What is a "hybrid" class?

Whether you think of it as the next hot trend in teaching, or as a tried-and-true approach finally getting its due, it seems that the hybrid course has arrived. More college-level instructors nationwide, including several here at the U, are using "blended learning" approaches to teaching their courses. (See, for example, our Hybrid Master Class with Dr. Cindy Furse from Electrical Engineering.) Indeed, there are already courses with the HBRD attribute on the U's class schedule (see Spring 2012, for example).

The most typical version of the hybrid course involves recording lecture material and making it available online, thus freeing up class time for group work, hands-on activities, discussion, and other more engaging approaches than the traditional lecture. This approach allows students to review lecture material on their own time (and pause and rewind, which they can't do in a regular class), and allows instructors incorporate active learning techniques, which have consistently been shown to lead to better comprehension and retention, into their teaching without being worried about covering all of the required content.

There are many resources available to learn more about Hybrid Courses. CTLE will be facilitating a workshop on May 18, 2012 - see our website for more details. Can't wait until May to learn more? Other resources you can check out include a free live webinar on December 13 led by Dr. Bob van den Brand from the Netherlands. You can also see what the Department of Languages and Literature is doing on their website.