The Online Reflector

The University of Indianapolis will begin offering students hybrid classes next semester that will be partially in-class and partially online.

Students currently are able to take only enhanced classes or online classes.

Enhanced classes are the in-class traditional courses.

Hybrid classes allow students to get teacher interaction and also do part of their course online.

In a class that meets five days a week, hybrid classes may allow students to go to class only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and do online classes on Tuesday and Thursday.

This not only gives students a break from the classroom but also can build flexibility into their schedules.

Another benefit of hybrid classes is that they open up the possibility of even more one-on-one interaction with the professors.

According to Assistant Professor of Modern Languages Amy Allen-Sekhar, she can be there almost as a private tutor for her students.

Professors are in their offices during online class times if students need more personal attention.

Since the transition from Blackboard to ACE is taking full effect this spring, this is the first time UIndy has ever had the opportunity to allow hybrid classes.

Teachers are currently participating in tutorial sessions on how to successfully run their hybrid classes.

Allen-Sekhar is one of the few professors who already is using this program. This semester is a trial run for her French 201 class, which meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and has an online class on Tuesdays.

“You have to ensure that you are communicating with the students,” Allen-Sekhar said.

In her online classes, she takes traditional PowerPoint presentations and enhances them with tools and ways for students to interact.

Most people think online equals boring, but it doesn’t have to be,” she said.
Her PowerPoint presentations record her own voice, so that students can still feel they are learning from her versus learning from the computer.

Notes can be made on the slides themselves that walk students through the material.

She also offers worksheets for students to complete online and print out to bring to class the next day.

For collaboration, Allen-Sekhar has her class work on a Wiki page about a novel they are reading. The Wiki page is much like a Wikipedia page in that anyone in the group is able to add and edit it.

The class is divided into two groups, and each week, all group members are required to add to it.

Another tool that Allen-Sekhar uses is called “voice thread.” Students are able to play the video or audio offered by the professor, and then pause it at the exact moment that there is any confusion and leave a comment or question.
Then, they are able to continue on through the rest of the Voice thread document.

This way, professors can see exactly where the student is struggling and what he or she needs to cover in the next class meeting.

Sophomore Lola Sanuth, a student in Allen-Sekhar’s French 201 class, found this device to be most helpful, as she often has the same questions as others.

“You can see everyone else’s questions and create discussions and forums,” Sanuth said. “It’s really helpful.”