The Psy 208 Hybrid Course -- Snaphot at Mid-Course

Executive Summary
A clear majority of students said:

  • I'm excited about this kind of learning. I like this approach.
  • Next quarter you should keep the course the way it is, 50% in class and 50% on line.
  • I have never taken a distance learning course.
  • I think I would learn more in a hybrid class than in a distance learning class.
  • Since taking this hybrid class, I am more likely to try an all-on-line, Web class.
  • In general, I think I would learn more in a hybrid class than in a face to face, in-person class (-- and no one thought they would learn more in an all-on-the-Web, distance learning class).

Given a choice, these students prefer hybrid courses over any other option.


The Data
Students answered six questions. The first question is a repeat of a day-one question for comparison.
There were two sections of Psy 208. Both are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday, one from 12:00-2:15 and the other from 4:30-6:45. Here are the results if all students from the two sections combined. Nine students had taken a distance learning class -- here is the data for students who have experience with distance learning classes.

1
very excited
2
uncertain
3
negative but will try
4
drop the class

After hearing the course described, especially the idea of meeting in-person half the time and using the Web for the other half of the course, where do you fall on this scale of 1-4 where:

1= I'm excited about this kind of learning. I like this approach.
2= I'm still uncertain.
3= I don't think I like this, but I'll keep trying.
4= My feeling is: I wish I had dropped this class.

 

 

 

(27.5)
63%

 

 

(9.5)
22%

 

 

(3.5)
8%

 

 

(3.5)
8%

My advice to the professor would be:
yes
Go back to meeting in person for every class
(2.5) 6%
Keep some on-line classes, but make most of the classes in-person.
(8) 18%

Keep the course the way it is -- 50% in class and 50% on-line.
(27) 61%

Make the course 90% on-line.

(6.5) 16%

 
yes
no
Have you ever taken a distance learning class (TV, correspondence, or Web-based)?
(12) 27%
(32) 73%

Whether you have ever taken a distance learning class or not --
How do you think hybrid courses (half in-person, half on-line) would compare to distance courses?
yes
I think I would learn more in a distance class.
(3) 7%
I think I would learn more in a hybrid, mixed class.
(40) 93%

*One person did not answer but made this comment:
"If you sign up for an on-campus class,
it should really be on campus."

Since taking this hybrid, mixed class (some in person and some on-line), are you...
yes
more likely to try an all on-line, Web class
(24) 56%
no change
(13.5) 31%

less likely to try an all on-line, Web class
(5.5) 13%
*One person did not answer this question.
  

In general, which type of class do you think would lead to the most learning?
yes
All on the Web.
(0) 0%
Half in person, half on the Web.
(31) 72%

All in person, face to face.
(12) 28%
*One person did not answer this question.
  

Conclusions: This snapshot data clearly supports the idea that hybrid courses are a valuable option for students, especially when compared to distance learning courses. Given a choice, students might prefer hybrid courses over any other option.

Aside from the clear preference for hybrid classes, there are interesting complexities in student responses. For example, zero students think they would learn best in all-on-line classes, but most are more likely to try an on-line class after the hybrid experience.

After two months experience, some students are less positive about hybrid courses than they were on day one of the course (the majority are still as positive as they were on day one).

At the end of the quarter I will compare the drop-out rate in this class to other in-person and on-line classes, and I will try to contact those students who dropped out of the class to ask if the reason for dropping had anything to do with the hybrid structure of the class.

Other comments: Keep in mind that this was my first attempt at creating a hybrid course and I put it together on the fly (though I sometimes think it is better to operate that way because it adds life to the course), and I somehow ended up teaching 31.2 hours this quarter. With a little experience under my belt and a smaller course load, I should be able to increase the effectiveness of the hybrid approach. Even with the limitations of this first experiment, however, it is VERY clear that the hybrid approach is a viable one.

The most serious limitation to this data is that it is based on one instructor. It will be interesting to see if other instructors get similar results with hybrid courses.

The data for students who have taken distance learning classes.

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