Enhancing Learning Outcomes: Exploring Hybrid Learning Strategies and Tools
General description of the project
In today’s dynamic educational landscape, hybrid learning has emerged as a powerful approach to engage and educate students. According to a global survey, after the COVID-19 pandemic, 80% of students surveyed globally prefer that at least some of their courses or course meetings take place online (UNESCO -Anthology, (2022). Hybrid learning, which combines in-person and online elements, offers a versatile and effective way to meet the diverse needs of students and adapt to the changing educational environment. This session aims to examine successful hybrid learning models and practices, explore innovative tools, and promote collaboration and networking among educators, academic leaders, and instructional designers to discuss emerging technologies that enhance the impact of hybrid learning and student success.
Technologies
Online tools have the power to enhance instruction and increase student engagement in the hybrid classroom. To increase student engagement for hybrid learning, the Center for Online Learning and Teaching Technology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, offered trainings on hybrid learning and online tools such as Jamboard, Hypothesis.is, Quizizz, and Blooket. One of the goals of these training courses was to help instructors identify and evaluate online tools to determine if they could use them in their practice. Instructors using these online technologies report to have increased student participation in the online and face-to-face classroom.
Explain project results
Hybrid learning typically involves a combination of in-person and online instruction. This approach can provide Hispanic students with increased access to educational resources and flexibility in their learning schedules. Many Hispanic students may have competing responsibilities, such as work or family obligations, and hybrid learning allows them to balance these commitments more effectively.
Why it should be considered best practice?
Students today engage differently than the student generations we had before. In the era of the distracted student, it can sometimes feel like we are competing for their focus. Even though instructors have many arguments as to why students are less engaged in the classroom, most instructors agree that Gen Z students are more exposed to technology, and so they expect faculty to use it to make the learning process more effective and engaging. To support faculty teaching hybrid and the flipped model, we created a training on hybrid teaching, best practices, and tech tools to help them find greater opportunities to connect with their students. As a result, training on hybrid teaching is a best practice because it equips instructors with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the ever-changing educational landscape, improve student engagement and outcomes, and promote inclusive and flexible learning experiences.
Highlights of your proposed presentation
The training courses on hybrid teaching have empowered instructors to harness the benefits of both in-person and online teaching, making them better prepared to meet the diverse needs of today’s learners.
The Evaluation Committee will evaluate submitted proposals based on the following criteria. Each area will be rated on a scale from 1 to 7 (1= non-satisfactory; 7 =outstanding), for a maximum of 63 points.