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Process for Developing a Hybrid or Web-Enhanced Class in Blackboard Vista

Process Steps

Blackboard Vista Course Section Form (PDF file)

Flowchart of process for creating and teaching a Blackboard (BB) Vista Class (PDF file)

PeopleSoft Entry Process for Department Chairs (QuickTime movie)*

PeopleSoft Entry Process for Department Chairs (PDF file)

Process for Developing and Teaching a Distance Education Class

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Definitions of Hybrid, Web-enhanced and Distance Education Classes

Hybrid classes meet half the time in a traditional face-to-face classroom environment and deliver the remainder of the class presentation, interaction, activities, and exercises through various electronic means (Bb Vista, podcasts, online video and audio formats, and new technologies as they become available). Instructors and students should be prepared to spend as much time engaged in class activities as in a traditional class, even though they will not be physically present in the classroom for all of it. In addition, the electronic and face-to-face portions of hybrid classes will be apportioned weekly so that every week during the semester the students will have 50% face-to-face instruction and 50% electronic instruction.

  • Faculty teaching hybrid classes will be required to complete BB Vista I- BB Interface, BB Vista II-BB Content and Developing an Online Class in the Faculty Certification in Technology program and strongly encouraged to complete all of the BB Vista classes and a Certification in Technology. See http://imctraining.hccs.edu/classes/start.htm for the current class schedule.

  • Hybrid classes (being taught in Bb Vista) must have the prior signed approval of the Department Chair (Chair). They will be listed in the course schedule as having an off-campus electronic component and meeting only half the on-campus (face-to-face) time of traditional classes.   To aid facilities planning and student scheduling, the exact day and time of the face-to-face component of hybrid classes will be listed in the course schedule each semester. Department Chairs (Chairs) are responsible for seeing to it that classes are coded correctly in PeopleSoft (tagged with HY in the Instruction Mode and Notes Section).

  • Web-Enhanced classes (being taught in Bb Vista) must have input/ approval of the Chair. They will be listed in the course schedule as Web-Enhanced and will have the same or somewhat less face-to-face meeting time than traditional classes. Chairs are responsible for seeing to it that classes are input correctly in PeopleSoft (tagged with WE in the Instruction Mode and Notes section).

  • Distance education classes, for all practical purposes, will involve 100% of instruction being offered electronically, with the exception of required labs and on-campus testing; all other exceptions will be kept to a minimum and require the prior approval of the Distance Education Department. The Distance Education department will assist the Department Chair with this process.

  • Classes that contain less than 50% instruction offered electronically will be considered to be traditional classes even though they are coded as Web-Enhanced in PeopleSoft (PS). Instructors who are teaching traditional classes that use electronic sessions where the class does not meet face-to-face must notify and/or obtain the approval of their Chair. Each Discipline Committee has the option to take upon itself the creation of rules that do not contravene the above-stated definitions regarding the substitution of electronic contact hours for face-to-face contact hours.

  • Chairs are responsible for insuring that quality instruction, whether synchronous or asynchronous, is taking place during all electronically delivered classes, whether Hybrid, Web-Enhanced or Distance Education, just as they are for traditional classes.

 Process to set up and teach a Hybrid or Web-Enhanced Class:

  1. Faculty wishing to teach a Hybrid or Web-Enhanced classes in Bb Vista should consult with his/her Chair.
  2. Faculty member fills out the Vista Course Section Form, secures the required department Chair' signature, and provides proof of training (see Hybrid/DE training requirements on the CIT web site).
  3. Once the Chair has signed the form, the Chair identifies the class (CRN) in PS and enters the correct Instruction Mode (HY or WE), the Meetings (days of week), and Notes tags into PS.
  4. If the class (CRN) is NOT in PS, it is up to the Chair to add the class (CRN) to the correct (future) semester and identify the faculty member for that class. This process will ensure the class (CRN) will be attached (in PS) to the instructor whether or not it is taught.
  5. The Chair signs the form and gives a copy to the faculty member.
  6. After the next update batch has been sent to Blackboard (Service Provider Service) an empty Bb Vista course section will be available for the faculty member to begin developing his/her class.
  7. The sections will automatically populated with students one day before classes officially begin.
  8. Note: If a different instructor is selected to teach the course AFTER the course has students in it, the department Chair should contact his/her college Blackboard Administrator to assist with the deletion and addition of a new course section and the "swapping" of the students from the old course to the new course.