Strategies for bridging the engagement gaps between in-person and online learning Hybrid learning’s flexibility and mobility conveniently give students in the same class a choice of whether they prefer to attend on-campus or log in synchronously while located anywhere in the world. Some may be at home busy cooking supper, and others may be listening while travelling, working, or simply sitting in a quiet space. Those who cannot attend the live lecture may asynchronously access recordings. Therefore, to close the gaps between these divergent locations and provide equitable, engaged learning experiences, the following considerations may be helpful: 1. 2. 3. 1. Future-Fit: Co-designing in reflexive communities of meaning-making with CAT As disciplinary experts, facilitators are often tempted to prioritise curriculum content at the expense of innovative pedagogies and learner-centred instructional design approaches. Starting at the module’s early planning and development stages, regular get-togethers with CAT nurture a collaborative community of practice to meaningfully reflect upon and adjust pedagogies and technologies where needed (Lave and Wenger, 1991). For facilitators somewhat hesitant to try hybrid learning, there is access to CAT’s Future-Fit venue. It provides seating in an intimate space where desks can be rearranged to optimise group work during flipped classes. Adequate sound equipment lets remote students hear clearly and contribute to on-campus classroom discussions as if they are present in-person. Good lighting and a webcam filming on-campus classroom activities further give remote students a sense of being equally present. In addition, a smart whiteboard where the entire online learning platform is visible to the students attending on-campus further creates a unifying and equal learning experience. 2. Using social cues to make disembodied online students feel equally welcome and engaged Being represented by stunted avatars, virtual students risk being neglected during a hybrid class. Acknowledging online students by greeting them by their names, especially when reading out loud their comments in the chat box, go a long way to make them feel equally welcome, recognised and seen. Likewise, making eye contact with stunted avatars may not come naturally. However, making a deliberate effort to look at the webcam frequently will give online students a sense of being included. Finally, post-graduate Gen Y and Gen Z students are more likely to warm up to a facilitator who uses emojis, stickers and GIFs in the chat box, even if it feels somewhat awkward to an old, Gen X professor. 3. Building bridges: Fostering collaboration between in-person and online students Several approaches help to bridge the fragmented spaces of hybrid learning. A single and cohesive mode of delivery is created when asking on-campus students to log into the same online learning platform as their online counterparts. For example, when on-campus students use their mobile devices to join remote students in the same Microsoft Teams session, students can seamlessly engage across different locations. Both remote and on-campus students can equally post and read comments in the chat box. Likewise, all students can equally engage in break-out rooms. To reach everyone with reading and worksheet handouts, differences in students’ locations can be overcome by placing digital readings in a single folder in the cloud. Given hyperlinked access to Google Drive, Wakelet, or Dropbox documents allows students to collaboratively add comments to the same document, regardless of location. Furthermore, the chat function can be used to share links to cloud folders that everyone can access and engage with equally. Teaching Innovation for the 21st Century | Showcasing UJ Teaching Innovation Projects 2022 65
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