2023 Volume 45 Issue 2 Pages 103-108
This study explores the effective ways to enhance the quality of hybrid courses in traditional universities. Historically, a single faculty member would handle a wide range of responsibilities, such as curriculum design, creation of instructional materials, classroom teaching, student engagement, providing feedback, and performing exhaustive evaluations. However, with the increasing prevalence of hybrid classes, the collaboration between administrative staff and domain-specific experts has become essential. Distance education universities possess extensive experience in both remote and face-to-face instruction, achieved through the collaborative efforts of faculty and staff. Traditional universities can learn about the organizational structure of faculty and staff and effective methods for supporting both distance and face-to-face instruction from distance education universities. To gain insights about the above, field research and interviews were conducted at five institutions from August to November 2022.
The four types of classes offered by distance education universities were summarized: 1) those using printed materials, 2) broadcasted classes, 3) face-to-face instruction, and 4) classes utilizing various media. Only the first two (printed materials and broadcasted classes) are exclusive to distance education institutions. Based on the interviews, the findings highlight three key strategies employed by these universities to maintain pedagogical excellence: 1) Ensuring an adequate number of graders and sufficient feedback; 2) Establishing a functional organizational structure; and 3) Creating an environment that supports self-learning. Therefore, our study elucidates that distance education is not merely an extension of face-to-face education but embodies a distinct structural model designed specifically for distance learning. Recognizing this distinction is crucial for enhancing the quality of future online courses.
