Mind the gap: Reimagining an interactive programming course for the synchronous hybrid classroom

• Main Authors: POSKITT, Christopher M., SHIM, Kyong Jin, LAU, Yi Meng, ONG, Hong Seng
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2022
• Subjects: Software Engineering
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sis_research/6717; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sis_research/article/7720/viewcontent/2109.09073.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

COVID-19 has significantly affected universities, forcing many courses to be delivered entirely online. As countries bring the pandemic under control, a potential way to safely resume some face-to-face teaching is the synchronous hybrid classroom, in which physically and remotely attending students are taught simultaneously. This comes with challenges, however, including the risk that remotely attending students perceive a ‘gap’ between their engagement and that of their physical peers. In this experience report, we describe how an interactive programming course was adapted to hybrid delivery in a way that mitigated this risk. Our solution centred on the use of a professional communication platform—Slack—to equalise participation opportunities and to facilitate peer learning. Furthermore, to mitigate ‘Zoom fatigue’, we implemented a semi-flipped classroom, covering concepts in videos and using shorter lessons to consolidate them. Finally, we critically reflect on the results of a student survey and our own experiences of implementing the solution.