Growing Your Online Presence in the Classroom
Fully Online, Hybrid, Flipped, and Web-Enhanced
Courses
Daniel W. Hoppe, Jr., Senior Advisory Consultant for Higher Education
October, 2014
Desire2Learn Incorporated 151 Charles Street West, Suite 400, Kitchener, Ontario N2G 1H6 Canada
Toll Free: 1 888-772-0325 (U.S. & Canada) | Telephone: +1 519-77-0325 | Fax: +1 519-772-0324
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Contents
About this Document ............................................................................................................................................. 2
Growing Your Online Presence............................................................................................................................... 2
Recommendations and Considerations ................................................................................................................. 8
Additional Consulting ............................................................................................................................................. 8
About D2L ............................................................................................................................................................... 9
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About this Document
This document provides recommendations and other considerations for institutions of higher education as
they plan and prepare for change and growth among their online offerings. Areas of focus will include:
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The modalities of online learning (fully online, hybrid, flipped, and web-enhanced courses)
The benefits of each modality and how they can contribute to growing online presence
The concept of Minimum Online Presence (MOP) and what that means to your institution
How to use the Brightspace platform to increase your institution’s online presence
Growing Your Online Presence in the Classroom
Online education strives to accomplish many things. It offers a level of flexibility for the learner while also
creating an environment that is academically proficient and drives interaction and collaboration on both a
personal and global level. One aspect that contributes significantly to the learner experience is the concept of
online presence.
To many, “online presence” can mean different things—especially depending on whether the individual is an
instructor or a student. Online presence can be summed up in one word: presence. Students want an
instructor that is engaged and has designed a course that meets their expectations from an academic and
collegiate standpoint. They want to know that the instructor is right there with them instead of watching from
the sidelines. Similarly, institutions and instructors expect a level of presence in their classes.
Many institutions have a MOP they require their online faculty to adhere to. These MOPs are put in place to
ensure that students are receiving a rich and robust educational experience through the use of the
appropriate technology while offering engagement and interaction between them and their instructors. These
minimum expectations are based on the type of online experiences in which the course is being conducted.
Similarly, most faculty want to contribute to the learner experience, with opportunities to lecture, facilitate
activities, and participate in discussions relevant to their areas of expertise. They want to foster and promote
learning while also being engaged with their students—something that can be accomplished by increasing
their online presence. So, how does one promote and enhance their online presence?
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Fully Online Courses
One way to promote and grow your online presence is through fully online courses. Fully online courses refer
to those which are facilitated completely through an online format. Students access their courses and
complete their coursework remotely using online technologies such as Brightspace, an integrated learning
platform (ILP), without the physical requirements of attending class in a traditional classroom.
Benefits
Some of the benefits of utilizing fully online courses include the ability to provide maximum flexibility in the
learning experience for the student, the use of a wide range of technologies students are familiar with, and
the concept of bringing education to the student versus the student coming to the learning experience. Let’s
break these benefits down further.
Today’s students have evolved greatly in their needs and expectations. Many require a high level of flexibility
within the college experience in order to maintain career and personal obligations. The flexibility of fully
online courses allows students to attend class while balancing their professional and personal lives. Along
those same lines, students have also grown accustomed to the use of technology. From online banking to
gaming and online shopping, students are very technologically savvy and therefore enjoy the technological
aspects that fully online courses offer. Finally, fully online courses allow institutions to reach a larger number
of students outside of their typical geographical area and offer the high-quality experience that their locallybased students have grown to appreciate. Engaging students regionally, nationally, and even globally is an
essential part of truly bringing education to the learner.
Minimum Online Presence
Institutions that utilize a MOP—specifically in their fully-online courses—create a meaningful and consistent
experience for their students. Students who take fully online courses may experience limited exposure to their
instructors, especially if they are new to taking online classes. With MOPs in place, students will have certain
points within the week and/or class where the faculty member’s online presence is experienced consistently.
Examples of MOPs in fully-online classes may include an expectation of the faculty member’s participation
within discussions with students, the creation of opening remarks to introduce each week’s module, or the
creation of opportunities for synchronous chat each week as an option for students to interact. These types of
activities allow for interaction between instructors and students while also promoting online presence and
student success.
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Ways to Grow using Brightspace
When it comes to growing your online presence in a fully online course, there are many activities that can be
facilitated using the Brightspace platform. The discussion forums are a great way to build and maintain
presence and community within the class environment. Aside from typical discussions related to course
content, the discussion forums can be used at the beginning of the class to set up an “introduction”
opportunity. Since the students never meet in a physical classroom, this is a great way for them to get to know
each other—and the instructor. Additionally, the use of a “Virtual Office” can be developed within a discussion
forum, offering the students an easy way to address questions to the instructor. Finally, creating a video
presence within the course, whether through opening remarks or weekly lectures, allows students who prefer
a visual presence to see and interact with the instructor.
Hybrid Courses
Another way to promote and grow your online presence is through hybrid courses. Although “hybrid” is
defined differently at every institution, the basic concept is consistent. In a hybrid course, a portion of the
learning experience is facilitated in a traditional physical classroom while another portion is delivered online,
typically with the assistance of software such as the Brightspace platform. The breakdown of the time spent
between the two can be subjective (based on recommendations from accrediting organizations) and should be
decided upon by the institution. Examples of hybrid formats may be 50% classroom/50% online to more of a
60%-40% either way. It is important for the institution to identify and define hybrid courses and then maintain
consistency campus-wide.
Benefits
One benefit of choosing a hybrid format to increase your online presence is the ability to appropriately align
technology with course-related activities. Aligning available technology with course-related activities serves
two purposes. First, it allows students the opportunity to achieve course objectives remotely, decreasing the
amount of “in seat” time. Secondly, some activities may be better achieved using appropriate technologies,
including material review and exam preparation (for example—quizzes, flash cards, or “Choose your Path”
with release conditions).
Another benefit of the hybrid format includes presenting the information in ways that appeal to learners’
needs. Some students learn most effectively with a physical aspect to the course—where interaction is fairly
tangible with the instructor and fellow classmates. Others need the flexibility that online courses have to offer.
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The hybrid approach brings them together, allowing for some face-to-face interaction while also offering a
level of flexibility by reducing the amount of time spent in the actual classroom.
Minimum Online Presence
When it comes to establishing a MOP with hybrid courses, there are many opportunities and benefits to
consider. Students who take hybrid courses will get a portion of their learning experience in a traditional,
seated classroom while a large part of their class is also facilitated online. As suggested above, instilling a MOP
within your hybrid courses will help create a consistent experience for learners while also offering them access
to important information when they need it. For example, many institutions who have MOPs in place for their
hybrid offerings ask that all course documents (syllabus, calendar, etc.) be posted within the online
environment. This promotes online presence by driving students to their online classrooms while giving them
access to the information that they need, right when they need it. Similarly, creating an online presence where
all course assignments are submitted online and grades are viewed by the student online also promotes an
online presence within your hybrid offerings.
Ways to Grow using Brightspace
Increasing your online presence within hybrid courses can be accomplished in many ways using the
Brightspace platform. One way is to establish groups, which work both in the locally-based and online portions
of the course. A discussion forum can be created for each group, giving students a place to converse while
offering the instructor a place to interact with small groups. Another way to grow your online presence
includes the concept of shared delivery of content. Many instructors using the hybrid format will deliver part
of a lecture in the seated class with the remaining portion available in the online format and/or begin a
discussion in class with follow up/continued discussion online. This allows learners to interact and learn in
their preferred format while also offering a level of seamless engagement with the instructor.
Flipped Classes
The concept of a flipped class—while fairly new—is being embraced by more and more schools every day. The
basic premise is simple: deliver activities and content that would traditionally be delivered via a seated class in
advance, using technology such as the Brightspace platform. The expectation is that students will review the
information before coming to class, allowing for dialogue and activities based on new knowledge they have
previously received. It can be looked at as putting the homework before class instead of after—allowing for
more time to ask questions and really digest the information, thereby “flipping” the format of the course.
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Benefits
When considering a flipped classroom approach there are several benefits to note. The flipped approach gives
learners more time with the instructor—whether physical or virtual—to address individualized needs and
concerns. Additionally, it offers a great method for assessing the ways in which students are successful in the
learning process. Whether more self-paced or more hands-on, the instructor can engage the student in ways
that most effectively meet their learning style. The flipped classroom also opens the door for more practice
and less explanation. With this approach, the instructor is able to assign the reading and perhaps a video
lecture regarding the content prior to a class meeting, which then allows for actual hands-on activities
pertaining to the topic addressed. This gives the student more practical experience, increasing proficiency and
confidence in the content area.
Minimum Online Presence
Similar to the hybrid approach, a MOP—once defined by your institution—can enhance the learning
experience for students in flipped classrooms. The concept of flipping the classroom may seem confusing to
students at first. Creating additional opportunities for engagement and interaction early in the course can
assist in familiarizing students with this new format. In establishing MOPs for your flipped approach, once
again, access to information and a consistent experience for the learner will contribute greatly to their overall
success. For example, MOPs for flipped classes may include items such as a syllabus, documents, and grades.
However, with the flipped approach, MOPs should also include lectures and/or other learning opportunities
delivered online to support the flipped concept.
Ways to Grow using Brightspace
Utilizing the Brightspace platform within a flipped classroom can grow your online presence tremendously,
from discussion opportunities to video lectures and opportunities for reflection. Similar to the hybrid
approach, posing a discussion question first in the online environment within a Brightspace discussion with
subsequent follow up in the physical class allows for a richer and more robust discussion that combines
technology and human interaction. As stated in the example above, creating video lectures or learning objects
that support the content is a great way to engage and increase an online presence within the flipped format.
Using D2L Capture™ is a simple way to allow faculty to record and include video lectures in their courses. And
finally, utilizing a private discussion or even an assignment, submitted to via the Dropbox tool as a reflection
opportunity, allows the student to feel a level of personal presence with the instructor.
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Web-Enhanced Courses
Web-enhanced courses have been around for quite a while. Using a platform such as Brightspace, webenhanced courses assist the traditional learning process by providing access to resources in an online format.
Types of activities or resources can include course information, assessments, and instructor contact
information. This format serves as another example of creating an online presence with students in order to
increase engagement and student success.
Benefits
As with the other formats discussed, web-enhanced courses offer benefits to both the student and the
instructor with regard to flexibility while increasing interaction and presence within the course. Learners who
take a traditional seated class still need and want a level of personal interaction that may, in many cases,
exceed the allotted physical class time. Engaging students using a web-enhanced approach opens the door for
additional dialogue and interaction outside the seated classroom.
Learners also want to know how they are doing from an assessment/grading standpoint. Posting grades
through an online grade book can be convenient for the instructor and accessible for the student. And finally,
creating a repository of information and resources within the online environment for students to access—
including syllabi, lecture notes, instructor contact information, grade book, and assignment submissions—
creates a virtual presence students expect and need.
Minimum Online Presence
Institutions that create an MOP for their web-enhanced offerings can allow better access to information and
improve engagement with their students both in the traditional classroom and within the online environment.
Additionally, creating a consistent level of engagement with the student through MOPs will allow for increased
interaction and ultimately a more positive and successful experience. An example of MOPs for web-enhanced
courses may include having all courses utilizing a single online platform—such as Brightspace—to serve as an
online “Home Base”—a one-stop shop outside of the traditional seated classroom for documents,
assignments, contact information, communication, and grades. This will contribute to the consistent
experience students will have regardless of the courses taken at your institution.
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Ways to Grow using Brightspace
Many of the benefits and suggestions above for increasing your online presence within web-enhanced courses
can be easily implemented with the Brightspace platform. Gradebook functionality is fully customizable,
allowing the instructor to set up the Gradebook tool in a format that works with their course structure while
offering ease with grading and making grades accessible to students. Similarly, the Dropbox tool offers the
opportunity for students to easily submit assignments, which can be tied to the Gradebook, allowing for
customized and individualized feedback. As suggested above, the concept of a “Virtual Office” discussion
allows for continued dialogue between the class and instructor outside of physical class time with the
discussion forums.
Recommendations and Considerations
As you can see, there are a multitude of ways instructors and institutions can increase and grow their online
presence using the Brightspace platform. The first step is to identify the appropriate format in which to
deliver the content, whether fully online, hybrid, flipped or web-enhanced. That must be followed by the
creation of opportunities for personal and engaging interaction with students using the appropriate activities
and technology within platform.
This can be accomplished with the implementation of a MOP concept. MOPs, once defined and identified by
your institution, can contribute greatly to the overall success and positive experiences students and faculty
will have by utilizing your institution’s online learning platform. The goal of consistent engagement and
interaction between the students and instructors is meaningful and can be easily accomplished with the
proper planning and support from your institution.
Additional Consulting
D2L employs a number of experts with extended experience leading academic programs. The D2L community
of users includes experts in many fields related to the management and delivery of instructional programs and
technologies. D2L stands ready to collaborate and coordinate with you on your advanced consulting needs, as
well as research studies related to instruction.
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About D2L
A global leader in EdTech, D2L is the creator of Brightspace, the world’s first integrated learning platform. The
company partners with thought-leading organizations to improve learning through data-driven technology
that helps deliver a personalized experience to every learner, regardless of geography or ability. D2L’s open
and extensible platform is used by more than 1,100 clients and almost 15 million individual learners in higher
education, K–12, healthcare, government, and the enterprise sector—including Fortune 1000 companies. The
company has operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Brazil, and Singapore.
www.brightspace.com | www.D2L.com
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