Blended and Online Pedagogy and Best Practices

Blended and Online learning presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities for instructors and students. Linfield has adopted the following pedagogical principles based in research and practice. Beneath each principle you will find a discussion of best practices.

Alignment - between course objectives, learning activities and assessment

In an effective online course learning objectives are clear and measurable and they are mapped (aligned) directly to the learning activities and assessments. The best practices for ensuring alignment include:

• The instructor identifies meaningful and measurable learning objectives.
• Each module addresses one or more of the objectives.
• All learning activities lead to the achievement of the objectives.
• Assessments accurately measure student achievement of the learning objectives.
• The instructor provides many ways for students to see the connection between objectives, activities, assessments and their own achievement.

Teaching presence

In an effective online course, students do not teach themselves. The instructor is an active partner in the teaching and learning relationship and is frequently visible in the course. Initially the instructor organizes the learning activities in a way that will promote learning. Then they will provide their expert understanding, shares their excitement, anticipates difficult concepts, corrects misconceptions and encourages students to think more deeply. The best practices that indicate teaching presence include the following:

• Course design is clear and learner centered
• Instructor content is present in each module (Concept highlights, a mini lecture, summative notes…)
• Personal contact from the instructor occurs in the first week
• Instructor ensures that student questions get answered promptly
• The instructor moderates discussions
• The instructor adds information, clarification or supplemental material as the course progresses
• Instructor provides prompt and formative feedback

Engagement

In an effective online course students are not passive recipients of information. They are actively engaged in learning. The best practices for promoting engagement include learning activities that:

• Are collaborative
• Involve choice
• Involve problem solving
• Require field research
• Involve personal reflection
• Involve peer and expert feedback
• Connected to and challenge personal experience
• Involve multiple forms of expression
• Result in higher order thinking such as analysis, synthesis, creation

Interaction

In an effective online course students are not alone with their teacher. Online students benefit from the diverse experiences of their classmates. More skilled peers serve as role models for good writing and thinking. The diverse perspectives presented by peers confront and expand a student’s own ideas. The answer to a peer’s question is the answer to a question the student didn't’t know she had. Interaction among students and instructors can be achieved through:

• The Help forum
• Introductory activities
• Weekly topical discussions
• Peer commenting or assessment activities
• Group projects

Formative Feedback

In an effective online course, instructors provide clear expectations and frequent constructive feedback. Students know where they stand and how they can improve. The best practices for feedback include:

• Just-in-time feedback in the first two weeks.
• Use of rubrics to highlight expectations and achievements
• Grades with comments within one week of submission deadline
• Comments on student work made privately – not in the discussion forum
• Active use of the Blackboard grade book

Universal Design

An effective online learner addresses the needs of learners with a wide range of knowledge, experience, and ability (including but not limited to disability). Universal design for learning proposes that instructors meet varied learner needs by providing multiple means for students to engage in your content and demonstrate their achievements. The best practices associated with universal design include:

• Easy course navigation with multiple ways to get to course components
• Multiple forms of media used to present content (text, image, audio, video)
• Text that is fully accessible and screen readable (This helps learners with visual and cognitive impairments and busy learners who “read” while making dinner.)
• Audio and video that is fully accessible with closed captioning (This helps learners with auditory impairments and those who are “listening” while their kids are sleeping.)
• Instruction and support for different ways of knowing
• Choice
• Multiple options for assessment