Resources and Tools for Teaching Activities

This curated list of tools, within each pedagogical strategy, is intended to aid those teaching hybrid courses. By integrating these pedagogical strategies and tools, the hybrid course can become an engaging, interactive, and inclusive learning environment that supports student progress, collaboration, and active participation. 

Strategies for Pedagogical Best Practices:

Presentations, Recorded Videos, and Visual Instruction (click on the arrow to learn more about using visual tools that can enhance explanations and delivery of course concepts.)

In a hybrid and in-class course, presentations, recorded videos, and visual instruction are used to deliver content to students. Presentations can be created (or obtained) by the instructor and be shared both in class and asynchronously, providing students with visual aids and explanations of key concepts. Recorded videos can be short pre-recorded lectures or demonstrations that students can watch at their own pace, allowing flexibility in learning. Visual instruction may involve using multimedia elements such as images, diagrams, charts, and graphs to enhance understanding and engagement.

 Presentations with Microsoft PowerPoint

  • Access the Tool: Microsoft PowerPoint (via the Microsoft Office 365 One Drive tile) -- https://rollins.okta.com/app/UserHome 
  • Articles on how to...: 
  • Best Practices and Suggested Use: 
    • A short well-crafted multimedia presentation that contains text, images, animations, and videos will help improve the engagement of the students and can serve as a great visual aid for conveying course concepts.
      • Ideal Presentation:
        • Microsoft PowerPoint can be ideal for creating an educational presentation, with just a few things to keep in mind. For example:
          • Chunk it up, several short presentations will engage the students much better than one long presentation.
          • Active learning activities after/between short presentations will help to retain the new information the students have just received.
          • Minimize the text -- think "Show and Tell" and not "Stop and Read."
          • Consider sharing the presentation and its notes with the students, this is a great opportunity to model citation with required and optional readings.
      • Making Better PowerPoint Presentations
  • Synchronous/ Asynchronous: Both

Recorded Video with Kaltura Video

Visual Instruction using MS Teams Whiteboard

  • Access the Tool: MS Teams Whiteboard (via the Microsoft Office 365 Teams tile) -- https://rollins.okta.com/app/UserHome
  • Articles on how to...: 
  • Best Practices and Suggested Use:
    • Visual representations are widely used to enhance learning, and can also be used as formative assessments. Have students create a visual or symbolic representation (e.g., a graphic organizer, web, or concept map) of information and abstract concepts, and then be prepared to explain their graphic. Picturing techniques are especially useful to see if students understand how various concepts or elements of a process are related.
      • Concept Maps & Graphic Organizers
        • Use the MS Teams Whiteboard in a collaborative manner to brainstorm with students to check for understanding of concepts covered in the course. For example:
          • Create a story map or sequence diagram showing the major events in the story.
          • ​​​Draw a visual web of multiple factors to indicate how they affect an outcome.
          • Develop a concept map to illustrate the steps of a method or process.
      • Concept Maps
  • Synchronous/ Asynchronous: Both

Low-Stakes Video Quiz with Kaltura Video Quiz

  • Access the Tool: Kaltura Video Quiz rollins.okta.com - Canvas   
  • Articles on how to...:  
  • Best Practices and Suggested Use:
    • Kaltura's Video Quiz allows the instructor to create and place questions within a video located in a Canvas course.
      • Kaltura Video Quiz
        • A Kaltura Video Quiz embedded in a Canvas Assignment page allows the instructor to
          • Grade the quiz from within the course
          • View the quiz analytics for each students' submission
      •  Kaltura Video Quiz 
  • Synchronous/Asynchronous: Asynchronous 

 

Check-ins, Polling, and Surveys  (click on the arrow to learn more about using tools for ongoing evaluation of student progress during the course.)

In the hybrid and in-class (in-person) setting, formative assessments (ongoing evaluation of student progress during the course) can take the form of simple interactive activities, check-ins, and Mind Mapping. These assessments provide immediate feedback to students and instructors, helping them identify areas of strength and weakness. Formative assessment is valuable for guiding instructional decisions, supporting student growth, and promoting active learning.

Chat with MS Teams

  • Access the Tool: Microsoft Teams Chat (via the Microsoft Office 365 Teams tile) -- https://rollins.okta.com/app/UserHome 
  • Articles on how to...: 
  • Best Practices and Suggested Use:
    • In virtual learning environments, students can signal on camera or post designated emojis to signal their understanding levels. Simply pose a question from time to time and asses if a review is warranted. You can also use a random calling technique to periodically select students and ask them to explain why they reacted the way that they have.
      • Check-in
        • Use of designated hand signals to indicate their degree of confidence in their understanding of a concept, principle, or process. For example:
          • Thumbs up: I understand  --  and can explain it in my own words.
          • ​​​Wave hand: I’m not completely sure about  --  and doubt I could explain it.
          • Thumbs down: I don’t yet understand  --  and cannot explain it.
      • Checking Students' Learning
  • Synchronous/ Asynchronous: Synchronous

Polling with MS Teams

  • Synchronous/ Asynchronous: Both

Surveys with Qualtrics or Microsoft Forms 

  •   ​​​​​Access the Tool:  Qualtrics (via the Qualtics tile) or Microsoft Forms -- https://rollins.okta.com/app/UserHome
  • Articles on how to...: 
  • Best Practices and Suggested Use:
    • A survey can be used to collect responses from a variety of question types, including multiple-choice, ranking, open-ended, and many others.
      • Surveys
        • Find out relevant background information such as background knowledge, prevalence of commonly held misconceptions, current opinions of course topics, and reasons for taking a course.
        • Check student learning without doing a graded assessment with informal classroom assessment techniques.
        • Measure the effectiveness of a particular teaching strategy by conducting pre/post surveys that allow you to assess and document both actual learning that takes place and attitude changes over time.
        • Collect mid-semester course evaluations by asking one or two questions about how your course is going. This gives you the opportunity to deal with any issues before the course ends, give insight into student learning and classroom climate, as well as demonstrates a willingness to listen to feedback/engage with students to improve the class. 
      • Cornell University's Center for Teaching Innovation - Survey Tools
    • Synchronous/ Asynchronous: Both

Low-Stakes Quiz using Canvas New Quizzes

Gamified Activity (click on the arrow to learn more about using interactive tools for game-like approaches to engage learners.

Gamified activities and simulations involve the use of game-like elements and interactive simulations to enhance learning and engagement. In a hybrid remote and in-class higher education course, gamified activities can be incorporated to make learning more enjoyable and motivating. This can include educational games, virtual simulations, role-playing exercises, or problem-solving challenges. These activities often provide immediate feedback, rewards, and a sense of accomplishment, fostering active participation and a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Escape Room Activities with Canvas and other tools

  • Access the Tool: Multiple Tools: MS Forms, Canvas, and other tools (via OKTA Tiles) -- https://rollins.okta.com/
  • Articles on how to...: 
  • Best Practices and Suggested Use:
    • Using the Modules feature of Canvas, you will be creating a collaborative and interactive escape room to help students either complete a new concept or review. Additionally, create items with other tools already integrated into Canvas, examples include an online journal, blog, lab report, or case study analysis among other artifacts to use in the activity all related to and reinforcing course content. 
      • Escape Room
        • Create a module 
        • Add a “quiz” named “Lock 1” and create instructions, or a description, of what your escape the room is about. 
        • Add another “quiz” for each additional lock you intend to have
        • Your access code for the next lock should be the answer or combination of answers from your puzzles from the previous lock. For example, the content puzzle answers for Lock 2 will be the access code to open Lock 
        • Add content to each lock 
        • Make sure to remember to tell students to hit “Submit Quiz” and then click “Next” to get to the next lock. They will have to click “Take the Quiz” and then enter the access code they think will unlock the next lock.
        • Create a worksheet (shared MS Word doc for each student) where students can write down puzzles and hint answers to keep track and you can track their progress.
        • You can also see your access codes on each of the quiz descriptions in the teacher view on Canvas.
      • Breakout Digitally! Use Canvas Modules to Create Fun Lessons
      • Mastery Paths - Escape Room Questions
  • Synchronous/ Asynchronous: Asynchronous

 

Tool TBA

  • Access the Tool: Name (location) -- and/or link
  • Articles on how to...: 
    • Link
    • Link
    • Link
  • Best Practices and Suggested Use:
    • Pedagogical usage and advantages 
      • Link
  • Synchronous/ Asynchronous: Asynchronous
Cooperative Learning (click on the arrow to learn more about using tools for collaboration among students to enhance understanding.

Cooperative learning is a teaching approach that emphasizes collaboration and interaction among students. In a hybrid remote and in-class course, cooperative learning can be facilitated through group projects, discussions, problem-solving activities, or case studies. Both in-class and remote students can work together in teams, leveraging online communication tools, video conferencing, or collaborative platforms to share ideas, brainstorm, and complete tasks. Cooperative learning promotes teamwork, communication skills, and a sense of community among students. 

Think-Pair-Share with Teams Rooms/Chat 

Student-led Forum using Canvas Discussion Board

  • Access the Tool: Canvas Discussion Board (via the canvas tile) -- https://rollins.okta.com/app/UserHome 
  • Articles on how to...: 
  • Best Practices and Suggested Use:
    • Our learning management system (ie, Canvas), like many others used in institutions of higher education, has an online discussion forum. Online discussion forums have been suggested as an effective teaching tool that requires cooperative interaction among students and at the same time requires individual active reflection of the course content knowledge. As a post-reflective assignment, the desired outcome is to improve student achievement in and
      understanding of the course content.
  • Synchronous/ Asynchronous: Asynchronous

Jigsaw Activity with Canvas Groups and Office 365

  • Access the Tool: Canvas Groups (via the Microsoft Office 365 and Canvas tiles) -- https://rollins.okta.com/
  • Articles on how to...: 
  • Best Practices and Suggested Use:
    • Jigsaw activities are a specific type of information gap activity that will work best when used with the whole class. Divided the students into groups, who are then given some information on a particular aspect of the topic which they then become experts in. 
      • Jigsaw Activity
        • Divide your students into expert groups
        • Assign each expert group a prompt in which each student in the expert group will become an expert 
        • Groups are then intermixed, so that there are representatives from each expert group in the new mixed groups
        • The experts share their knowledge with mixed group members
          (Tip: instructors should circulate to answer questions and guide group thinking)
        • The mixed groups then complete a share-out about the large topic with the class.
        • Alternative: A new prompt is provided to the new groups that require the combination
          of their expertise to respond.
      • Active Learning – Jigsaw
  • Synchronous/ Asynchronous: Asynchronous
Discussions  (click on the arrow to learn more about using engaging conversations for critical thinking and knowledge exchange.)

Discussions are essential for fostering critical thinking, collaboration, and deeper understanding of course materials. In a hybrid remote and in-class setting, discussions can be conducted both in-person and online, using video conferencing tools, discussion boards, or chat platforms. Students can engage in structured debates, analyze case studies, share perspectives, or ask questions. Instructors facilitate discussions, provide guidance, and encourage active participation to promote meaningful exchanges and learning. 

Video Discussion with Flip

 

 

Collaborative Documents (click on the arrow to learn more about using Shared digital files for real-time collaboration on assignments.)

Collaborative documents refer to shared digital files that allow multiple users to work together simultaneously. In a hybrid remote and in-class higher education course, collaborative documents can be utilized for group projects, note-taking, brainstorming, or co-authoring assignments. Tools like Google Docs, Microsoft Office 365, or cloud-based platforms enable students to collaborate in real time, edit documents together, and provide feedback to one another. Collaborative documents promote teamwork, organization, and efficient collaboration, irrespective of students' physical location. 

Collaborative Doc with MS Office 365


​​

 

More information on tools can be found at Technology Tools Available for Faculty and Staff

Print Article