Preparing Students for Hybrid Courses

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Preparing Students for Hybrid Courses

• Developed for the Maricopa Ocotillo Hybrid
  Courses ForumFeb 28 Mar 4, 2005Presented by
  the Learning Technology CenterUniversity of
  Wisconsin-Milwaukee

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Preparing Students for Hybrid Courses

• Very important
• Unforeseen by us and often overlooked by others
• Hybrid Course Website for Students
• http//www.uwm.edu/Dept/LTC/hybridcourses.html
• Explains hybrid concept
• Examples of hybrid assignments
• Self-assessment of online learning skills
• Support on campus
• Technology requirements/recommendations

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Preparing Students

• Major obstacles for students
• Students expectations
• Responsibility for learning
• Time management
• Technologies are not major obstacles for most
  students
• Always exceptions

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Student Expectations

• Problem
• Students do not grasp the hybrid concept readily
• Students think that fewer classes less work
• Students think that online means working
  exclusively from home
• Solutions
• Manage student expectations
• Hybrid course website for students
• Faculty must explain hybrid concept and
  assignments clearly repeatedly

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Responsibility for Learning

• Problem
• Students reluctant to take responsibility for
  their learning
• Change for students from passive to active
  learning
• Solutions
• Explain early and often what is expected
• Explain why active learning benefits students

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Time Management

• Problem
• Many students lack time management skills
• Particularly younger less mature students
• Solutions
• Break down and phase in assignments
• Provide time management lessons, resources,
  exercises

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Technology

• Sometimes a problem
• Things do go wrong
• Students have most problems at the beginning
• Solutions
• Avoid high-risk technologies
• Use a Course Management Systems (CMS)
• Provide a Institutional Help Desk
• Develop help-sheets for students
• Conduct orientation session or assignment in lab

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Preparing Students

• Students like hybrid courses
• 90 of students say that they would recommend the
  hybrid model to others

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Contact Information

• Learning Technology Center
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• LTC_at_uwm.edu
• http//hybrid.uwm.edu
• http//www.uwm.edu/Dept/LTC/hybridcourses.html
• [phone]