Contents
- What is the Blended Seminar Model?
- Supporting Technologies
- Making it work
- How To Prepare For Blended Seminars (video)
What is the Blended Seminar Model?
In situations were where not all of the students are able to be physically present in the room for seminars, it is possible to use technology to simultaneously engage students online and face-to-face.
Tutor-led sections, such as presented content, can be streamed online through a webinar tool while being delivered in the teaching space, enabling all students to receive the same information at the same time.
For practical reasons, student-led sections, such as discussions or group activities, should be divided into groups based on if students are physically present or online and avoid mixing students who are online and physically present together. This is because mixed groups will require physically present students to also have the equipment to access the online webinar, which adds potential complication and reduces the overall experience for those students, as well as careful management of the room to prevent too much background noise. The breakout features of the webinar tools should be used for dividing the online students into smaller groups, with tutors moving between breakouts to questions students, provide support and answer queries. Students from both groups can report back or be questioned as a whole cohort. Read more about the blended seminar.
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Supporting Technologies
- Blackboard Collaborate – general guidance, guidance for students, breakouts
- Zoom – guidance for students, breakouts
Making it work
- Read the general teaching activity considerations for advice relevant to all approaches
- Watch our video about teaching approaches for a blended/hybrid seminar.
- Follow the detailed set-up guidance with example instructions you can provide to students.
- Establish behavioural ground rules for online and face-to-face students prior to the session
- Practice using the webinar tool in advance, particularly the breakout features
- Make sure to regularly check on the online students as they can easily be forgotten in favour of the needs of the in-room students
- Alternate student input between online and in-room groups
How To Prepare For Blended Seminars
This model is part of Inquiry and Discussion
Inquiry: Students explore a question, problem, scenario or task.
Discussion: Students exploring, challenging and evidencing understanding by talking to tutors and peers.