Why are Synchronous Online Classes Dull?

When asked, students generally feel that they learn most from Asynchronous courses, followed by traditional face-to-face courses, and least by synchronous online courses.  How can this be?

This is in-part because many asynchronous courses rigorously apply instructional design best practices based on years of research.  It is not clear that most traditional course are and probably less likely for synchronous courses given the emergency adoption during the pandemic. We must remember that teaching online involves significantly more than simply dropping a face-to-face course, or Zoom meetings, into the campus learning-management system. Designing effective online courses is hard work and differs significantly from in-person teaching. HyFlex courses essentially braid the two together, which means it is even harder.

 

Before working on an HyFlex course, it is important that you are comfortable teaching asynchronously online. If not, you may underestimate the amount of effort and interaction necessary for engaging students.

With this in mind, why are synchronous online classes dull?

The issue is not that they are intrinsically worse than traditional classes. Instead students are perceiving that they are not learning from them.  It is vital to ask another question:

Are we using the technology correctly?

The online medium is dynamic and listening passively for an hour may not be the best way to promote learning. In fact, the average time a student will watch an instructional video is 6 minutes – regardless if its length is six or sixty minutes.  Clearly, the take home message for the medium is that video alone needs to be in small chunks if we want to foster learner engagement.

 

The traditional sage on the stage model has been abandoned by a significant number of teachers. For example, many teachers flip their classroom. The content is available on online, while the classes meet for a quick review, discussion, learning activities and assignments.

 

This strategy has also been successful in implementing HyFlex.  It is better suited for brief exposition (lessons, review, or instructions) that is recorded followed by breakout sessions for groups.  The class then returns for students to present or follow up information with the instructor.

During the breakout sessions, the instructor can offer more personalized assistance by visiting all groups, virtual or within the classroom.

 

The flipped classroom has a long history of success.  It is not surprising that it also works for HyFlex.  It probably works equally as well for online synchronous courses because this strategy better aligns with the mode of educational delivery.

Live in 3..2..1: Resuscitating Synchronous Classes with Dynamic Delivery

Students have reported more dissatisfaction with synchronous online delivery over face-to-face or asynchronous delivery.  This can often be attributed to the content expert not being aware of successful practices in presentations or the online medium.

Often instructors are never taught vital presentation skills that are key for capturing their classes attention.  For example, within the first few minutes of a presentation the audience's attention can be commanded by:

• Reflecting on a bold statement
• Considering a story
• Reviewing, and being primed for, the content they will learn
• Engaging in an interactive activity

When the presenter presents in a lively fashion, the movement keeps the viewers' attention.  Also, revealing one’s own humor and why you are excited about the topic both makes the talk personal to the audience. They then become more invested in the topic. These presentation skills benefit both synchronous online presentations and face-to-face presentations.   

The issue with teaching online is that instructors both must wrestle with using technology effectively as well as employ instructional strategies that best suit the medium they are using.  This webinar will first address faux pas with technology that diminishes the instructional effectiveness of the presentation.  Then it continues to investigate effective strategies for the medium.  Specifically, attention spans in this medium our short and instruction must be interactive to be effective. By adopting a micro-lesson approach as well as a flipped approach, instructors can maximize student engagement in their synchronous sessions. The session concludes on some of the pitfalls experienced by faculty using flipped classes online and how to overcome these issues. 

References

 

Azib-Powell, B. (2005) David Byrne really does love PowerPoint. UC Berkeley News.

Bumiller, Elisabeth (2010) We have met the enemy and he is PowerPoint, New York Times.

Cohen, N. (2010)  “The magical mystery four: how is working memory capacity limited, and why?”  Current Directions in Psychological Science. February 2010 vol. 19 no. 1 51-57. 

Goa, Philip (2012) Optimal Video Length for Student Engagement. EdX.

Grabill, Carolyn (2009) Why learning from PowerPoint lectures is frustrating Carolyn Works. 

Hicks, Cat, Emeline Brulé, and Roberta Dombrowski. 2020. “You Have to Put Your Class Online: Simple Things to Think About.” Online resource.

Hinck, G. & Burke, L. (2019). New Technologies Deliver on the Promise of HyFlex: University of St. Thomas. In B. J. Beatty, Hybrid-Flexible Course Design: Implementing student-directed hybrid classes. EdTech Books.

Lokken, F. (2017) Online Courses as Good as In-Person Classes. Inside Higher Ed.

Malczyk, B. R. (2019). Introducing Social Work to HyFlex Blended Learning: A Student-centered Approach. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 39(4-5), 414-428.

Meyer, R (2001) Multimedia Learning. Cambridge Press, NY.

McGee, P. &. A. Reis (2012) “Blended Course Design: A Synthesis of Best Practices.” Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 14(4).

Rhoads, D. (2020). Traditional, online or both? A comparative study of university student learning and satisfaction between traditional and Hyflex delivery modalities. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

Rose, D & A Meyer (2002) Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Singh, C. (2021) Why Flipped classes often flop. Inside Higher Ed.

Sweller, John (1999) Visualization and instruction design, Australian Educational Review

Tufte, Edward (2003) PowerPoint is evil, Wired. 11:09.

Vanderstoep, S. W., Pintrich, P. R., & Fagerlin, A. (1996). Disciplinary differences in self-regulated learning in college students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21(4), 345-362.

Whittaker S.&  Hirschberg J (2003) Look or Listen: Discovering Effective Techniques for Accessing Speech Data. In Proc. CHI98. Springer-Verlag, 253-269

What is HyFlex?

 College students face unprecedented challenges compared to the past and in order to serve their needs, colleges need to adopt customizable learning opportunities that are highly flexible.  The success of online courses demonstrated that students needn’t be constrained to a geographical location, but can experience quality learning experiences at anytime, anywhere, and from a variety of devices. HyFlex teaching is aligned with this mission of offering more flexible learning environments. It aims to deliver students the maximal amount of choices possible within a formal learning program.  Students are provided a choice between a variety of course delivery modes and can regularly change modes during the semester.  MgGee and Reis (2012)  define HyFlex where,

“course designs involve instructor and learners working together in mixed delivery modes, typically face-to-face and technology mediated, to accomplish learning outcomes that are pedagogically supported through assignments, activities, and assessments as appropriate for a given mode and which bridge course environments in a manner meaningful to the learner.”

Essentially, a well-designed HyFlex course will provide effective alternative participation modes that all meet the same learning outcomes. This will provide meaningful learning opportunities for all students.

HyFlex instructors are not merely recording lectures for students to asynchronously watch.  Instead, a full asynchronous version of the course offers an alternative to the synchronous as well as face-to-face options (See Figure 1). It is preferable to provide the content from the face-to-face delivery in an online version as well. This will require little additional work if materials are already available in digital format, however it is important that this format is accessible (such as having closed captions).

Figure 1: The various modes of instruction in HyFlex 

Those interested should look to the four principles Brian Beatty defined for HyFlex over ten years ago and that act as pillars for its implementation.  They are:

• Principle 1 – Learner Choice: Provide meaningful alternative participation modes and enable students to choose between participation modes.  This may be weekly, by class, or topically.
• Principle 2 – Equivalency: Provide equivalent learning activities in all participation modes. This is also good teaching practice in line with the theory of Universal Design for Learning.
• Principle 3 – Reusability: Utilize artifacts from learning activities in each participation mode as “learning objects” or resources for all students. Make use of your labor efficiently – this will make the process sustainable and affords students equitable access to learning resources.
• Principle 4 – Accessibility: Provide all students with technology skills and enable full access to instructional resources and activities in all participation modes. This may also require equitable access to minimal technology.

A key aspect of accessibility is the need to make all course materials and activities accessible for all students. 

Naturally, HyFlex courses require more time and work in their development and delivery. In most cases, it may take close to twice as much time. Nevertheless, the time spent is well worth it.  This model both benefits the college and students.

 Colleges benefit from:

o   Insuring all courses are rigorously reviewed and apply instructional design practices that are proven to increase student success.

o   Crisis protection, as courses can immediately continue online in the event of emergencies that would close the campus. Courses would continue uninterrupted as the deliver would pivot to be online.

 Students benefit from:

o   Well-designed courses that can accommodate different learning styles.

o   Courses that accommodate the student need for flexibility.

Doing HyFlex correctly to ensure all modes are equally provided for students is not a trivial task, but done correctly will afford students much needed flexibility that many students require.  Besides offering benefits that increase student success, retention, and potentially enrollments, HyFlex can be a way of promoting equity in education.

References

Beatty, B. (2019) Four Fundamental Principles for HyFlex – The Pillars HyFlexWorld. Republished from 2010.  Retrieved: 3/26/2021

Beatty, B. (2012) HyFlex Design Enables a Quick Flip. HyFlexWorld. Retrieved: 3/30/2021.

Beatty, B. (2008). Sloan Consortium Effective Practice Award: Using the “HyFlex” Course and Design Process. Retrieved 02/28/2021

McGee, P. &. A. Reis (2012) “Blended Course Design: A Synthesis of Best Practices.” Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 14(4).

Leave No One Behind: Accessible and Equitable Synchronous Online Instruction

With the necessary move to remote learning during the pandemic, face-to-face classes were rapidly converted to a synchronous version with little time to consider accessibility or issues of equity. Now it is time to examine our practices to ensure that we are accommodating students who need help the most. While there are several technological options for synchronous online courses, some or more accessible than others. 

This session discusses key issues in producing accessible synchronous online courses. It will also explore what you can do to promote a more equitable environment in your online course. Specifically, it will discuss:

1. Issues of equity
2. The Monsters: bandwidth and technological inequities
3. Tips when you are live
4. Rethinking instruction and content delivery
5. How to prepare your sessions to be inclusive

These slides are from the webinar from the OTTER Institute held on June 10th, 2021.

Resources: 

Cohen, Jenae and Beth Seltzer. 2020. “Teaching Effectively During Times of Disruption." Stanford University online resource.

Dill Emma, Karen Fischer, Beth McMurtrie, and Becky Supiano. 2020. “As Coronavirus Spreads, the Decision to Move Classes Online is the First Step. What Comes Next?” Chronicle of Higher Education, March 6.

Goa, Philip (2012)Optimal Video Length for Student Engagement.EdX.

Hamraie, Aimi. 2020. “Accessible Teaching in the Time of COVID-19.” Mapping Access.

Hicks, Cat, Emeline Brulé, and Roberta Dombrowski. 2020. “You Have to Put Your Class Online: Simple Things to Think About.” Online resource.

Puang, Serena (2021) “As Colleges Strive for a Return to Normal, Students With Disabilities Say, ‘No Thanks’”. The Chronical of Higher Education. May 11.

Walia, Apjit & Ravindran, Sai (2020) America’s Racial Gap & Big Tech’s Closing Window. Deutsche Bank Research.

Wieck, Lindsey Passenger. 2020. “An Equitable Transition to Online Learning: Flexibility, Low Bandwidth, Cell Phones, and More.” Pedagogy Playground

Flipping Your Class

Of hybrid classes (or blended classes) taught today, about half are fully or partially flipped classes.  What does this mean? A significant trend on learning theory is to organize a class such that the content or lectures or accessed by students online and their class-time is dedicated to discussion and homework/assignments. Thus initial exposure to the content is moved to outside the classroom.  The content can be in many forms, such as instructional videos, interactive online learning tools or readings.  During the class, the instructor can focus on the students and assists them in active learning activities.

 

What are some of the benefits?

To name a few:

• 96% of teachers mentioned in the previous Sophia survey who have flipped a lesson or unit would recommend that method to other teachers
• Nationally teachers have noticed an improvement in student engagement and grades
• Teachers of flipped classes have indicated that the majority of: students with special needs, English language learners, students from low household incomes, particularly benefit from this style

Take a look at the presentation below - which includes a video for more reasons why you should consider teaching a flipped class, if you are teaching a traditional course.