A Year after ERT: How Online & Hybrid Classes have Reshaped F2F Classes

A Year after ERT: How Online & Hybrid Classes have Reshaped F2F Classes

Diane Raluy Turner & Ramon Mislang

Hitotsubashi University

In our Teaching Journey pair-discussion on Zoom, we highlight online and hybrid university teaching experiences during the first year of the pandemic in 2020 and their impact on face to face classes in 2021. As teachers who had a limited background in online instruction and blended learning, our team had to adapt curriculum and create policies to ensure best outcomes for faculty and students. These changes have led to increased use of web 2.0 tools such as the Google Suite and Zoom as well as Learning Management Systems (LMS) in hybrid. Safety concerns also resulted in a shift towards a more flexible approach in attendance and assessment.

A number of challenges in socially distanced classrooms were overcome through the use of technology and blended learning approaches acquired during the pandemic. Challenges such as masks, limited classroom interaction due to safety measures, and refrainment of worksheet distribution in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19 required adaptations made possible by technology.

These adaptations have impacted the way students and teachers envision learning. The pandemic compelled educators to rethink teaching practices and how to better integrate technology in their curricula, which in turn, has provided more learning resources for students.

We think these constructive changes will continue to have a positive impact on the classroom. Through collaborative efforts, in-service training (INSET), pre-academic course preparation, and on-going needs assessments, we believe our observations will provide insights for setting up best practices during pandemic and post-pandemic classrooms.