In this model, some of the course content that is usually delivered in face-to-face class is shifted to online modes (Hrastinski, 2019). For example, consider a course that holds on-site meetings one week and online meetings the next. During the in-person week, students can participate in active learning, analytical discussions, or group collaborations that are best accomplished with full, face-to-face communication. During the online learning week, students might engage in online discussion forums that call for reflection or research, participate in an online meeting with a long-distance guest speaker, or participate in experiential learning that takes place in several distributed locations. All of these are activities that benefit greatly from the opportunity to reflect or travel in the student’s own time, or from the affordances of online platforms.

When considering whether you’d like to make one of your courses blended, it will help to answer the following questions for yourself:

What activities benefit the most from in-person interactions?

While many instructors have made online discussions via Zoom or discussion boards work, in the past two years, we can’t deny that a certain part of communication gets lost, both in the tiny window of Zoom and in the text-and-image format of discussion boards. Body language is a huge component of any communication, and we rely on it especially during fast-moving discussions with multiple people involved, so in-depth or high stakes discussions will likely go best in the on-site portion of the course. Likewise, any activity where the instructor’s timely input is vital will probably go better on-site, where the instructor can easily keep an eye on multiple students or groups of students, and respond at once to any requests for assistance.

What activities will work better in online modes?

While on-the-spot activities like think-pair-share or automatic writing are strong learning tools, some activities have better results when students have time to reflect, or even to research, before responding. The reading and analysis elements of peer review, for example, will probably benefit from being an online activity, while the response portion happens in-person. A long-running discussion where thoughtful and in-depth responses are encouraged may also go better in an online discussion forum. Similarly, having a long-distance guest speaker will work better as an all-online meeting if students are expecting or hoping to interact with the speaker directly; if you are planning such things as a regular part of the course, that’s a course that might be most effective in blended format. 

How will you ensure high quality interaction during asynchronous activities?

Think about whether your online activities should be synchronous or asynchronous. In the case of a guest speaker, synchronous is the obvious answer. In the case of the long-running discussion, asynchronous will be better. If you find your answers leaning toward mostly asynchronous, then you will also need to think about how to ensure that high quality interaction between students and between the students and instructor happens during that activity. High quality, here, can be defined as two-way, ongoing communication–not simply one-way feedback, but productive communication that builds on itself. Repeating feedback and revision cycles are one example of this. The instructor taking active part in an online discussion is another. 
 

If you’re interested in exploring a blended format for one of your courses, please feel free to contact  [email protected] to schedule a one-on-one meeting to help you brainstorm and design your blended course. Remember that if you want to do this for Fall, you’ll need to have your department’s approval! You may also request a consultation here or call 734-615-0100 to schedule an appointment with a consultant.

Research

Hrastinski, S. (2019). What do we mean by blended learning?. TechTrends, 63(5), 564-569. Springer Link

Graham, C. R. (2006). Blended learning systems. The handbook of blended learning: Global perspectives, local designs, 1, 3-21.

Resources

U-M LSA Online & Blended Teaching: 

Teaching Modes- Blended is the third mode described

What Makes a Good Online Course

Substantive Interaction

Activity & Interaction Hours

U-M LSA Faculty Funding & Grants

Exploring Blended Learning Strategies- Faculty Focus

Getting Started with Blended Teaching- Stanford University