Arts & Humanities Monthly Features
Going Hybrid: ESOL 0364 Advanced Reading & Vocabulary Skills
by Devorah Feldman
As part of ACC’s course redesign initiative, I modified a section of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) to create a hybrid class. Advanced Reading and Vocabulary Skills is generally taught in a traditional classroom setting using a wide variety of approaches. As an additional option to our current approaches, I created a hybrid section that would be offered half in–class and half online. With the support of my ESOL colleagues, Department Chair Mary Corredor, Dean Lyman Grant, and AVP Donetta Goodall, we successfully launched the new hybrid course at Rio Grande Campus in Spring 2008.
Considerations
One goal in redesigning this section of Advanced Reading and Vocabulary was to enhance the learning experience by combining the strongest elements of traditional classroom instruction with the convenience and interactive features of online classes. Specifically, I wanted to:
– provide materials that address different learning styles
– enable independent learning
– encourage active and collaborative learning
– provide more accessible student–faculty communication
– provide abundant in–class and online feedback
– offer activities that engage and inspire the learner
Implementation
For the hybrid class, students meet once a week and then complete online activities before the next in–class meeting. Attendance is required as is completion of all online activities and exams. I use Blackboard as both an interface and a portal, so I first ensure that all students can log in to Blackboard and use its features. In addition, I created a Blackboard template for my colleagues to use. Professors who so desire can copy my template into their courses and modify it as needed.
A few of our classroom activities are:
– introduction of new readings: group or silent reading / listening to quality recordings
– vocabulary exercises, pronunciation practice, and games
– reading comprehension exercises and games for individuals and teams
– creative writing responses to assigned readings and the sharing of these works
– analytical responses to fiction and non–fiction passages
– sharing of newspaper articles and passages of interest with student–led vocabulary instruction
– literary analyses of texts, such as short stories, poems, editorials, histories, and a short novel
– assessment (reading exams, vocabulary quizzes, in-class responses, and timed reading comprehension tests)
Online activities include:
– online readings (available for download)
– interactive reading comprehension quizzes
– interactive vocabulary quizzes
– listening activities: readings and vocabulary available as podcasts
– discussion forums and online journals
Rationale
The in–class activities are designed to foster an atmosphere of cooperative learning and to allow for freedom of expression. Students are often asked to lead discussions analyzing the text we are studying or to share their own readings and teach vocabulary in context. Students work together to learn how to tackle challenging texts while I suggest questions to stimulate critical thinking and promote thoughtful debate.
The online activities allow students to work at their own pace and to listen to readings as often as needed. Students can subscribe to the reading list using iTunes™, which notifies them when new podcasts are available. The online quizzes, while offering immediate feedback and correct answers, are designed more as interactive learning activities than assessment, and therefore are weighted lightly in the student’s overall grade. Web–based asynchronous discussions are encouraged via the online forums, and students can post their journals and respond to others’ journals online.
Software Applications Used for Hybrid Course Creation:
– Blackboard, used as an interface and a portal
– Macromedia Dreamweaver®, used to create a separate Web site for the purpose of maintaining large files, including video and audio files
– Adobe Photoshop®, used to create graphics for course materials, the course Web site, and Blackboard
– Audacity, used to create and edit audio files
– Notepad®, used to write XML scripts enabling RSS–feed in iTunes™ of the mp3 files
– Adobe Premiere® Elements, used to create video files for vocabulary review
– Microsoft Word®, PowerPoint®, Excel®, used to create student materials and to track student attendance and record grades
Results
While maintaining the high standards of assessment appropriate to an advanced level Reading & Vocabulary class, I was delighted to see an overall class average of 88%. Student feedback indicated that the course was quite challenging but rewarding and that it encouraged creativity and imagination. Many students commented on how helpful the Web site was in allowing them listen to readings multiple times and to listen to and practice the associated vocabulary. In addition, students appreciated having all course materials available online so they could conveniently catch up on anything missed or even work ahead. Students were actively engaged in the online discussions and seemed to enjoy the peer–to–peer interaction and feedback. My students’ comments were overwhelmingly positive, reflecting that students enjoy the freedom of self–paced learning blended with traditional classroom instruction as can be accomplished in a hybrid class. As I continue to work on this class, I will make further use of Blackboard’s™; Wimba capabilities to create additional voiceboards for peer–to–peer interaction and to record private verbal feedback (voice messages) to students. I would also like to develop more Blackboard templates so that other professors can easily copy my courses and modify them as desired. And most importantly, I will continue to collect student feedback and allow my class to evolve accordingly.
