The Use of Computer-based Technology in Hybrid Courses
Christopher Jolly
University of Maryland, University College

Introduction:
“Achieve a balance between virtual and classroom learning”.  That’s what’s stated by Central Piedmont Community College (www.cpcc.edu) in their Mission Statement as a means to reaching the college’s goal of “providing educational opportunities to meet the community’s needs”.  In the dual-mode college of Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC), several modes of education are offered – Distance Education (DE), face-to-face course and hybrid courses (a combination of both modes) - to many target groups of students.  My own students come from many backgrounds, some holding advanced degrees, others are pursuing their first degree, ages range from 19-66 years old (34 is program average) and they come from many ethnicities and socio-economic levels.  I teach using hybrid courses in the rapidly changing and technically challenging field of Cardiovascular Technology (CVT) using the computer- and web-based technology of synchronous and asynchronous education as a supplement to face-to-face instruction. Synchronous and asynchronous technologies are often coupled together and presented as one to students in both hybrid and DE courses and has varying uses depending on the instructors needs.  
Analysis of Computer-Based Technologies:
In the analysis of computer-based technology in a hybrid setting, a wide range of factors must be taken into account.  Bates and Poole (2003) use a model of media selection that is easily understood, works with a wide variety of media, considers target audience, educational and operational issues, and identifies critical differences and similarities between media.  Their model is termed the “SECTIONS” model and was designed after a previously used model called the “ACTIONS” model, originally described by Bates in 1995.  Each area of the SECTIONS model is discussed below.
S-Students:
Student issues are of primary concern in computer-based technology.  Do the students have sufficient skills and access to computers and if not, how can this be corrected?  Student demographics, skills and support needs must be considered when designing any DE course content.  As Rumble (2000) states, “Learners without support are likely to delay completion of a program or drop out all together.”  Students at CPCC come from a wide range of demographics and have varying levels of technological understanding so with any computer-based courses it needs to be kept in mind that not all students have the same computer literacy as others.   All applicants must pass a minimum level computer course prior to gaining entry into the CVT program.  Electronically submitted assignments further identify those students without sufficient computer skills and I work directly with them to increase these skills.  Also, as not all students have computers at home, CPCC has computer labs available on any of their 7 campuses or in learning centers around the community.
E-Ease of Use:
Computer-based platforms require the knowledge to navigate around a computer, use a keyboard or mouse, understand basic word processing functions such as copy, cut and paste, and of course you must be able to easily navigate around the asynchronous platform itself.  If a student can’t use the technology, that technology becomes more of a hindrance than a help to learning.  An orientation must be integrated into the platform itself or be provided by an alternative method.  There must be technical support for the instructors and students needs as well, especially when providing supporting technologies such as PDF files, PowerPoint presentations, etc…
Reliability is as important to the student as it is to the instructor. The computer-based platform should be well tested prior to implementation so as to not cause the students to use unnecessary time with costly technical support issues.  As for instructors using this technology, it’s important that they understand any constraints to the software in terms of compatibility issues with files and file sizes so there aren’t any lengthy wait times while large files download or the computer “freezing” as files download.
C-Costs:
From an instructor’s viewpoint, costs are not a large issue since they are normally incurred and managed by the organization; however, as an administrator of DE using asynchronous technology, costs are a primary concern.  Costs can be broken down into 2 main divisions – those individual costs of the technology and the items that drive the cost of the technology.  
Individual costs include the purchase price of the software, costs of the subject expert and additional instructors for teaching the course and of course the lost time in research time, and administrative duties.  If many specialists such as graphic designers, website specialists or content specialists are involved in the production, costs will further increase.
Drivers of cost include the production and delivery of the material and the number of students using the material.  Although production costs are independent of the numbers of students viewing the course, additional instructors are required after about 25 students.   The CVT program accepts 15 students yearly, and being such as small and specialized program the author-editor model is best used so costs are kept low by eliminating the need for large design teams, even with computer-based technologies.  
T-Teaching and Learning:
This particular technology is centered on informational input and response, and is usually in text form, whether it’s from a textbook or digital file.  By being able to supply a PDF file, a link to a site, or my own PowerPoint presentations, I eliminate the cost of additional textbooks to the student and redundancy of work year after year as I get ready for each unit.  With the synchronous technology, I’m able to hold predetermined “chat” groups if I desire and I regularly include online office hours as an alternate means of giving instruction, guidance and support to students via synchronous technology.  
I-Interaction and Interactivity:
The link between interaction in learning and the level of learning achieved is well studied and proven.  Interactions with computer-based technologies can be between students themselves, student-teacher or student-content (Anderson, 2003).  Anderson also describes an additional means of interaction called “vicarious interaction” where students interact through the process of reading other peoples responses on both sides of a conversation – either synchronous or asynchronous - without pursuing an active role in the conversation.  Student-student, student-teacher and student-content interactions are all achievable with either synchronous or asynchronous interactions and compliment social interaction as well as increase student and teacher flexibility and convenience in their use of time (Bates, 1995).  Being a hybrid course, I depend and utilize all methods of interaction and interactivity.

O-Organizational Issues:
	Computer-based technology is the largest component of DE at CPCC.  From an organizational viewpoint, it’s important to note that the technology shouldn’t be merely added on to the existing technology but that there should be a certain level of internal restructuring on behalf of the organization in order to provide the best use of the technology (Bates, 1995).  This is aided by support from high level administrators and is essential since the cost of computer-based technology is relatively large and requires not only software application purchases, but also a large amount of additional space and cost for computer labs and instructor training.  At CPCC, support starts with Dr. Tony Zeiss, the President of the college as well as the board of directors who have all come out in support of trying new technologies and incorporating many into daily classes, as stated CPCC’s vision:
“CPCC is a leader among community colleges in instructional development and support. Experimentation and innovation in instruction and the use of alternative instructional delivery systems remain major initiatives.” (http://www.cpcc.cc.nc.us/administration/vision/ ) 
N-Novelty:
Computer-based platforms are not recent developments in education but are new enough to not be understood or backed by many instructors.  In initially obtaining this technology it had to be shown how it works and how it could be useful in DE and in this respect, computer-based technology is becoming well received.  Although this “new” technologies novelty has worn off, new 2^nd and 3^rd generation technologies are coming out that can be incorporated into the existing 
computer-based platform.  Horizon Wimba (www.horizonwimba.com/products/voicetools) now has voice tools enabling asynchronous voice messaging for students with disabilities or those preferring the added intimacy of voice.
S-Speed:
	Implementation of technology needs to be performed quickly and easily updated and with asynchronous technology the newest versions of software are added on through the IT department and there is very little disruption of courses.  In terms of asynchronous technology at the instructor level, if the course is designed using a large design team, changes are harder to make quickly however, with the author-content method of design, content is able to quickly add or delete content where and when required, and the instructor can respond rapidly to new responses from the students or respond when and where they desire from any computer with access to the World Wide Web.
Conclusion:
With the support of CPCC’s administration, technology can be incorporated into any class desiring it, primarily through the use of computer-based technology.  With my hybrid courses the older, busier and sometimes less technologically efficient students benefit most from this technologies use through student support and interactions.  The additional method of contact with the instructor are great for answering quick questions during office hours and enables the students to increase their computer skills which will, in turn advance their technical skills upon graduation and entry into a computer-driven, technologically advanced field.  Computer-based technology provides 
the students with an additional means of social interaction by the availability of chat sessions and learning from others interacting in an informal environment.

References:
1. Anderson, T. (2003). Modes of interaction in distance education: Recent developments and research questions. In M. G. Moore & W. G. Anderson (Eds.), Handbook of distance education.  Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. (pp. 132, 134)
2. Bates, A. W. (1995). Selecting technologies: Sorting out the difference. In Technology, Open learning and Distance education. New York: Routledge. (p. 53, 58)
3. Bates, A.W., & Poole, G. (2003). Effective teaching with technology in higher education: Foundations for success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 
4. Central Piedmont Community College, retrieved November 19, 2005 from (www.cpcc.edu).
5. Horizon Wimba’s Voicetools, retrieved November 24 2005 from http://www.horizonwimba.com/products/voicetools/
6. Rumble, G. (2000). Student support in distance education in the 21st century: Learning from service management. Distance Education, Vol. 21(2), (pp.221)