Best way to support faculty with the transition to hybrid learning

Developing Engaging Content

Faculty can also utilize a variety of tools to make online courses more engaging. At Purdue, faculty have access to campus green screen studios, where they can record lectures with various multimedia components and post them to D2L Brightspace via Kaltura. The university’s BoilerCast system allows them to broadcast videos live or record in-class lectures. “We can’t fight the faculty desire to do a video lecture,” Fooksman says. “But we can teach them how to make those videos better.”

Some of his team’s best practices include adding “Easter Eggs” for students to find throughout lectures, showcasing PowerPoints behind professors as they speak, varying video styles and adding in-video quizzes. Captioning helps those with disabilities and can also improve comprehension and recall for all students, he says.

Competency-based tools can also aid in student engagement and success, by allowing students to advance more quickly. Texas A&M—Commerce is offering Bachelor’s Degrees in Organizational Leadership and Criminal Justice, Murrey says through this potentially faster track. Students must demonstrate mastery before requesting permission to enter another section from the degree program. “This allows the instructor the ability to reach that student where they are in the process of their learning and help guide them through the next steps,” Murrey says.