Finding the Right Balance in Online and Hybrid Teaching: A Few Tips

What a whirlwind of a year we had as WSSU joined almost every university in going 100% online for instruction!  Who would have dreamed that all of higher education would go virtual? It seems that the residual effects of the emergency move online have followed us into Fall 2021. With many of us teaching online and hybrid courses and less traditional face-to-face courses, “every instructor must be prepared to teach effectively online to future proof our campuses, as stated by the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE).”

One approach is to make sure we are adequately prepared for this digital shift in higher education. Part of preparation is for us to seek ways to find a balance between online teaching and hybrid instruction, ensuring the success of our students. They, too, feel the stress of the transition from traditional courses to virtual formats, and even the slightest change in how we traditionally taught a course could influence the success of our students. 

WSSU began a digital literacy project in Fall 2018, and the goal is to close the digital divide for our students while at WSSU, thus tooling them with digital fluency skills to use after graduating from WSSU.  This project’s relevance increased during the 2020-2021 academic year with everyone seeking innovative ways to provide quality instruction virtually.  Incorporating new technological tools and shifting pedagogical practices became the norm around campus.

In a recent initiative by several Historically Black Colleges and Universities, there prove to be digital access and technology inclusion issues at HBCUs and minority-serving institutions nationwide. With this knowledge, finding a balance in our teaching practices will make a huge difference in how students respond, interact, and engage in their courses. Here are a few tips to balance in our online and hybrid teaching practices:

• Keep in mind that there are still students who may not have the access to the technology tools away from campus such as a computer lab, library, or other digital workspaces. Making sure that a portion of instruction is asynchronous and available to them at all times is important.
• Record all video-conferenced instruction and lectures (class times that meet via Zoom) for access by students if needed. This helps them with reviewing lectures and ensures those who miss a class during the Zoom session have access too.
• Communicate to students the minimum technology requirements for WSSU. These requirements are in all Canvas shells, but we encourage you to put them in your syllabus and have a brief discussion with students about what they need.
• Do not deviate, revise, or add on additional technology requirements for students during the semester. Requiring software and/or tech tools or apps can cause financial hardships for students who cannot get access.
• Use the many tools and functions in Canvas that make online and hybrid instruction seamless and consistent for students. This may include reducing the number of categories on your course panel.  For example, if students do not need the Discussion Board link because discussions for the course are embedded in learning modules, deactivate/remove that option. 
• Register to join the numerous faculty development, teaching and learning, and online instruction workshops in CITI this Fall. There are many options to support faculty with balancing online and hybrid instruction methods.

WSSU and CITI understand the importance of professional development training to tool our faculty with digital options that encourage students to challenge their creativity in the learning process and to make sure that everyone has a successful semester and year.