The experience of a college student has been transformed over the past decade by technology impacting every facet of their lives. Classes at many universities, including Illinois, are embracing an increased role of technology in instruction and learning, particularly in the combination of online instruction with classroom meetings for small class sizes, typically less than 30 students. The use of synchronous and asynchronous online instruction is well documented, and the use of blended formats of instruction - combining online instruction with traditional classroom meetings - is becoming widely recognized as an alternative course format.
This research examines the process of design and implementation of a blended learning curriculum into an existing lecture-only based course. Severe and Hazardous Weather is a general education course enrolling on the order of 600 students per semester. The primary change in curriculum will be replacing half of the face-to-face meeting time with asynchronous online activities to promote more student-centered learning. A particular focus during this seminar will be on the challenges associated with determining curriculum content, use of technology, and assessment techniques and how this format could be incorporated into virtually any course curriculum.
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