Modality Mythbusters

Posted on by Lucy
by Megan Hamilton Giebert and Lucy Wolski

Whose Modality is it Anyway?

Courses come in a variety of modalities, and the pandemic has complicated the definitions. Here are three common course modalities at Wentworth (as defined by the Online Learning Consortium), plus a fourth modality that emerged in March 2020.

Infographic of four modality definitions

Online. All course activity is done online; there are no required face-to-face sessions within the course and no requirements for on-campus activity. Synchronous meetings are not included, or if they are offered they are not required.

Hybrid. Online activity is mixed with classroom meetings, replacing a significant percentage, but not all required face-to-face instructional activities.

In-Person. Course activity is organized around scheduled class meetings.

Emergency Remote. During the pandemic, many instructors were asked to teach their in-person course remotely with little preparation. These contained a mix of the listed modalities but lacked intentional design.

From “Emergency Remote” to “Remote-Enhanced”

One misconception instructors have is that an “in-person” class must avoid using certain technology tools and that remote techniques should be “for emergencies only.” However, any course, regardless of its modality, can benefit from using a Learning Management System (LMS) to create an intentional remote option for student direction, participation, and engagement.

Here at Wentworth, the LMS Brightspace is available to all instructors regardless of course modality. In-person courses can benefit from the power of this technology tool to create an effective and engaging remote environment that supports student success. This approach is called a “remote-enhanced” or “web-enhanced” approach.

How to Use Brightspace to Enhance Your In-Person Course

  • Post a copy of your syllabus so it is easy for students to reach and easy for you to edit if needed
  • Put due dates on Brightspace’s calendar to help students track their progress
  • Create assessment submission links on Brightspace
  • Provide copies of your lecture slides on Brightspace
    • Not a substitute for attending class but offers a helpful review and reference
    • Great for those who miss class due to excused absences, COVID, etc.
  • Add asynchronous discussions
    • Not a substitute for attending class but creates another way to participate
    • Great for those unable to participate in class due to excused absences, COVID, etc.
    • Also allows shy students or those who need more time to respond to thoughtfully participate
  • Post announcements about important class changes
      • Recommend students enable notifications for email and SMS alerts
      • Weekly announcements offer information about upcoming tasks
      • On-demand announcements notify students of important changes
      • Current events announcements share news related to the discipline
      • Recap announcements summarize the week and preview the next

See it in Action

Here is how Wentworth instructors enhance their in-person classes.

In Contemporary Art & Theory, Elaine Slater, Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences, encourages the continuation of in-class discussions on Brightspace so that students who were not able to participate can still share their ideas. “Student Speaks” is well received by students who need more time to formulate their thoughts. This inclusive practice could potentially benefit a myriad of students, including but not limited to introverts, those with autism spectrum disorder, and English as second language learners. What began as an “emergency remote” practice is now part of a “remote-enhanced” design, to the benefit of all students within the course.

Screenshot of Student Speaks Discussion Board

In this Introduction to Engineering course, students can use a “Course Community Chat Forum” for questions about the class. Uri Feldman, Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering, encourages students to make effective use of their peers by helping each other in the forum.  At the same time, the number of individual emails the professor has to answer is decreased, because common questions are answered publicly.

Screenshot of Community Chat Discussion

This version of Calculus 1 taught by Adjunct Professor Larry Adler, provides student resources in a module with a charming name. “The Potpourri of Useful Things” module contains the course syllabus, along with learning tools and resources students can use throughout the semester. Students can check in here on a regular basis to see what new goodies the professor has added.

Screenshot of Potpourri of Useful Things

Examples used with professor permission. How do you use Brightspace to enhance your course? Let us know!

Student Benefits Include:

  • Quick access to essential information
  • Alternative ways to access course materials
  • Opportunities to review materials before class or before an exam
  • Opportunities to participate outside the classroom in extenuating circumstances
  • Clear expectations about due dates
  • Consistency in source of information about the course
  • Transparency in progress and performance, so students know exactly where they stand

Instructor Benefits Include:

  • An organized course structure that assists with planning your grading schedule
  • Eliminates the hassles of distributing lecture notes or collecting paper copies of student work
  • Simplified final grade submission process
  • New opportunities to support and measure student participation, learning, and growth
  • Frontloaded design assists with future course setup
  • Web-enhanced design aligns with equitable, accessible, and inclusive teaching practices (under the umbrella of Universal Design for Learning [UDL])

Experience Design

Regardless of modality, any course using remote techniques requires establishing how those remote elements will be used and incorporated. As you enhance your course,  think about how you intend to interact in Brightspace, how often you will post announcements, how much time you will need to provide feedback in Brightspace, and your intentions for asynchronous discussions.

Just like planning your in-person activities, planning your remote options will have an enormous positive difference on each student’s experience.

Resources