F2F::Online Equivalencies COURSE NAME ______

N.B. Researching, PowerPoint/video reviews, webquest activities, reading articles, etc. are considered “homework” assignments. The Rate of Equivalency denoted below pertains to posting, reviewing, sharing, and providing student to student or instructor to student feedback. Be sure to total your minutes at the end. (1 weekender module =3hrs, 1 course = 45 hours)

F2F Activity / Alternative/Comparable Online Activity - Description / Time Spent Ratio
F2F:Online / Minutes per Module / Rate of Equivalency
In-Class instruction & presentations / Read lecture notes for 1 unit & Post one response / 1:1 / Review 1 unit & 1 post = 1 hour of instruction
In-class presentation / 1:1 / Timed delivery - 1 hour = 1 hour instruction
View streaming video of lecture / 1:1 / Timed delivery - 1 hour = 1 hour instruction
View narrated PowerPoint / 1:1 / Timed delivery - 1 hour = 1 hour instruction
Listen to Podcasts/Streaming audio / 1:1 / Timed delivery - 1 hour = 1 hour instruction
View Flash demonstrations / 1:1 / Timed delivery - 1 hour = 1 hour instruction
Whiteboard [synchronous] / 1:1 / Timed delivery - 1 hour = 1 hour instruction
Lecture activity
Opportunity for students to develop questions, comments or observations to be shared with classmates and instructor through discussion board postings or participation in chat rooms. / 1:1 / Reviews 1 lecture & posts response = 1 hour of instruction
Classroom viewing of film, multimedia clips, etc. essential to a class session / View streaming film, clips, etc. & Post one response.
These viewings should be instructor mediated to expand upon and clarify course concepts and objectives. / 1:1 / Review 1 unit & post 1 response = 1 hour of instruction
Class Discussion1 / Discussion Board [asynchronous]
Instructor guided or mediated threaded discussion that directly relates to course objectives and which has specified time frames, expectations for participation and thoughtful analysis.
In online discussion, comments are evaluated by quality and quantity. They require thoughtful answers to assigned questions or critical review, evaluation and response to peer posts. / Varies / The equivalency depends on the individual posting requirements.
Here are some general guidelines or examples:
1 posting (requires reading all postings) = ½ hour instruction
1 posting (requires reading all postings and replying to a minimum of 5) = 1 hour of instruction
Chat [synchronous]
Instructor led opportunities for collaborative, synchronous learning with specific expectations for participation & feedback. / 1:1 / 1 hour chat = 1 hour instruction
Conference Call
Instructor led opportunities for collaborative synchronouslearning with specific expectations for participation and feedback. / 1:1 / 30 minute call= 30 minutes instruction
Group Projects / Instructor mediated culminating activity with specific learning objectives. It may include a number of elements for collaboration including email, chat rooms, discussion board or face-to-face contact to research, analyze, synthesize, and prepare the project with the Instructor receiving periodic updates and providing guidance to the group. / Varies / 1 hour per week for duration of project
Assignments / Blogs, Journals Logs / 1 private posting = ½ hour instruction
1 shared posting (required to read all classmates’ postings) = 1 hour instruction
Case studies and problem solving analysis / 1 analysis and posting = 1-3 hours
Guided project
Instructor mediated culminating activity with specific learning objectives. It may include a number of elements for student-facilitator collaboration including email, chat rooms, discussion board or face-to-face contact to research, analyze, synthesize, and prepare the project with the Instructor receiving periodic updates and providing guidance to the group. / 1 hour per week for duration of project
Web-Quest
Instructor guided opportunity for students to research information on the internet that enhances student learning and addresses specific course outcomes; findings are shared with the instructor and classmates. / 1 in-depth posting = 1 hour instruction
Library Research
In-depth instructor-led opportunity for students to research scholarly articles or professional journals that relate to course objectives; to be shared with the class in a designated manner. / 1 five page project = 1 hour instruction
1 3-5 page paper = 1-2 hours of instruction
Reflection Paper/Article Review
Instructor guided activity for students to apply learned concepts and relate practices to personal experiences or apply higher order analytic skills in assessing scholarly articles or professional journals. / 1 private posting = ½ hour instruction
Tests/Assessment / Online Quizzes & Tests (Timed)
Opportunity for instructor to assess students’ subject knowledge & provide feedback on students’ progress. / 1:1 / 1 hour test = 1 hour instruction
Student Communication2 / Troubleshooting emails & info / 1:2
Class FAQ’s / 1:2
Assignment clarification / 1:2
Student presentations / Streaming video / 1:1
Narrated PowerPoint / 1:1
Web page presentation w/ discussion / Varies
Group presentations / Streaming video / 1:1
Narrated PowerPoint / 1:1
Web page presentation w/ discussion / Varies
Web-Quest / Instructor guided opportunity for students to research information on the internet that enhances student learning and addresses specific course outcomes; findings are shared with the instructor and classmates. / 1:1 / 1 in-depth posting = 1 hour instruction
Field Trips or Tours including Virtual Tours / Students participate as individuals or in groups in analyzing an activity and preparing a paper or presentation, to be shared in whole or in part with the instructor and/or classmates. / Varies / Facilitator or Instructor led – 1 hour tour = 1 hour instruction
Student(s) alone without instructor or facilitator – 1 hour tour plus reflection paper = 1 hour instruction
Service-Learning Project / Instructor led service project with specific learning objectives that integrates community service with academic study; faculty provides guidance, support and feedback to students and student shares experience and reflection with fellow classmates via emails, chats, discussion boards, and/or face-to-face. / 1 hour per week for duration of project
In-Class Review (e.g. test prep) / Discussion Board [asynchronous] for Assigned Questions / Varies / The equivalency depends on the individual posting requirements.
Here are some general guidelines or examples:
1 posting (requires reading all postings) = ½ hour instruction
  • 1 posting (requires reading all postings and replying to a minimum of 5) = 1 hour of instruction

Chat [synchronous] / 1:1 / ½ hour chat = ½ hour instruction
Whiteboard [synchronous] / 1:1
Total Minutes

Notes

1. Discussion 3:1

Research (Maurino 2006, Draves) suggests that only 25-35% of students regularly participate in F2F discussions while 100% of the students are required to participate in online discussions and their comments are evaluated for quality. Since three times as many students will be participating and since all comments are evaluated the numbers suggest a 3:1 ratio.

Maurino, P. (Winter 2006). Participation and interaction: F2F vs. online. Academic Exchange Quarterly10.4,257-263.

2. Mail 2:1

In their article “Teaching Time: Distance Education Versus Classroom Instruction” from The American Journal of Distance Education, Bender, Wood & Vredevoogd find that “the distance course resulted in more than twice as many email messages per student” which was comparable to other studies done by DiBiase 2000 & Lehman 1996 (p. 110).

Bender, D.M., Wood, B.J., & Vredevoogd, J.D. (2004). Teaching time: Distance education versus classroom instruction. The American Journal of Distance Education, 18(2), 103-114.