No, I am not referring to either Carl Jung’s concept describing coincidental events, or the popular 1980’s album by the rock group “The Police”. Instead, I would like to remark on a new occurrence this semester on campus, that of multiple simultaneous and synchronous Zoom broadcast courses. These courses rely mainly on the real time, synchronous connections of multiple students in multiple places with their instructors, who may also have a group of students directly in front of them in a physical classroom. Not long ago, such an experience was dependent on expensive hardware available in a limited number of places, connected via 20th Century copper-based phone system through telephone company bridges. Therefore, it was an experience limited to the very few, primarily because of the expense. Thanks to rapid advancements in desktop conferencing software, we are now able to provide educational experiences to anyone who has an internet connection and relatively current computing hardware.
Because hybrid learning with face to face and web-based elements is now so commonplace, students, faculty and instructional designers take it for granted that there will be multiple courses of the type in any given semester. The question then about these courses is one of quality; how do we ensure that students have the same experience at a distance? The first thing we try to do is ensure that the technology used to facilitate our hybrid courses is as transparent as possible. Since that transparency is dependent on many aspects that are out of our control, it can never be truly invisible. However, we can work to equalize the experience for all through careful instructional design. The key to effective hybrid learning is the partnership between teaching faculty and instructional designers ensuring that quality is foremost in our courses.
Faculty who are creating new courses or revising existing ones, be sure to reach out to your campus or college designer(s), they will be happy to assist you in creating an engaging and rigorous experience for your students. Designers can help with everything from ensuring accessibility of your materials to learning activities that will keep your students interested in your teaching. If you aren’t sure who to contact, the best place to start is on the Penn State Commonwealth Campus Teaching Support site, under Local Design Support.
