Universities nationally have seen positive outcomes in student learning and success through the use of hybrid courses. A hybrid course by definition includes both regularly scheduled, on-site classroom meetings and significant online components that replace at least 40% of regularly scheduled class meeting time. This RFP is designed to explore the use of hybrid course structure to more fully meet the educational learning outcomes for both undergraduates and graduate students in 4XX/5XX courses.
The Graduate School is offering compensation and course development support to OSU faculty for the redesign of established classroom4xx/5xx-level “slash” courses into hybrid courses. Faculty participants will receive $3000 paid either as overload pay or professional development funding, will participate in a faculty learning community–facilitated by the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)–on effective practices in hybrid course design, and will receive individual support from the CTL instructional designer as well as the Ecampus Program Development and Training Team. Details are provided below.
The new hybrid courses will serve on-site students, and they will adhere to the regular on-site (not Ecampus) tuition structure. It is anticipated that the new hybrid sections will replace the existing fully classroom-based section (for example, the new hybrid CH 427/527 would replace the existing classroom-based CH 427/527). Participation is limited to 6 faculty participants for the Winter 2013 term.
Graduate faculty approved to teach graduate courses and who have taught at least 2 years at OSU are eligible to participate. Faculty should submit hybrid course development proposals with a supporting message from the respective academic unit head.
Funding
The Graduate School will allocate $3000 per course to each participating faculty member who develops a hybrid course, paid either as overload pay or as professional development funds and as allowed by university policy. Overload pay will be subject to taxes and withholding. If multiple instructors work as a team to develop the hybrid course, the $3,000 stipend will be equally split among them.
These funds are in support of:
1 – Participation in the CTL faculty learning community focused on hybrid course development, approximately a 30-hour commitment. This group will have a blend of online activities and approximately five, two-hour face-to-face meetings on the Corvallis campus during the Winter 2013 term.
AND
2 – Providing course content and working with the CTL instructional designer and members of the Ecampus Program Development and Training Team to redesign and produce a new hybrid course.
The CTL, in collaboration with Ecampus, will provide basic course development and production support (instructional design and best practices, including accessibility and copyright; project management; media development; Blackboard course development, training, and on-going support). Training and support is available for all participants in Blackboard, multimedia, pedagogy for hybrid courses, and video production. Resources in Technology Across the Curriculum and Media Services will also be available to support the technology in the classroom component of hybrid courses.
Please note this program is explicitly for faculty who would like to redesign an existing classroom course as a hybrid during Winter 2013, not faculty who already intend to teach the course as a hybrid during Winter 2013.
Timeline
An initial meeting between the instructor and the instructional designer will occur in December, followed by hybrid course development—including participation in faculty learning community—during the Winter 2013 term. The hybrid course must be offered for the first time by Winter 2014.
Requirements
Instructor must fully participate in the “Hybrid Course Development” faculty learning community, including completion of all online activities and attendance at all scheduled face-to-face meetings. The meetings will be on Tuesdays from 2:00 to 3:50 pm in Milam 215 on Jan. 15 and 29, Feb. 12 and 26, and March 12.
Online portions of each hybrid course will be designed and delivered through the Blackboard course management system. Multimedia components may be included in course design as needed to meet specified learning objectives.
Instructors will work with the CTL instructional designer to redesign the hybrid course according to best practices in blended learning and OSU accreditation standards.
- Course can be readily redesigned for hybrid delivery without excessive development cost.
- Academic unit accepts responsibility for the curriculum and quality of instruction.
- Hybrid course will be offered at least once per year.
- Hybrid course will be available to all OSU students who meet prerequisites.
- Separate learning outcomes must be clearly stated for undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in the course.
- Instructor must demonstrate basic skills in computer use.
- For syllabus and online components of the hybrid course, instructor will follow OSU course quality standards as described in
o Ecampus Course Quality Standards –Sections 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0
o “Best Practices in Designing a Course” (see particularly 0.2, 0.2.1 and 0.2.2 under Course Planning and Design)
o OSU Curricular Policies and Procedures
and other research-based best practices for blended and online courses such as those of the 2011-2013 Quality Matters Rubric Standards.
- Any online content requiring Ecampus staff development time for graphics, animation or multimedia work must be delivered to Ecampus staff at least 6 weeks in advance of the term in which the course will be offered. Faculty should consult with Ecampus as soon as possible about any multimedia development to allow sufficient production time.
New hybrid courses must include both regularly scheduled, on-site classroom meetings for both undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in the class and significant online components that replace at least 40% of regularly scheduled class meeting time for students. So, for example, hybrid delivery of a 3-credit course that normally meets for two 80-minute periods each week might involve meeting face-to-face for one undergraduate weekly meeting and one graduate student weekly meeting each blended with online activities, assignments and assessments that require student engagement at a level equivalent to a full 3-credit course for each cohort.
Proposal Guidelines
Applicants are asked to submit a narrative proposal of 2 to 3 pages, which includes the following information in this order:
1. Course designator, title and credits.
2. Instructor’s contact information and rank.
3. Degree, program(s), or certificate to which this course would apply and the role/importance of this course to the program(s); and/or description of audience or express need for this course.
4. Is there currently a fully online (Ecampus) version of the course?
5. Typical enrollment in each section of the course, and total number of sections of the course offered per year.
6. Proposed terms to be taught as a hybrid course.
7. Instructor’s experience with Blackboard and online technologies. Both instructors without online teaching experience and veteran online instructors are encouraged to apply.
8. Instructor’s (or department chair’s) rationale for converting this specific course to hybrid delivery.
9. One paragraph of preliminary ideas for course design, learning materials and online resources upon which the course will be based.
10. One paragraph describing why instructor is interested in participation in this program.
11. Indication of academic unit’s approval for hybrid course development and ongoing offerings of hybrid course. This approval can be by separate email from head of academic unit.
12. Attach a current course syllabus to the proposal.
To Find Out More about Hybrid Courses and This Program
The Center for Teaching and Learning will offer an hour-long workshop about the hybrid pilot program–including tips for successful proposal preparation–and effective practices for hybrid course design on Thu., Oct. 11, 1:00 pm, in Milam 215. To register, go tohttp://calendar.oregonstate.edu/event/71815/. Additionally, the CTL has many resources about hybrid teaching and learning athttp://oregonstate.edu/ctl/hybrid-course-initiative.
Submission of Proposals
Submit proposals for the hybrid course development pilot program by email by Friday, Oct. 19, to:
Cub Kahn, Instructional Designer
Center for Teaching and Learning
323 Waldo Hall
Announcement of Award
Decisions will be announced by Nov. 5, 2012.
Upon acceptance, an MOU will be drawn up with the academic unit for course production, use of course and materials, control and credit, distribution of supporting funds, and course delivery. Funds will be sent to the academic unit by budget transfer upon satisfactory completion of hybrid course development and all program requirements.
Please address questions to Cub.Kahn@oregonstate.edu or call 7-2803.
