Planning and Implementation of Online and Hybrid Teaching

In virtual learning environments, successfully establishing and maintaining communication and developing a social presence is crucial for the quality of the teaching process, which you will learn more about in this activity.

In this activity, you will learn more about the types of assessment at the higher education level (including examples of digital tools through which they can be implemented).

In this activity, watch a recording of the webinar "Encouraging Active Learning through Constructive Alignment" held on February 27, 2024, organized by the Heart e-Learning Center. The lecturers were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sc. Ivan Banovac and Prof. Dr. Sc. Vedran Katavić from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Zagreb. The seminar deals with ways to connect learning outcomes, teaching activities, and assessment strategies for the purpose of more effective and meaningful teaching. The webinar presents examples from the higher education context that illustrate how carefully planned constructive alignment can encourage students to deepen their understanding, independent research, and application of knowledge in new situations.

While watching the recording, pay attention to how active learning methods are integrated into the teaching process and how aligning goals, activities, and assessment contributes to greater student engagement and motivation. In particular, think about how you could adapt and apply some of the presented approaches in your own teaching.

The aim of the activity is to develop an understanding of the concept of constructive alignment and to enable you to apply it in practice – through the design of teaching activities that directly support the achievement of learning outcomes and through the encouragement of active, reflective and collaborative learning of students in digital and hybrid educational environments.

Webinar content:

The webinar presents the process of adapting the approach to teaching objectives, content, teaching units and methods of assessing students' knowledge and skills, using the example of the Anatomy course – the largest course in the first year of the integrated undergraduate and postgraduate study of medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Zagreb (24 ECTS credits). It also presents the possibilities offered by the Learning Management System (LMS) interface in monitoring student activities and progress through the course. The flipped classroom model demonstrates the design and implementation of teaching activities that encourage active learning and the achievement of the intended learning outcomes. Finally, an analysis of the conducted evaluation is presented, which, together with a thoughtful approach to constructive alignment, will form an integral part of future reaccreditation procedures of higher education institutions.

Important: Be sure to take notes as you watch, as the information contained here will be useful for later activities.

In this activity, you will learn more about the concept of a virtual educational environment as a structured digital space designed to support learning or teaching at a distance.

In this activity, some instructional design methods are briefly explained.

In this activity you will have the opportunity to compare the ADDIE model and the ABC method.

IMPORTANT: This activity is mandatory!

In this activity, you will learn more about what types of technical support are possible for teachers at the HEI level and how these services should be implemented. Be sure to take notes as you read, as the information contained here will be useful in later activities.

In this activity you will learn what should be included in a HEI condition analysis. Be sure to take notes as you read, as the information contained here will be useful in later activities.

This activity explains how to plan and organise educational activities to prepare students for participation in hybrid and online learning, and how to prepare materials for them.

In this activity, you will learn more about the basics of inclusion in an online learning environment.

In this activity, you will learn more about the parts of e-infrastructure without which it is not possible to organise quality online or hybrid teaching.

In this activity, you will be presented with the prerequisites for online and hybrid teaching from the perspectives of teachers and students.

In this activity, you will learn more about the continuous professional development of teachers and other HEI employees.

In this activity, you will learn more about teacher digital competence frameworks for online teaching, designing and distributing teaching materials, and working with an e-learning system.

In this activity, you will learn about 3 examples of good practice on the topic of establishing educational activities to improve teachers' digital competences.

In this activity, you will learn more about the prerequisites that HEI should ensure for the smooth implementation of online and hybrid teaching.

Here you will find a selection of instructions and checklists for teachers and students regarding the organisational prerequisites for conducting online and hybrid classes.

In this activity, topics related to achieving cooperation in e-learning using digital tools available to all teachers at HEI will be covered.

This activity describes contemporary pedagogical approaches.

This activity will feature contemporary approaches to learning and teaching, including the flipped classroom, project-based learning and problem-based learning. The model in which the student is at the centre of the educational process will also be explained.

Watch the webinar "Innovation in teaching through changing pedagogical approaches — the flipped classroom method" held on February 16, 2023, organised by the Srce e-Learning Centre. The lecturer was professor Mirza Žižak, PhD from the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb. The webinar deals with modern teaching approaches aimed at actively involving students in the learning process. The webinar explains the basic elements of the flipped classroom, the level of complexity of its planning and organisation, and highlights the rules and good practices that contribute to the successful implementation of this teaching model.

The webinar presents the procedures for preparing teaching materials for independent learning before a live meeting, as well as expectations from students during preparation and active work in class. Emphasis is placed on a clear structure and meaningful connection between online and contact activities. A number of practical examples and tips are also presented that can be applied in different courses, regardless of the discipline or form of teaching. The final part presents the results of knowledge assessments that show better learning outcomes and greater student engagement after implementing the flipped classroom method, with increased interaction and more regular learning.

While watching the webinar, take notes on the key ideas, advantages and challenges of implementing the flipped classroom method. Pay particular attention to:

• how teaching is planned and structured according to this approach
• what are the prerequisites for its successful implementation
• how the role of teachers and students changes compared to traditional teaching.

Webinar content:

The webinar explains the basic elements of the flipped classroom, the level of complexity of its planning and organization, and the rules that contribute to its successful implementation. The procedures for preparing teaching materials for independent learning before the meeting are presented, as well as clear expectations from students during preparation and work in class, along with a number of practical ideas and tips for application in different courses. The results of knowledge assessments are particularly highlighted, which show better outcomes compared to the period before the introduction of the flipped classroom. In addition, it has been demonstrated that such an approach increases active student participation, encourages interactivity between students and teachers, and contributes to more regular and systematic learning.

Webinar link: 

In this activity, topics related to e-learning as a new educational paradigm will be presented, with special emphasis on the concept of the student at the centre of the educational process.

This activity will present 3 examples of assessing the level of application of e-learning technologies in an e-course (UNIZG levels 1 to 3), in accordance with the specifics of these levels described in the previous activity "Forms of university teaching according to the level of application of e-learning technologies".

In this activity, you will learn more about the integration of digital technologies in the educational process.

In this activity, you will be introduced to quality assurance, which is implemented and monitored in higher education primarily through ESG standards. Be sure to take notes as you read, as the information contained here will be useful in later activities, especially in the discussion that follows.

Review the legislative framework and criteria that need to be met when accrediting/reaccrediting study programmes with online or hybrid teaching methods. It is important to keep in mind that online and hybrid teaching are not identical, because online teaching takes place exclusively via the internet, without physical presence, while in hybrid teaching, online and face-to-face activities alternate. Recommendations and standards define the minimum principles for online and hybrid teaching models. Specific guidelines have been developed for internal and external review of the offer, regular monitoring of digital systems, and a commitment has been made to integrate criteria for online and hybrid teaching into quality assurance systems at the constituent units. Take notes while studying the documents and guidelines. These notes will help you in later activities and work. If there are any open questions that you think need to be answered or further analysed, be sure to note them.