Two main options exist to deliver courses in a hybrid format at Penn State. Since you will still have a face-to-face component where students are required to come to campus, it is important to note that this requirement is different than an online course where students meet online at the same time using a learning management system, such as Canvas, or a web-conferencing system, such as Zoom.
Option 1: Deliver the Hybrid Course Locally at Your Campus
This option is the most common. Your audience will be only those students at your campus.
With this option, be sure to work with your local administration and the registrar to list your course as “AND WEB” through the process to schedule hybrid courses. This ‘AND WEB” notation signifies that the course is hybrid, and thus classroom seat time has been reduced to allow for increased time spent online and out-of-class.
In addition, it is essential that you design and develop your hybrid course prior to teaching it during the semester. To learn more about the design and development phase prior to teaching of the course, visit Faculty Responsibilities.
Option 2: Deliver the Hybrid Course Collaboratively at Your Campus with One or More Other Campus Locations
This option is used less frequently. Your audience will be those students at your campus and those at the other campus locations where the course will be delivered. When this option is selected, it may be a single course or part of a program. An example of the latter are Commonwealth Collaborative Programs. Either way, be sure to work with your local administration and the administration at the other campuses where this course will be offered to ensure that the following things occur:
- The course is listed correctly as “AND WEB” through the process to schedule hybrid courses.
- The rooms where face-to-face class sessions will be held are reserved at all of the campus locations.
- The textbooks are ordered at each of the campus locations.
- A process for recording the face-to-face classes is established. This process includes getting student permission to record them; working to set up the recording for each class session; and making the recording available.
- A protocol for technical support for the video broadcast classroom is established.
- A protocol for technical support for the online portion of the class is established.
- A process is established for class cancellation, such as campus closure for weather-related issues. In the event of weather, each campus determines if the campus is going to be closed. Ensure that a process is in place at participating locations, including the campus where the instructor is located, for each combination of possible closures. Be aware that not all campuses follow the same protocol for compressed schedules.
- A process is established for any face-to-face exams, including the logistics of proctoring of exams at the campuses where the instructor is not located, how students will submit the exams, and so forth.
- A process is established for any student presentations where the student is at a different campus from the the instructor. If needed, ensure that there is technical help that will be available to the remote student to get assistance.
- Merging of multiple Canvas course sections from multiple campuses. This can be accomplished by following the directions of how to Merge Courses.
These items may be taken care of by administration; however, there currently is no set workflow to ensure these items are addressed.
When creating any hybrid course, it is important to think about both the face-to-face and online interactions. This is even more important for hybrid courses that are delivered to other campuses because the face-to-face portion will be via web-based conferencing. Be sure to review the sections of the Hybrid Learning @ Penn State Website pertaining to teaching in a web-based conferencing environment in addition to reviewing pages related to general hybrid teaching. The sections that include information about web-based conferencing include the following:
Lastly, it is essential that you design and develop your hybrid course prior to teaching it during the semester. To learn more about the design and development phase prior to teaching the course, visit Faculty Responsibilities.