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Hybrid Learning Grants

Overview

Hybrid Learning grant logo

Hybrid Learning Grants are for redesigning an existing course by leveraging the strengths of online and in-person learning modalities to create engaging, interactive and flexible learning environments. Hybrid learning courses often adopt the flipped classroom approach by fully or partially moving in-class lectures to asynchronous online learning, while providing hands-on learning opportunities during class to apply and solidify the newly learned knowledge and skills. The emphasis on in-class application and problem-solving through social interactions with peers and the instructor supports the NC State QEP plan of Learning by Doing at the course level. Hybrid Learning Grants involve the first year of redesigning and developing the course and the second year of assessing the redesign’s impact and student perceptions.

Who Should Participate?

Full or 3/4 time faculty who aim to redesign an existing course using the flipped classroom approach of hybrid learning should apply.

Choose this grant if:

  • Your course is a credit-bearing course at NC State University.
  • You have taught the course at least once at NC State University AND are actively involved with teaching the proposed course.
  • You would like to use the majority of class time for guided active learning with student-to-student and student-to-instructor interactions, instead of the traditional lecture format.
  • You would like to assess the effectiveness of the redesigned course and share hybrid learning strategies and findings with colleagues in your field of teaching.

Award

  • $8,000 plus a course design cohort, individual mentoring, and media design support (if needed) during the first year

Services Provided

  • Bi-weekly one-hour cohort sessions led by a DELTA instructional designer to learn about design strategies and examples, and to interact with peer instructors during the first year
  • Bi-weekly one-hour mentoring sessions with a Hybrid Learning Grant mentor to discuss course-specific design tasks, ideas, and feedback during the first year
  • Instructional media design and development support for creating media deliverables that can benefit hybrid learning (if needed) during the first year
  • Structured evaluation planning, data collection, and data analysis support during the first and second year to assess the impact of redesign on learning outcomes as well as student perceptions and experience
  • Assistance with official submission for a Quality Matters course review (if needed)

What Courses are eligible?

Any face-to-face or hybrid courses that are credit-bearing and have regularly scheduled class sessions.

Length and Delivery

The Hybrid Learning Grants run for two years:

  • The first year begins in the fall and continues through the end of summer semester (12 months).
    • You will complete the course design and development within the first year, along with course design cohort, individual mentoring, and media design support (if needed). 
    • You will also collect baseline data of your pre-redesigned course for one or two semesters with DELTA support during the first year.
  • The second year (or beyond) involves two regular semesters (spring and/or fall) of implementing the redesigned course and collecting post-redesign data.
    • You will work with DELTA staff to collect data from student surveys, Moodle site, and course grades. 
    • You will reflect on your implementation experience and assessment findings, and prepare for presentations or publications in your field of teaching.

Grant Expectations 

  • Participate in and successfully complete the “Applying the Quality Matters Rubric” workshop before the grant starts.
  • Attend a one-hour cohort session and a one-hour mentoring session every two weeks from late August to May during the first year (about 40 hours meeting time).
  • Commit two to four hours per week working on the course design tasks before and after cohort/mentoring sessions. Finish course development before the end of the first year (about 80-120 hours working time).
  • Keep up with the scheduled course design milestones and tasks. Showcase your work to the cohort in the middle (mid-December) and end (early August) of the first year.
  • If media design and development support is needed, attend media discussion sessions in addition to the cohort/mentoring sessions and complete assigned tasks. Meeting time and workload depend on the media deliverable types and scope.
  • Teach the redesigned course at least once between Summer 2025 and Spring 2026 and at least 2 times thereafter, with a minimum of three times total.
  • Collect assessment data in collaboration with DELTA during the pre-redesign semester(s) and the first two post-redesign semesters (fall and/or spring).
  • Share your course design and assessment findings with your field of teaching through presentations and/or publications within NC State or beyond.

Competitive Priorities

Priority consideration is given to applications that:

  • Meet overall competitive priorities of DELTA Grants:
    • Seek to improve student success as defined by the NC State Strategic Plan.
    • Align with the strategic goals of the college or division that the PI represents.
    • Demonstrate support from the department and/or college.
    • Is a course that is foundation and required by the college, a major, or the university
    • Seek to improve students’ higher-order thinking competencies.
    • Benefit more than one course or faculty member.
    • Benefit multiple sections and delivery methods of the course.
  • Meet competitive priorities of Hybrid Learning Grants:
    • Intend to fully move lecture-based learning to an asynchronous online environment and reserve the maximum of class time for active learning.
    • Interested in engaging in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research based on the course redesign.
    • Interested in submitting the course for Quality Matters certification after redesign.

A flipped classroom allows you to be there at the moment that the students understand, which is extremely invigorating in teaching. It also makes those moments more timely for the students since they can think and ask questions while you’re together. I will never go back to lecturing.”

Dr. Anna Howard

Teaching Professor
Instructor of MAE 206 Engineering Statics
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
2019-2020 DELTA Grant Recipient

Hybrid Learning Grants in Action

Learn how DELTA has worked with instructors to revamp their teaching and learning using the hybrid and flipped approach.

photograph of an instructor using a flipped classroom approach, talking amongst students in a classroom instead of lecturing

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