Designing Hybrid Instruction
Topic 3: Develop Assignments


"Please. Just tell me how to do it."

Teacher-Centered Techniques Are Effective

While the current studies in distance education support student-centered teaching methods, in the 1980s–90s, countless studies were conducted proving the effectiveness of Computer-Based Training (CBT) that for the most part followed the teacher-centered model but replaced the teacher with text and multimedia presentations. (See Links to Pedagogy Resources for citations of studies.) So, we can see that if the motivation exists, teacher-centered techniques can, in-fact, be powerful and effective.

Some of the enthusiasm for online learning is based on the fact that the computer automates many of the mundane teaching tasks associated with teacher-centered techniques such as grading multiple-choice or True or False tests and disseminating factual information.

The Best of Both Worlds

All educators (teacher-centered and student-centered) agree that motivation is one of the most important components in learning.

Many effective online courses involve some combination of both; teacher-centered techniques involving the transfer of knowledge (lecture, texts, video) and student-centered techniques (write, discuss, draw, conduct experiments, conduct research, analyze, plan, collaborate, etc.).

Your job as a course designer is to find which techniques will most effectively achievement of the course goals and objectives.

An example of a course integrating teacher-centered and student-centered techniques:

In Betty Clamp's course on Nutrition she ends an online explanation (teacher-centered) of calorie intake with a unique online calorie counter (student-centered) and then finished the chapter with an online quiz.