Synchromodal Classes: Designing for Shared Learning Experiences Between Face-to-Face and Online Students

Abstract

This paper introduces the efforts of the CEPSE/COE Design Studio at Michigan State University to design and implement synchromodal classes for the Educational Psychology and Educational Technology (EPET) Ph.D. program. Synchromodal classes refer to classes in which online and face-to-face students interact during shared synchronous sessions. Our efforts stem from the introduction of a hybrid Ph.D. program in the summer of 2010. In this paper, we describe the antecedents that led to the development of synchromodal classes. We then describe our strategy of a repeated cycle of designing, implementing, and adjusting our realization of synchromodal classes. We conclude by discussing the significance of synchromodal learning in the context of this case and possible future directions for our work.John Bell is an associate professor in the College of Education at Michigan State University and the director of the Design Studio. His research interests include abductive teaching and learning with technology as well as synchromodal (integrated online and face-to-face) classes. Sandra Sawaya is a doctoral student in the EPET program at Michigan State University and a member of the Design Studio. Her research interests are in adult mobile learning and designing technology-rich learning environments for higher education.William Cain is a doctoral student in the EPET program at Michigan State University and a member of the Design Studio. His research interests focus on disruptive and sustaining educational innovations, tech-rich designs for learning, pedagogy and situational creativity, and mobile augmented reality. OVERVIEW Orientation and ContextIn the summer of 2010, the EPET program at Michigan State University admitted the first cohort of students in its hybrid Ph.D. program. In the on-campus program, students are expected to attend classes and participate in teaching and research in-person on campus. Typically students move to the area for four to five years in order to complete the program. In contrast, the hybrid program is designed for educational professionals who already have full-time job commitments, whether or not they are close to campus. They are required to attend two-week sessions in person on campus for each of the first four summers of the program. The rest of their requirements can be completed online, although students are welcome to arrange additional time to be on campus.This paper reports on the ongoing efforts of the CEPSE/ COE Design Studio (CEPSE refers to the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education, and COE refers to the College of Education) to help design learning models in which face-to-face and online studentsthat is, hybrid students during the online portion of their program-share the same rich learning experiences at the same time. It is important to note that the first author is the director of the Design Studio and the second and third authors serve dual roles as doctoral students in the EPET program and graduate assistants within the Design Studio.Working clo...

Hybrid Education: The Potential of Teaching and Learning with Robot-Mediated Communication

“…One model includes hybrid students attending face-to-face courses with students in brick-and-mortar classrooms. This synchronous hybrid education (in which online students learn through a technology-mediated "face-to-face" learning environment) promises enriched learning opportunities for the class as a whole by bringing together student perspectives from different educational backgrounds and contexts that may otherwise have remained separate (Bell, Sawaya, & Cain, 2014).…”

Examining Distance Learners in Hybrid Synchronous Instruction: Successes and Challenges

“…Although there has been a significant number of implementation cases (Bell et al, 2014;Bower et al, 2013;Butz et al, 2014;Chakraborty & Victor, 2004;Oyarzun & Martin, 2013;Park & Bonk, 2007;Popov, 2009;Roseth, Akcaoglu, & Zellner, 2013;Stewart et al, 2011;Szeto, 2015), only a small number of studies have investigated the learning experience of the distance students enrolled in a hybrid synchronous course. White et al (2010) examined the feasibility of delivering a course on-campus and in real-time, simultaneously transmitting it to students who were remotely accessing the same course.…”

“…In this context, hybrid synchronous instruction could potentially allow students to retain many of the benefits of online instruction while simultaneously gaining some of the advantages of face-to-face classes, resulting in effective, efficient, and engaging learning (Bell, Sawaya, & Cain, 2014;Bonakdarian et al, 2010;Bower et al, 2015;Stewart et al, 2011). Researchers believe that this approach holds much promise as an alternative that offers the "best of both worlds" for students unable to attend traditional face-to-face classes but who are also reluctant to commit to the purely online classroom format (Bonakdarian et al, 2010).…”

“…Researchers believe that this approach holds much promise as an alternative that offers the "best of both worlds" for students unable to attend traditional face-to-face classes but who are also reluctant to commit to the purely online classroom format (Bonakdarian et al, 2010). Learning design using media-rich real-time communication tools such as video conferencing and/or web conferencing have become increasingly popular (Bell et al, 2014;Bower et al, 2013). These technologies can be used to facilitate efficient discussion, content exchange, education international collaborations, and identity representation (Hastie et al, 2010;Popov, 2009).…”

From 2D to Kubi to Doubles: Designs for Student Telepresence in Synchronous Hybrid Classrooms

“…Since we had just a single faculty member to teach each of the classes, and these faculty members did not have the time to teach two separate sections of the course, we decided to pursue the vision of integrating both sets of students in the same learning experience. As mentioned earlier, this vision is what we call "Synchronous Hybrid" learning, although at the time we used the term "Synchromodal" (see Bell, Sawaya, & Cain, 2014).…”