Ocotillo Spotlight on Instructional Technology... is a monthly electronic newsletter that highlights an innovative use of technology at one of the Maricopa Community Colleges.

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March: Profiles of Four Faculty at South Mountain
April: Chandler-Gilbert Goes Wireless!
May: The Universe in My Classroom (Scottsdale)
June: Online Biology at Phoenix College
September: Rio Salado College Online Course Tour
October: Estrella Mountain's Blackboard "How-To" Modules
November: End-of-a-Pencil Experiences Online (Paradise Valley)

December: A Glendale Community College Hybrid Learning Pioneer: Marla DeSoto

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Ocotillo Spotlight on Instructional Technology

Note: The Ocotillo Spotlight is no longer published, but all previous issues will remain on this site.

spotlight for December 2003
In this December 2003 Ocotillo Spotlight we learn about the pioneering journey of Glendale Community College's Marla Desoto and her colleagues to provide hybrid courses for the Glendale English Department.

A Glendale Community College Hybrid Learning Pioneer: Marla DeSoto

Marla Desoto, English Faculty, Glendale Community College
marla.desoto@gcmail.maricopa.edu
Gary Marrer, Ocotillo Chair, Glendale Community College
gary.marrer@gcmail.maricopa.edu

Being an early adopter of technology requires a real pioneering spirit, a willingness to take the latest and greatest ideas and implement them in the classroom. For the English Department at Glendale Community College, Marla DeSoto, has been both pioneer and explorer as she has taken the journey from traditional to on-line to hybrid teaching/learning.

Hybrid Learning in the English Department by Marla DeSoto

First Year Composition ENG101 is offered in a "Hybrid Format" at Glendale.

In the hybrid format, my ENG101 meets in a networked classroom once a week for 1 hour and 15 minutes. This is half the time a traditional, face-to-face ENG101 class meets.

Hybrid format, in my understanding, changes the time students and teacher are in the same place, the classroom. Hybrid courses use technology tools to implement activities and learning that students do outside of their classroom time, freeing the classroom for other uses by other people. Students still participate in the class the traditional number of hours per week, but at least part of this participation is accomplished using technology tools at a place of the student's choosing.

My ENG101 Hybrid course website contains links to assignments, course documents, the course discussion group, and other materials. The students need access to an Internet-enabled computer to communicate with their classmates, access course materials, and complete their assignments. While most use their home computers, they have access to the computers in the HT1 and HT2 buildings on campus.

The Journey Begins...

After a couple of semesters teaching online in the early 1990's, I spent the rest of the decade teaching my ENG101 classes in a networked computer classroom. Every semester I integrated more and more technology into my classes, using discussion groups, web pages, and other resources to enhance my students' learning. During the Fall, 2001 semester, I plunged into online teaching, and taught two sections of ENG101 totally online, followed the next semester (Spring 2002) with two online ENG101 sections.

Having the experience of recently teaching both online and face-to-face, I was intrigued with the idea of a hybrid that combined the best of both teaching/learning environments. I wanted to find a way to improve the teaching/learning environment and integrate the best of both worlds. I explored the concept through several avenues. During the summer of 2002, I co-facilitated a Faculty Summer Workgroup titled Syllaweb 2002, and explored the concept of hybrid courses. During this summer, I redesigned my ENG101 course to deliver it in a hybrid formatÑonce a week in the classroom and the rest of the time online. While my online students had expressed the wish to meet, at least occasionally, my face-to-face students told me that they did not need to be in the classroom two or three days a week for all of the required class meetings.

Redesigning for a Hybrid

To begin my ENG101 course redesign, I made a list of the activities I normally did with my students in the classroom and those that I asked them to do outside of class. I thought about each activity, and whether it would be more effective in the classroom or online. Discussions, for example, are more effective online, as each student must participate and few can sit in the back just listening. When students work in groups to accomplish research, the initial formation of the groups and establishment of the tasks is best done in the classroom; the research and posting of results is best done outside of class and online. Additionally, I prefer that students read the assigned material online and then come to class ready to participate in the classroom work, rather than allowing for students to read directions and background information in the classroom. I've also discovered that it is more effective to teach a new activity or concept face-to-face the first time, and then follow it up by asking students to practice this on their own outside of class.

The journey continues... never stops

My hybrid course is constantly evolving and changing. At this time, I use my own website for course materials and links to outside materials. I use a free web-based discussion software for discussions. Email is used for communication, also. I anticipate the evolution of my course every semester, as I move towards a more effective learning/teaching environment for my students.

GCC English Department Hybrid Classes

The GCC English department offers ENG071, ENG101 and ENG102 in both the hybrid and online formats, in addition to the traditional face-to-face delivery. Casey Furlong, faculty in the English Department, has redesigned the ENG071 and ENG102 courses for hybrid delivery, using her own website and discussions to implement the course. Together, Casey and I have supported each other's learning, and we are encouraging our colleagues to incorporate technology into their courses.