Creating the Hybrid Electronic Course : An Instructor's Journal / Jeff Ross.

This paper details the day to day curriculum of an e-mail-based English class at Central Arizona College. The intent of the class--a Hybrid Electronic Course (HEC)--was to expose the students to both independent research and writing, while also giving them opportunities for traditional classroom meetings. An entire semester was compressed into three weeks. Syllabus, assessment information, handouts, and pertinent Web links were all maintained on the instructor's Web site. The instructor devoted in-class time to discussing topics such as researching Web sites, using APA style, and developing strategies for writing academic text. The instructor asked students to write three 500-word essays that would help them in the development of the larger research paper. The instructor had to deal with logistical issues such as viruses, the increased workload caused by a steady stream of e-mail, attachments arriving in non-readable forms, and filing and accessing methods. The instructor found that with the HEC format, students were able to accelerate the learning process. Handwritten remarks and face-to-face conferencing can be enhanced by word processing automated reviewing. The instructor also found, however, that it is more difficult to teach writing using a distance-learning model, and that technology both impedes and enhances student learning. (NB)

Microfiche. [Washington D.C.]: ERIC Clearinghouse microfiches : positive.