Welcome to the MCAEL Program Administrator Toolkit - NEW data has been added!  

  • You are here

    Home»DISTANCE LEARNING»Chapter 23: Designing Online Classes

    Chapter 23: Designing Online Classes

      Distant Learning - Chapter 23

       

      Designing Online Classes

      ■ What kind of classes can I create?  

      Classes can be completely remote, completely in person, or completely done on students’ own time with instructors giving feedback; or they can be a combination of these three.   
       
      Some terms around this include “synchronous” classes which mean the classes are done with the teachers and students online at the same time. “Asynchronous” classes are ones in which the students will complete activities when they have time (though often with deadlines), and the instructor will provide feedback.    
       
      Most often classes can be a mix of the two.  Classes will be held with the teachers and students together remotely, and students can also do work on their own.   
       
      One other possibility is to conduct “Blendflex/Hyflex” courses, where students have face-to-face and remote options at the same time. The idea is to have in-person and remote classes at the same level and meeting time that students can switch between based on their availability.  You might also set it up so that students can do asynchronous work that will allow them to keep up with the class and join back in either remotely or in person when they are able.   
       
       

      ■ What technological tools are needed?  

      Video conferencing options: 
       
      See MCAEL's comparison on the most popular programs to use for these.  Features for these programs have been changing regularly, so you may want to check their sites to ensure these haven’t changed:  
       
       
      Some other options include WhatsApp video conferencing.  It doesn’t have the features like sharing screens or breakout rooms, but many adult ESOL students are more familiar with the app so it can be an easy starting point for remote instruction.  
       
       
      If all your students have Apple products, you can also use FaceTime. It has the same limitations as WhatsApp, but it gives you other options to interact with student groups.   
       
      Skype can work as well. It does allow screen sharing.   
       
      For asynchronous work, it is often useful to use a “Learning Management System” (LMS). Essentially, this is a website where students can find the work they need to do and even turn in work.  The main benefit for this is that instructors have an easy place to put they work students have to do and can track what students have done in a way that is much more organized than just doing it all over email.  Instructors can also communicate with students on the site, and most even allow instructors to create quizzes.   
       
      While schools may be able to use an LMS such as Blackboard or Canvas, these may out of reach for Adult ESOL programs. The free versions of these have lots of features and there are videos on the website or in YouTube that can walk your teachers and you through how to set them up and use them.   
       
      Google Classroom: This one has a lot of features, but more importantly, it links up with other Google products if you are using them for your classes.   
       
       
      Schoology: This is another popular LMS.   
       

      Designing Online Classes

      ♦ NOTES FROM THE FIELD

      Catholic Charities StatisticsLaura Irwin, Supervisor of the ESOL program at Catholic Charities’ Spanish Catholic Center in Gaithersburg, discusses their hybrid class model: 

      Why did you decide to set up a hybrid class?   

      The Catholic Charities ESOL program has made a concerted effort to engage learners outside of the classroom over the span of the 2018-2019 program year. As such, the program’s staff have begun incorporating more technology use into the curriculum, and we were looking for ways to allow students to continue practicing their English language skills outside of class hours.  

      How did you set up the hybrid class?   

      The ESOL Program Supervisor taught all students how to download the Oxford University Press’ Step Forward application to their smartphones.  This app, which accompanies the Oxford University Press’ curriculum utilized by our ESOL program, allows students to practice and increase their English vocabulary. In the hybrid classes, Google Classroom was integrated into the curriculum, which allows the instructor to upload lessons and activities online that learners can then access from home. Instructors assign these lessons over weekends and facilitate discussions about their content in person during the first class of the following week.  During summer 2019, our program piloted its first hybrid model course.  This course model allowed students to participate in both in-person class sessions as well as at-home online learning activities. 

      How did it go? 

      Students in the hybrid course provided overwhelmingly positive feedback about this course model, noting that it is much easier to participate in all class sessions when an online option is provided. 

      In fact, there was one particularly striking instance that highlights the benefits of the hybrid program model. During the first part of this grant period, there was one week where an instructor had to cancel at the last minute, and the Program Manager was unable to find a substitute. While this would normally result in a cancellation, the online materials provided through the hybrid program gave students access to an instructional video and learning activities. They were therefore able to complete this lesson in the absence of a live instructor. 

      The implementation of the hybrid course also made the program’s transition to entirely remote learning, which occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic, much easier -- students, instructors, and the program staff all had prior experience conducting the program online. 

      Sometimes these classes can be challenging if students don’t have access to computers. How do you overcome that challenge? 

      Students who need access to a computer to complete the online portions of the course can use one of the computers provided by Catholic Charities at the Spanish Catholic Center in Gaithersburg, MD, access the internet via their local public library, or can be referred to our partner, Project Phoenix, which refurbishes used computers and sells them at an extremely low cost. 

      Learners in Montgomery College Adult ESOL classes receive the Zoom instructions below prior to class:

      (Click on the document to view in its entirety.)