Online Courses Vs. Hybrid Classes
Online and hybrid classes make learning more convenient. Online class can be taken 100 percent from the computer while hybrid classes mix online and classroom learning. Determine if these options are right for you here.
Now, more than ever before, the typical college student is changing. Gone is the stereotypical young adult whose only responsibilities include going to class and keeping up with their social life. Today’s college students are full-time or part-time workers, middle-aged individuals, parent and even retired senior citizens.
With changes in the make-up of students, demands for more accessible courses are increasing. More and more college courses are moving from a lecture hall to an online atmosphere. Some even utilize the online community “Second Life,” in which college classrooms are transformed into virtual island countries! Most online courses however, are offered in two forms: online and hybrid.
Hybrid courses (also referred to as “FLEX courses”) are taken online but also offer a few face-to-face class sessions. How the class is structured is generally up to the instructor. WebCT is a popular technology used by many colleges. The online program allows instructors as well as students to communicate with each other via e-mail, IM, message boards and streamlined video. There is also a whiteboard feature in which instructor’s can give lectures in real-time. Some ways a hybrid class could be organized include:
- Two face-to-face class sessions (one in the beginning of the semester and one at the end of the semester) plus all other material completed online including group projects and tests.
- Only half of the normally scheduled class sessions are on campus. All work is submitted online including tests and group projects.
- Only meet face-to-face in groups for projects. All lectures delivered via podcasts online and all work submitted online including tests.
- All lectures delivered online via podcasts. All materials submitted online. Tests, however, are taken in a classroom session.
- Many, many more possibilities.
In a recent study, instructors stated that hybrid-enrolled "students wrote better papers, performed better on exams, produced higher quality projects, and were capable of more meaningful discussions on course material."
Experts think that the reason behind these findings include classroom atmospheres keeping up with today’s digital learners. By learning, creating, and exploring information in an online setting without losing face-to-face meetings to keep students accountable, hybrid courses can help college courses evolve along with digital learning – making information seemingly more relevant.
Online courses parallel hybrid courses in that they are taken online. However, online courses are just what they sound like: online. Face-to-face meetings usually do not occur and all work must be submitted online. While courses completed entirely online are becoming more popular, some students still desire the social contact that comes with general college courses located on campus or even hybrid classes. Still, some colleges ONLY offer courses online and have entire degrees that can be completed in an online environment.
When deciding which class would be best for you (online or hybrid), consider how much social interaction is important to you. Do you consider communicating online be as beneficial as interacting face-to-face? It may also be important for you to think of the social skills gained by taking courses in both environments. Perhaps a good balance would be to take a few of each to gain both social and technological experience.