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Recommendations for conducting online and hybrid classes

Site: Loomen za stručna usavršavanja
Course: Planning and Implementation of Online and Hybrid Teaching
Book: Recommendations for conducting online and hybrid classes
Printed by: Gost (anonimni korisnik)
Date: Sunday, 22 February 2026, 6:21 PM

Description

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

Table of contents

1. Introduction

Successful online and hybrid teaching does not rely solely on digital infrastructure, but on carefully set organisational prerequisites that ensure consistency, clarity and quality of the educational process. Such prerequisites include prepared instructions, templates, checklists and tool recommendations. Their purpose is to help teachers and students navigate the digital environment more easily, standardise course delivery and improve accessibility and transparency of education. Effective organisational tools enable both continuity of education in crisis situations, as well as long-term planning of teaching in line with institutional and European quality standards.

The main topics covered in this activity include:

  • instructions for teachers on how to adapt teaching materials to the online environment
  • instructions on how to conduct online exams
  • checklists (for teachers, administration, and students), and
  • recommendations on which software tools to use.

2. Instructions for teachers for adapting e-learning teaching materials

Teachers are often not experts in (educational) technology, so it is important to provide clear and accessible instructions that explain how to transfer teaching content into digital form. Instructions include information on formats (PDF, DOCX, HTML), accessibility (contrast, alternative text, structure of titles and subtitles in the text), multimedia (videos with subtitles and transcripts) and optimal organization of content in an e-learning system, i.e. e-course. In addition to technical guidelines, such instructions should also contain pedagogical recommendations for sequencing content, including interactive elements, as well as ways to ensure the inclusiveness of materials for different categories of students. Practical examples, templates and illustrations from real e-courses additionally help teachers in the process of designing digital lessons and increase their independence in their work. Often, such instructions can also be in the form of checklists, i.e. reminders on how to perform some of the procedures for preparing teaching content if they have not done so for a long time.

Examples

  1. E-Learning Support Centre of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb: Instructions for teachers: Adapting teaching materials for the online environment or How to prepare a course for delivery in an online environment
  2. University North: Instructions for online classes
  3. European Schoolnet Academy: Courses for teachers on digital pedagogy

3. Instructions for conducting online exams

Online assessment must be clearly structured and fair. Instructions to teachers should include technical settings (time limit, random selection of questions from the database), recommendations for question design (open/closed, reflective), monitoring tools (if used) and guidelines for ensuring academic integrity. Instructions also often recommend emphasising the importance of transparent communication with students, for example by announcing the exam format in advance and providing practice or test versions of the exam to make it less stressful for students. It is also recommended to structure questions in a way that encourages critical thinking and individual responses, thus reducing the possibility of cheating. The technical aspect is also important - ensuring a stable platform, support during the exam and backup scenarios in case of technical difficulties (unavailability of the server, network connectivity of the faculty building or individual computer labs). In the case of conducting oral exams remotely, it is certainly necessary to create instructions for students on how to test the equipment, how to prepare the working environment/room in which the student will be (silence, absence of other people, room lighting, etc.).

Examples

  1. E-Learning Support Centre of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb: Instructions for creating and implementing online exams or Question database or Example of conducting an oral exam remotely
  2. Faculty of Organization and Informatics, University of Zagreb: Support for online exams and midterms
  3. University of Edinburgh (UK): Exam design with permitted literature

4. Checklist for teachers, administrators and students

Checklists allow teachers, students and administrators to systematically check that all key elements of online instruction are provided: availability of materials, clear outcomes, communication plan, accessibility, prepared evaluation methods and technical support. Such documents enable the standardisation of teaching practice and reduce the possibility of forgetting key steps when planning and conducting lessons. For students, lists can serve as orientation tools for work organisation and self-evaluation. For the administration, they represent a tool for checking institutional compliance with pedagogical and technical standards. The most effective lists include elements of design, implementation, evaluation and technical support, and are often developed in collaboration with e-learning centers.

Examples

  1. East Carolina University (SAD): Checklist for preparing for online classes
  2. 21K School: A comprehensive checklist for students

5. Recommendations for choosing digital tools

Higher education institutions should develop lists of recommended digital tools with descriptions of their applications (e.g. communication, collaboration, evaluation, feedback) and clear guidelines for data protection and accessibility. In addition to technical instructions, institutions should also provide pedagogical recommendations on when and why to use a particular tool to increase pedagogical impact. It is also important to evaluate tools according to the criteria of security, support, integration with the (institutional) LMS and accessibility for students with disabilities. Such guides facilitate the adoption of new tools and help in the consistent use of digital solutions at the institutional level. It is always useful to use the CARNET E-laboratory, i.e. the (p)rescription and reviews of digital tools for educational purposes, which is supplemented over the years with new quality content and recommendations for digital tools.

Examples

  1. CARNET: E-laboratory (in the Tools category)
  2. Jisc (UK): Digital tools for learning and teaching
  3. Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes: Online and digital tools for use in education
  4. eLearning Industry (SAD): Free tools for teachers

6. Conclusion

Quality online and hybrid teaching requires carefully considered and secured organisational prerequisites that include not only technical infrastructure, but also clear pedagogical guidelines, support for teachers and students and an institutional strategy. The application of structured instructions, checklists, well-chosen tools, and recommendations from institutions and organizations such as CARNET, SRCE, JISC, and certain digitally mature HEIs allows for a high degree of preparedness and flexibility in digital education. Ultimately, the goal is not just to transfer content to a virtual environment, but to ensure a meaningful, inclusive and effective educational experience for all participants, i.e. pedagogy before technology.

7. Literature

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