u00a0content\u00a0and assessments\u00a0from\u00a0previous terms\u00a0(e.g., quizzes, assignments, discussion forums, etc.)\u00a0that align with your course learning outcomes.\u00a0The Moodle team can help you import your course content.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Create your instructional resources (e.g.,\u00a0PPT slides, videos, etc.)\u00a0and make them available to students on Moodle.\u00a0CTL can provide PPT slide templates for your use.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Identify, curate,\u00a0and use\u00a0open-source\u00a0instructional resources\u00a0to support your instruction.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Ensure digital course materials and media are accessible (e.g., include alternative text that describes what is depicted in an image,\u00a0including captioning for all videos).\u00a0The Brickfield Accessibility Toolkit in Moodle can help identify any accessibility issues in your Moodle course page.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h3>Instructional materials\u00a0for\u00a0out-of-class activities<\/h3>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Create explicit and detailed instructions that guide students through the activities (i.e.,\u00a0sequence, expectations, timelines, artifacts, etc.)\u00a0to equip students to work\u00a0autonomously during\u00a0out-of-class\u00a0course activities.\u00a0Clear instructions and guidelines\u00a0minimize\u00a0confusion\u00a0and\u00a0uncertainty, which can lead to student stress and incomplete work.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Organize your course Moodle page so that your course content (e.g., resources, activities, assessments, etc.) is easy to find and navigate\u00a0for\u00a0students.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Determine milestones for more complex projects over longer\u00a0durations and\u00a0give students practical reminders to help them develop time management skills so they don\u2019t fall behind with any\u00a0out-of-class\u00a0coursework. (Linder 2017)<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Devise\u00a0a\u00a0communication\u00a0plan\u00a0that clarifies how you will communicate with students and how students will communicate with you.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h3>Planning an appropriate workload<\/h3>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Calculate the course\u00a0workload carefully, considering how long\u00a0your\u00a0out-of-class activities will take students\u00a0to complete.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Use this\u00a0<a class=\"rId19\" href=\"https:\/\/cat.wfu.edu\/resources\/workload2\/\"><span class=\"import-Hyperlink\">workload estimator<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to calculate the amount of time the average student will take to work through and view lectures, do readings, and complete all of the assignments, exams, and other learning tasks in your course.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Be\u00a0mindful of\u00a0all\u00a0your teaching and learning\u00a0activities\u00a0(new and existing) to ensure they don\u2019t exceed the prescribed\u00a0course workload.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> 1 credit represents a minimum of 45 hours of academic activities, including lectures, tutorials, laboratories, studio or practice periods, examinations, and personal work\u201d. As such, a 12-week, three-credit course\u00a0requires\u00a0approximately\u00a011 hours of work per week, including\u00a0all face-to-face and out-of-class academic activities. Some weeks might require more or less time than others as students work on assignments, projects, or other course activities.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2><a id=\"references\"><\/a>References and resources<\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"hanging-indent\">Caulfield, J. (2011).<em>\u202fHow to design and teach a hybrid course: <\/em><em>A<\/em><em>chieving student-centred learning through blended classroom, online, and experiential activities\u202f<\/em>(1st ed.). Sterling,\u00a0Va: Stylus Publishing.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"hanging-indent\">Linder, K. E. (2017). <em>The <\/em><em>b<\/em><em>lended <\/em><em>c<\/em><em>ourse <\/em><em>d<\/em><em>esign <\/em><em>w<\/em><em>orkbook: A practical guide<\/em>.\u00a0Sterling,\u00a0Va: Stylus Publishing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"planning-to-blend-your-course\">\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">When developing a blended course, in addition to regularly planning the course content and activities, you must\u00a0build and\u00a0curate digital resources, create instructional material\u00a0to guide out-of-class learning activities and\u00a0ensure the course workload is appropriate for students.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\n<p><strong>On this page<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#considerations\">Considerations and guidance<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#planning\">Planning<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#references\">References<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2><a id=\"considerations\"><\/a>Considerations and guidance<\/h2>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">The following questions guide you in planning your blended course:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\">What content would\u00a0students\u00a0benefit most from accessing online\/offline on their own time, at their own pace?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\">What guidance and support will give students clarity on the learning expectations, the timeline for work completion, and the processes to follow?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\">How will you guide and monitor student work for the out-of-class activities?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\">How will the characteristics of your course (size, demographics, etc.) influence your choices for\u00a0face-to-face\u00a0and\u00a0out-of-class\u00a0activities?\u00a0(Adapted\u00a0from Caulfield, 2011)<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\">How will you ensure this modality allows students to meet the course objectives while maintaining an appropriate workload?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\">What types of resources and support\u202fwould you need to ensure you can deliver quality student learning experiences?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\">Can you include students who may not be able to attend\u00a0face-to-face\u00a0components?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\">What provisions can you make for those students?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\">What will you need to provide those arrangements?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\">How will you provide office hours and support for students?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\">Is the course multi-section?\u00a0How are you coordinating with other course instructors to ensure students in all sections have an equivalent experience?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\">How can you use a blended format to leverage new opportunities for students to learn the most difficult concepts? If there are specific areas where students have a lot of\u00a0difficulty, what\u00a0online activities could support these difficulties?\u00a0(Adapted\u00a0from Caulfield, 2011)<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\">How will you integrate face-to-face and\u00a0out-of-class\u00a0activities cohesively?\u00a0(Adapted\u00a0from Caulfield, 2011)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><a id=\"planning\"><\/a>Planning with instructional design principles<\/h2>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">There is no escaping the fact that (re)developing a course for any environment takes time. Sometimes, however, it is not practical to redesign an entire course. And, because blended learning is highly flexible in terms of delivery models, it is possible to increase the\u00a0amount\u00a0of out-of-class activities\u00a0incrementally\u00a0over several terms. For example, the first time you deliver a blended course, you may develop two or\u00a0three\u00a0blended\u00a0modules\u00a0(i.e.,\u00a0a mix of\u00a0face-to-face,\u00a0online,\u00a0offline,\u00a0and experiential). The next time you teach the course, you can build on this until you have the optimal mix of\u00a0out-of-class\u00a0and face-to-face\u00a0activities\u00a0for\u00a0student learning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">As much as possible, the module you select should align with the following instructional design principles:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Students will benefit from accessing this content on their own time, at their own pace.<\/li>\n<li>Students will have access to resources out of class that are unavailable during class (i.e., simulations, field trips, hands-on activities, etc.).<\/li>\n<li>The instructor has sufficient resources and activities to develop a module easily.<\/li>\n<li>The out-of-class activities will promote or encourage increased student-to-student interaction and collaboration.<\/li>\n<li>Students will have unlimited opportunities to review and practice the most difficult concepts.<\/li>\n<li>Out-of-class activities won\u2019t present undue challenges for students to undertake.<\/li>\n<li>Online course components are accessible per WCAG 2.0 Guidelines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">The sections below\u00a0provide practical information to help you begin blending your course.<\/p>\n<h3>Digital resources<\/h3>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Inventory your instructional\u00a0videos\u00a0or recorded lectures\u00a0from\u00a0previous or current\u00a0semesters.\u00a0You may be able to edit these into short mini-lectures\u00a0by chunking your lecture content\u00a0into\u00a0shorter, highly focused videos to use in your blended course.\u00a0The CTL is available to support you with this work if needed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Import\u00a0course\u00a0content\u00a0and assessments\u00a0from\u00a0previous terms\u00a0(e.g., quizzes, assignments, discussion forums, etc.)\u00a0that align with your course learning outcomes.\u00a0The Moodle team can help you import your course content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Create your instructional resources (e.g.,\u00a0PPT slides, videos, etc.)\u00a0and make them available to students on Moodle.\u00a0CTL can provide PPT slide templates for your use.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Identify, curate,\u00a0and use\u00a0open-source\u00a0instructional resources\u00a0to support your instruction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Ensure digital course materials and media are accessible (e.g., include alternative text that describes what is depicted in an image,\u00a0including captioning for all videos).\u00a0The Brickfield Accessibility Toolkit in Moodle can help identify any accessibility issues in your Moodle course page.<\/p>\n<h3>Instructional materials\u00a0for\u00a0out-of-class activities<\/h3>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Create explicit and detailed instructions that guide students through the activities (i.e.,\u00a0sequence, expectations, timelines, artifacts, etc.)\u00a0to equip students to work\u00a0autonomously during\u00a0out-of-class\u00a0course activities.\u00a0Clear instructions and guidelines\u00a0minimize\u00a0confusion\u00a0and\u00a0uncertainty, which can lead to student stress and incomplete work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Organize your course Moodle page so that your course content (e.g., resources, activities, assessments, etc.) is easy to find and navigate\u00a0for\u00a0students.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Determine milestones for more complex projects over longer\u00a0durations and\u00a0give students practical reminders to help them develop time management skills so they don\u2019t fall behind with any\u00a0out-of-class\u00a0coursework. (Linder 2017)<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Devise\u00a0a\u00a0communication\u00a0plan\u00a0that clarifies how you will communicate with students and how students will communicate with you.<\/p>\n<h3>Planning an appropriate workload<\/h3>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Calculate the course\u00a0workload carefully, considering how long\u00a0your\u00a0out-of-class activities will take students\u00a0to complete.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Use this\u00a0<a class=\"rId19\" href=\"https:\/\/cat.wfu.edu\/resources\/workload2\/\"><span class=\"import-Hyperlink\">workload estimator<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to calculate the amount of time the average student will take to work through and view lectures, do readings, and complete all of the assignments, exams, and other learning tasks in your course.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\">Be\u00a0mindful of\u00a0all\u00a0your teaching and learning\u00a0activities\u00a0(new and existing) to ensure they don\u2019t exceed the prescribed\u00a0course workload.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> 1 credit represents a minimum of 45 hours of academic activities, including lectures, tutorials, laboratories, studio or practice periods, examinations, and personal work\u201d. As such, a 12-week, three-credit course\u00a0requires\u00a0approximately\u00a011 hours of work per week, including\u00a0all face-to-face and out-of-class academic activities. Some weeks might require more or less time than others as students work on assignments, projects, or other course activities.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"references\"><\/a>References and resources<\/h2>\n<p class=\"hanging-indent\">Caulfield, J. (2011).<em>\u202fHow to design and teach a hybrid course: <\/em><em>A<\/em><em>chieving student-centred learning through blended classroom, online, and experiential activities\u202f<\/em>(1st ed.). Sterling,\u00a0Va: Stylus Publishing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"hanging-indent\">Linder, K. E. (2017). <em>The <\/em><em>b<\/em><em>lended <\/em><em>c<\/em><em>ourse <\/em><em>d<\/em><em>esign <\/em><em>w<\/em><em>orkbook: A practical guide<\/em>.\u00a0Sterling,\u00a0Va: Stylus Publishing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"menu_order":2,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-69","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":23,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/blended-learning\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/69","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/blended-learning\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/blended-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/blended-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/blended-learning\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/69\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":125,"href":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/blended-learning\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/69\/revisions\/125"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/blended-learning\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/23"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/blended-learning\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/69\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/blended-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/blended-learning\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=69"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/blended-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=69"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opentextbooks.concordia.ca\/blended-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=69"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}