Online & Hybrid Instructional Activities Index

Activities listed here can be used in hybrid and online course formats. In general, many in-person activities can be adapted to digital spaces with a little additional planning and creative use of technologies. Related Ed Tech tool ideas are listed in parentheses where specific tools exist--options listed have a plan that is free for students (via the instructor's account) or free plans for both students and instructor.

Please note: you will want to check the privacy and accessibility statements for any Ed Tech tool before using them. Your students, pedagogical needs, or institutional requirements will determine what technologies you can use.  Here's an explanation of what to look for with Ed Tech accessibility.

Activity Ideas and Related Ed Tech Tools

1. Blogs (Blogger, WordPress)

2. Wiki Creation (often a tool in your LMS*, shared Google Doc, Padlet, Figma)

3. Website Creation (Google Sites, WordPress, Wix)

4. Social Annotation of Documents/Websites (Hypothes.is, Diigo, Floop)

5. Curating  or Annotating a List of Resources or Websites (Padlet, Diigo, Google Sites)

6. Individual or Group Slide Presentation (Slides, Prezi, Canva)

7. Podcast or Audio Recording (Vocaroo, Mote, Audacity)

8. Collaborative Group Work (Discord, Slack, Monday, Trello, Asana, Padlet, Google Docs, Google Jamboard, ExplainEverything, Figma, Miro)

9. Video Engagement or Discussion (Flip, Loom, Screencastify, ScreenPal) 

10. Documentary or Training Video Creation (YouTube, ScreenPal)

11. Create a Movie Script or Storyboard (Storyboard Animator, template collection)

12. Create a Newscast or Perspectives Round table Discussion (YouTube, ScreenPal, Flip, Padlet)

13. Quizzes embedded in Videos (EdPuzzle, Google Forms)

14. Peer Review or Feedback (Peergrade, Google Docs)

15. Portfolios (Google Drive, Google Sites, WordPress, Live Binders, SeeSaw)

16. Debate (LMS* discussion tools, Flip)

17. Case Study Analysis (Google Drive, Google Docs)

18. Write a Case Brief

19. Document Analysis (Google Drive; primary source collections like Library of Congress)

20. Visual Culture/Artifact Analysis (examples of Digital Object Libraries: Google Arts & Culture, Library of Congress, National Science Digital Library, Digital Public Library of America)

21. Critiques or Critical Reviews

22. Movie, Exhibit, or Site Review

23. Virtual Tours (Google Arts & Culture; example of a museum virtual tour: Museum of the US Air Force)

24. Google Mapping Activity or Tour Creation (video: How to Create a Tour Using Google Maps)

25. Mind or Concept Mapping (explanation of mind-mapping; examples of mind or concept maps; tools: Bubbl.us, Mindmup, Google Slides, Google Jamboard, ExplainEverything, Figma, LucidChart, Mural, Miro, SimpleMind, Apple's Freeform)

26. Timelines (Padlet, Google Slides, Canva)

27. Project Based-Learning (Discord, Slack, Trello, Padlet, Google Docs, Google Jamboard, ExplainEverything, Figma)

28. Creation of a Lesson Plan and Associated Learning Materials

29. Role-Playing Game (depending on how you design it, something like this can be run in Google Drive and Docs, Discord, Slack, Google Jamboard, Figma)

30. Write Artificial Intelligence Prompts to Evaluate Discipline-Specific Content Outputs (Google BARD, ChatGPT)

31. Use Artificial Intelligence to Test Research Models or Create Visualizations of Data (Google BARD, ChatGPT)

32. Design a Social Media Campaign for a Cause or Issue

33. Research Poster (Canva)

34. Design an Infographic (Canva)

35. Create an Experimental Design for an Issue or Question

36. Interview a Professional in the Discipline or Field (Google Meet, Zoom)

37. Give a Speech related to a Problem or Issue (Vocaroo, Mote, Audacity, YouTube)

38. Summarize a related News or Current Event Item (Flip, Mote, Google Doc, Diigo, Padlet, Hypothes.is)

39. Develop a Plan of Action to Address an Issue (Google Slides, Google Doc)

40. Develop a Plan of Action for a Career Skill or Life-Long Learning Habit (Google Doc, Bubbl.us, Mindmup, Google Slides, Google Jamboard, ExplainEverything, Mural, Apple's Freeform)

41. Analyze and Apply a Theory from the Discipline (Google Doc, Bubbl.us, Mindmup, Google Slides, Google Jamboard, ExplainEverything, Figma, Mural, Miro, Apple's Freeform)

42. Design an Exhibit or Display for a Topic or Issue (Google Slides, Google Jamboard, ExplainEverything, Figma, Apple's Freeform)

*LMS stands for Learning Management System, for example Blackboard, Canvas, etc.