Engagement: The “Why” of learning

• SELF-REGULATION: Offer students the flexibility to choose a F2F, simultaneous, or nonsimultaneous implementation method that suits their life situation and learning styles.
• Include F2F, simultaneous, and nonsimultaneous students to select the topics for the implementation and to make independent choices, for example regarding alternative materials and assignments.
• Guide student teams in concluding a team agreement that commits them to the work, and offer team coaching during the work process, for example to resolve conflicts.
• Motivate students to do their best.
• AROUSING AND MAINTAINING INTEREST: Create interesting and appropriate learning assignments for F2F, simultaneous, and nonsimultaneous students, for example, by combining the content and assignments of the course with working life experiences.
• Communicate equally with F2F, simultaneous, and nonsimultaneous students, use gender-neutral language and inclusive examples (race/culture, etc.).
• During your presentation, ask targeted questions from F2F, simultaneous, and nonsimultaneous students, and note their answers.
• When conducting surveys, such as Forms, keep the response time open until all students have been able to respond and/or comment.
• Minimize threats and distractions in the learning environment.
• Consider the students’ commitment challenges and sufficient technical competence in advance

Means of representations – The “What” of learning

• ORIENTATIVE BIG PICTURE: Help students understand the big picture of F2F, simultaneous, and nonsimultaneous implementations, by providing schedules, resources, exercises, and learning assignments in the Moodle learning environment
• Make presentation materials that illustrate the content of lectures, such as PowerPoint slides, available to students at least one day before the teaching event.
• TARGETING: Guide students on the contents and assignments of different implementation forms, in a targeted manner, for example with Moodle’s grouping tools and subtitled introductory videos.
• When recording your teaching, focus your speech directly on F2F, simultaneous, and also nonsimultaneous students, in turns.
• STRUCTURING CONTENT: Include glossaries of terms and concepts in the learning environment
• Illustrate the contents in a versatile manner, for example by using graphics, videos, texts, patterns, and conceptual maps.
• Outline and highlight key models of the learning content and relationships between concepts.
• MULTI-CHANNEL: Record lectures and share them in the learning environment (video or podcast)
• Inform the students about the possibility of getting a digital version of the course book (presentation 2 to 3 months before implementation through the library to Celia).
• Information on the available assistive technology, e.g. various text-to-speech software options (advanced reading programme, Readspeaker, etc.).
• Offer text equivalents for auditive and visual material, e.g. subtitles for more permanent videos.
• Provide instructions on learning assignments in various ways, for example, by offering model solutions for demanding assignments.
• Include excursions in implementations.

Methods of Action and Expression – The “How” of learning

• IMPLEMENTATIONS: Enable the student to choose implementations that are in line with their learning style and suitable for their life situation.
• Guide student teams in optimising effective ways of working together for all team members.
• Include work that exceeds the implementation boundaries, in the implementation, such as cross-commenting on outputs between F2F, simultaneous, and nonsimultaneous students.
• EXERCISES: Formulate optional practical exercises and assignments for content learning, in F2F, simultaneous, and nonsimultaneous learning environments.
• Give clear and accurate feedback on the exercises, which guides the students to set personal goals and develop learning strategies.
• ASSIGNMENTS: Format assignments to be suitable for F2F, simultaneous, and nonsimultaneous implementations.
• Clearly structure and label the assignments.
• Reserve enough time for the learning assignments.
• ASSESSMENT AND FEEDBACK: Allow students to choose how they want to receive feedback on learning assignments (e.g. oral or written feedback).
• Provide clear and accurate feedback on the learning assignments.
• Allow students to re-submit assignments, and enable flexible submission dates for larger learning assignments.
• Include self-reflection, self-assessment and, in group assignments in particular, peer evaluation as part of the implementation.
• LEARNING MONITORING: Provide the students with an opportunity to monitor their own progress in the learning environment and the study information system.

The guide has been implemented as part of the Developing skills and methods of hybrid education and work project, which is coordinated by the Association of Finnish eLearning Centre. The project is financed by the Häme Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment. Häme University of Applied Sciences and Tavastia Education Consortium are part-implementers.