Designing Blended Courses: An Integrative Approach
Darcy M Turner
Saint Paul College - A Community and Technical College
Keywords: blended, hybrid, design
Abstract
Blended (hybrid) courses are often used by faculty (and assigned by administrators) as a stepping stone to teaching fully online. When this happens, the blended course takes on one of two identities: a face-to-face course with online components or an online course with face-to-face components. Both descriptions are inaccurate and thinking about the format in this way can have far-reaching negative consequences. In this presentation, I will describe the unique nature of the blended format and explain why each blended course requires an individualized design and development plan. I will discuss the questions you need to ask when designing a blended course and offer strategies to maximize the advantages and minimize the challenges of this format.
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify the organizational and pedagogical nuances of blended courses
- Identify questions to direct decisions about design and pedagogy
- Apply strategies to maximize the advantages and minimize the challenges of the blended format.
Author Biography
Darcy M Turner, Saint Paul College - A Community and Technical College
Darcy Turner is an Instructional Designer for Saint Paul College, where her main role is providing group training and individual consultation to faculty in course design and development, pedagogy, assessment, and teaching with technology. She holds a Master's degree in English from St. Cloud State University, and a graduate certificate in instructional design and assessment from MSU-Mankato. Darcy has been teaching face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses in higher education for over ten years and is also a Certified Master Reviewer for Quality Matters and the Quality Matters Coordinator at her institution. She enjoys collaborating with colleagues across MnSCU by serving on several committees and she''s a frequent presenter for the Minnesota Online Quality Initiative's (MOQI) Special Interest Group webinar series.
