Being present in the teaching situation and active participation are generally considered to be a signs of a successful hybrid teaching situation. However, creating and fostering this sense of presence and active participation of the students can be a challenge. Initiating and maintaining student participation and interaction can be hard work, so it is worthwhile to include it in the course guidelines and implement it in teaching from the beginning so that participants understand the purpose of it and remain active throughout the course.
What do I need to do?
Set interaction and active student participations as the new normal in a course from the first lecture and include it in the course guidelines. You can apply How to communicate effectively in virtual meetings tip to hybrid stations as well. To keep the interaction going and activity levels high remember ask questions, use activities and tasks during the teaching. Note interaction and active participation as part of the course objectives and see if students would be interested to include it in their own objectives and ground rules for the course as well.
What should I take into account?
When planning a hybrid teaching situation, give students enough time to speak up. Remote participants in particular take significantly longer to respond to questions or speak up than those present in the classroom. Give opportunities to participate through multiple channels like the chat and via mic.
Keep the conversation going throughout the lesson and use activities between lecturing. Long one-sided lectures significantly reduce student participation and activity. It is advisable to plan the teaching activities in advance and to present the schedule at the beginning of the teaching session. Be sure to add breaks to your schedule as well!