Hybrid Course Proposal

1. Running Head:AXTELL ONLINE COURSE PROPOSAL 1
Axtell Online Course Proposal
EDTC 5503
Sarah Axtell
Oklahoma State University

2. Axtell Online Course Proposal 2
Introduction
This course proposal is for a hybrid course for student technicians employed by an
information technology (IT) department at a local university. This proposal is for a new course of
training that is accessible by all student technicians throughout the course of their employment.
A hybrid course brings together an online course and a face to face course to provide the best of
both worlds to students. Expected participants will be university students at the university in
which they are employed. The course will consist of onboarding activities, training modules for
communication, professionalism and IT troubleshooting, and resources for the students.
Onboarding activities will include policies and procedures for the department and
university, access and introductions to the various tools needed to perform their job, and other
informational resources. The training modules will include online videos and print resources that
cover various topics in communication, professional behavior and technical skills. Other
resources for the students will be provided such as a knowledge base articles and helpful
tutorials.
Course Type
This course should be provided in a hybrid environment, meaning that part of the course
is conducted in an online environment and part of it is conducted in a face to face environment.
As employees in an IT department it is important that our student technicians understand how to
navigate the various online and networked resources we provide, which are the same tools used
to provide the content. Meris Stansbury (2008) notes in her case study of a hybrid course,
students have greater comprehension in hybrid courses.

3. Axtell Online Course Proposal 3
One of the advantages of the online portion of the course is that the content can be
accessed from anywhere and at any time. This allows students to access the resources while they
are in the field or from home. Having the content presented online also allows students to
comprehend the content at their own pace. Students appreciate the ability to move at their own
pace and reference older material as often as needed (Stansbury, 2008).
Face to face interaction is necessary for this course because the course is meant as
employment training. The face to face interaction part of the course will happen at the work
place when the student comes in for their shift. This face to face part of the course has many
advantages. One of the main advantages is the ability to ask questions and get immediate
feedback on how to properly troubleshoot an issue. There is no way to prepare for every issue
that could come to the office so there will be continuing questions and training throughout the
employment. The face to face will be an integral part of ensuring the students know how to
handle incoming issues.
Course Design
The base for this course will be Microsoft SharePoint Online. SharePoint allows users to
use document libraries, upload videos, create announcements and post discussions. Users can
also tie in other resources like workflows, and link to other tools like shared network drives,
knowledge bases and our ticketing system. SharePoint is already established in our department
and the students are familiar with it. It can be accessed anywhere with an internet connection and
scales well on mobile devices.
The audience for this course is student employees for an IT department. There are
approximately 12 – 13 employees depending on the time of year. This course will be taken and

4. Axtell Online Course Proposal 4
completed at the beginning of employment with new objectives for training set every semester.
Most students will be novices in the IT field. The content will be geared towards tech newbies
with the expectation of growth in their skill set each semester.
All class content will be delivered online. Most content is in video or PDF format. Hands
on experience and real time feedback will be provided face to face during their shift. The content
needs to be available online so students can access it while in the field or at home. The face to
face portion of the class is meant to enforce and provide real world experience with the content.
Students are provided internet access on campus as a part of their fees. There are also several
options for students who lack the technology (ex. Laptop) to access the content. Students are not
expected to complete the course on their own time, rather they can take time during their shift to
complete their required assignments. This should mitigate any problems with lack of access to
internet or technology.
The goal of this course is to successfully onboard the students and provide continual
training to assist them in their job. There are four objectives in this course. Objective one is for
the students to understand the policies and procedures for the department and to be familiarized
with the department’s structure. Objective two is for the students to understand the fundamentals
of troubleshooting IT issues and what to do if they do not know how to solve a problem.
Objective three is for the students to know how to do the basic duties of their job which includes
reimaging machines and rounds. Objective four is for the students to understand how to access
resource such as software instructions and knowledge base articles for their job.
This course will start with the onboarding module. The onboarding module consists of
graphics, PDF documents, and videos. Graphics make up 5% of the module and are used mostly
to explain the hierarchy of the department. PDF documents make up 85% of the module and

5. Axtell Online Course Proposal 5
include the departments policies and standard operating procedures. This part of the module also
includes introduction to the network shares and tools students will use in their job. The final 10%
of the module is videos created by the instructor. The videos cover staff introductions and
appropriate chat etiquette for the LiveChat feature the department has. This module is very PDF
heavy because the policies and procedures are written documents. When onboarding employees
the majority of what they receive is rules and expectations which is why a PDF heavy module is
appropriate.
The second module will be the IT Training module. This module is 1% PDF and 99%
online videos created by a third-party vendor. The vendor used for the training program is
SkillSoft. They provide a web portal for students to access. In the web portal students can search
for the courses they are wanting to take. The courses provided by SkillSoft have built in quizzes
to asses the students comprehension of the subject matter as the course progresses. The PDF that
is included in this module is the training program guidelines. The students are provided a list of
approved courses. The training program has four courses each student is required to take. Then
students are required to take eight elective courses. The students can choose which eight they
would like to take from the list of approved courses. The videos are appropriate for this course
because it shows detailed examples of the subject and teaches the students how to resolve it. It
also asses their comprehension which is one less step on the instructor. Skillsoft also allows the
instructor to go in an assign training to students which allows the instructor to give guided
training based on areas the students are struggling in.
The third module covers the other various resources the students can use and access. 80%
of this module will be PDF documents. The students will have access to a knowledge base where
the instructor and other full-time staff members can upload notes and instructions on issues that

6. Axtell Online Course Proposal 6
may arise or are consistently asked about. The other 20% of this module varies depending on
what is happening in the department. If there is a specific virus that is going around, the
instructor may post a video on how to get rid of it or maybe just an announcement that it is a
problem. Other specific circumstances can lead to various resources in various formats. The third
module is viewed of an ongoing educational module.
SharePoint has several different functions that make it ideal for this course. One of the
main functions is the ability to create a discussion area where students can ask questions and get
answers or the instructor can post information and get feedback from the students. The
discussions can be used in all three modules whenever the need arises. Since this course is a
hybrid course, there will be face to face discussion during all three modules. The students also
work together to solve issues and provide IT support. Although this course does not include
social media there will be free tools used in the pursuit to provide IT support. Free tools are
listed in module three and discussed during work hours.
Community building happens naturally in the IT environment. Since this is a hybrid
course the students see each other regularly at work where they can discuss the topics and issues.
The constant problem-solving environment lends itself to building a community because there is
always a need for other’s input to solve a complicated problem. SharePoint also provides a space
for students to talk and leave notes as needed for other student techs.
Since this is not a standard academic course there are no formal tests outside the
assessments SkillSoft provides in their courses. In the SkillSoft courses, if a student does not
make a passing grade on the assessment is does not count the course complete. Students are
given performance evaluations on a semesterly basis which assesses their performance which
includes the knowledge gained in this course and their completion of the training module.

7. Axtell Online Course Proposal 7
Conclusion
This course is needed to ensure the student technicians are provided the same onboarding
and training experience. Providing a hybrid course means a greater comprehension of the subject
as well as greater accessibility to the resources the students need to be successful at their job. The
three modules ensure the students have clear expectations when hired on how to integrate into
the department. The training program in the second module also provides continual training
which will benefit the student and the department. This course will grow the student’s
knowledge and confidence in the support they provide which will benefit the customers and the
college.

8. Axtell Online Course Proposal 8
References
Stansbury, M. (2008, April 03). 'Hybrid' courses show promise. Retrieved March 1, 2019, from
https://www.eschoolnews.com/2008/04/03/hybrid-courses-show-promise/