S2E5: In the Room and on Zoom: Concurrent Hybrid Teaching

Amid the pandemic, faculty and students have navigated the continuous shift between virtual and in-person learning. This dynamic has resulted in considerable stress, affecting students who must miss class due to Covid-19 contraction or exposure, as well as faculty members grappling with effective teaching strategies for students unable to attend physically. Students exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms are confronted with the dilemma of prioritizing their health or attending class to prevent falling behind in coursework and potentially spreading the illness to their peers (Craig, 2021).

One proposed solution involves faculty concurrently delivering instruction to both in-person attendees and students participating via Zoom. Students have conveyed positive feedback regarding the integration of Zoom into course design, attributing it to the platform’s accommodating features and flexibility (Madison Costigan, 2021). Although this approach may seem daunting, it is indeed feasible. By employing straightforward digital teaching techniques, along with patience and adaptability, hybrid learning emerges as a valuable alternative for both students and faculty.

In this episode, insights will be shared by three faculty members and one of their teaching assistants, offering perspectives on how to prepare, deliver, and troubleshoot in the hybrid classroom.

Bios

Featured in the episode:

Mark Carl Rom, PhD, Associate Professor of Government and Public Policy at the McCourt School of Public Policy and the Department of Government
Shannon Mooney, PhD, Senior Data Scientist and Linguist
Mimi Khúc, PhD, Instructor in Disability Studies at Georgetown University

References

Costigan, Madison. “How Zoom Positively Affected In-Person Education.” Arcadia University, 9 Nov. 2023,

Craig, Sarah. “What the Pandemic Should Have Taught Us about Attendance Policies.” The Georgetown Voice, 28 Oct. 2021