The Nature of a Hybrid Course

Hybrid courses are uniquely designed to meet specific educational goals and objectives.

Hybrid courses are designed with a ‘reverse engineering’ strategy. We start with the course goals or those skills we want students to develop as a result of completing the curriculum contained in a course in World History:

• Students will develop an understanding of the historical origins of many of the world’s diverse cultural and intellectual traditions and the relationships and points of exchange among them.

• Students will acquire and develop critical thinking and analytical skills.

• Students will develop effective written and oral communication skills

It is understood that these ‘end result goals’ are only achieved through the successful completion of clearly articulated learning objectives and assessments. Within each unit these learning objectives are matched up with a series of assessment tools. The types of assessment tools are chosen to measure the stated learning objectives. For example:

• The objective is to demonstrate critical thinking skills - the assessment is a discussion board problem analysis.

• The objective is to test vocabulary knowledge - the assessment is multiple choice tests.

• The objective is to assess writing skills - the assessment is to write an essay.

• The objective is to assess oral communication skills - the assessment is a class presentation or group debate.

• The objective is to assess student understanding of assigned content - the assessment is a short answer exam.

Assessment strategies are used to establish methods to measure effective learning and to assess student progress. The effective alignment of learning objectives to assessments and learning activities create a clear path to achieving the stated goals we feel students need to master as part of their educational experience while creating a solid foundation for achievement within their selected professional field.

Is A "Hybrid" Course Right For Me?

If you answer "yes" to the five questions below, a hybrid class may be a good fit for you:

• Do you have reliable access to a computer with internet at home?
• Do you have good computer skills and feel comfortable using Blackboard and the Internet?
• Do you enjoy communicating with others in an online academic environment?
• Do you have good time management and organizational skills?
• Are you disciplined and self-motivated when it comes to schoolwork?

Learning Objectives

Within each unit students will see a link entitled ‘Chapter Objectives’. By clicking on this link students will be presented with a document that clearly articulates the learning objectives for that unit. Students can use these ‘learning objectives’ as a guide when taking notes on assigned readings or audio/video presentations. The ‘chapter objectives’ will provide the focus students need to successfully complete any form of assigned assessment. Also on that page will be information entitled 'context' which is a statement providing the student an understanding of how the content of the chapter contributes to the evolution of modernity.

Skills

At the bottom of the 'chapter assessment' page is a list of 'learning skills' that will be addressed as part of the assessment process. Within this course the primary 'assessment tools' will be writing and class participation.

Writing skills will be addressed through a process of understanding on how to write a thesis statement. All elements of essay production will be addressed according to those areas of assessment listed in the essay grading rubric.

What are the expectations and differences between class sessions and the on-line class sessions?

The on-line portion of this course can be described as the ‘working component’ while the face to face (f2f) session can be described as the ‘discussion-debate-activity’ portion. A weekly plan will be posted under the 'to do list' folder within your WebCT account and a calendar will be populated to further outline the weekly plan.

Students will be expected to complete all assigned work on time, there will be no make up of exams or quizzes. Students should complete their review of assigned material in preparation for their f2f class session. Any lectures during the f2f portion will be presented for the purposes of ‘adding value’ to the assigned material that students complete during their ‘out of class’ time period. As described in the course syllabus, students will be evaluated for their participation during the f2f class sessions.