Instructors often assume that learning how to use digital tools, such as Panopto or Canvas, is all there is to creating a flipped, hybrid, or online course. Nothing could be further from the truth. Teaching in digital environments requires intentionality and sound pedagogy to ensure that students have the opportunity to deeply engage with concepts, peers, and the instructor. The strategies and guidance below can get you started on planning and developing your flipped, hybrid, or online course.
Flipping the classroom
Flipping the classroom (also known as “inverting” a classroom) is an approach to teaching in which course content is introduced outside of the class meeting time, and time in the physical classroom is re-purposed for inquiry, application, and assessment in order to better meet the needs of individual learners.
Learn more about flipping the classroom.
Hybrid/Online teaching
Research has shown that well-designed hybrid and online learning environments are at least as effective as in-person learning environments in helping students learn. The key word in the previous sentence is well-designed. The resources below are designed to help you design inclusive, engaging, and interactive hybrid and online courses.
Designing and refining hybrid and online courses
Since online education emerged as a field in the 1990s, faculty scholars have developed and refined strategies that foster student success in digital learning environments. This page introduces the “Hybrid/Online Course Development and Evaluation Rubric” – a tool you can use to ensure your course is built around practices that have been shown to increase student engagement and success in digital learning environments.
Learn more about hybrid and online courses.
Asynchronous Learning
Research has shown that well-designed asynchronous learning environments can be just as effective as synchronous or in-person learning environments. Just as they do in in-person courses, students in asynchronous learning environments can learn and interact in any number of ways, including through discussion, collaboration, project work, and experiential learning.
Learn more about asynchronous learning.
Regular and Substantive Interaction
Because of the challenges that distance imposes on a learning environment, instructors have to be especially intentional about creating regular opportunities for interaction when designing online courses. The U.S. Department of Education requires that online courses include “regular and substantive interaction” (RSI). This page shares information on how to meet the “regular and substantive” requirement.