How would you design and deliver a semester-long module that mixes in-person and online students, ensuring equitable learning outcomes for both groups?
Situational
Instructional Design
Blended Learning
Assessment Design
Adjunct lecturers in South Africa often teach cohorts with varied access to campus facilities and different schedules. This question assesses your instructional design skills, familiarity with blended learning tools, and ability to ensure fairness and learning quality across modalities.
How to answer
- Start by outlining learning outcomes and which are best taught synchronously versus asynchronously.
- Explain your chosen course structure (e.g., flipped classroom, weekly modules) and why it supports both cohorts.
- Describe specific tools and platforms (e.g., Moodle/Vula, MS Teams, Zoom, Panopto) and how you'll use them for lectures, recordings and assessments.
- Show how you'll adapt assessments to avoid disadvantaging online students (e.g., timed online tests, take-home assignments, inclusive rubrics).
- Detail strategies for engagement and interaction for remote students (live Q&A, breakouts, discussion forums) and how you'll monitor participation.
- Mention contingency plans for connectivity issues common in parts of South Africa (e.g., low-bandwidth resources, downloadable materials, asynchronous alternatives).
- Explain how you'll measure learning outcomes and collect feedback mid-semester to iterate (surveys, formative quizzes, attendance/engagement analytics).
What not to say
- Assuming online students get the same experience without describing specific accommodations.
- Relying solely on long recorded lectures without interactive elements.
- Neglecting platform accessibility or bandwidth limitations common in South African contexts.
- Saying you'll treat both groups identically without adjustments for modality differences.
Sample answer
“I would begin by mapping the module's 8 learning outcomes and decide which activities require synchronous interaction (e.g., live debates, labs) and which can be asynchronous (readings, recorded mini-lectures). Using the university's Vula/Moodle as the course hub, I'd upload short Panopto recordings (10–15 minutes) and provide low-bandwidth PDF summaries for students with limited connectivity. Weekly structure: a recorded concept briefing, a live 60-minute Q&A (recorded), and an online discussion assignment assessed with a clear rubric. For assessments, I'd use a combination of online timed quizzes (with time buffers), a group project allowing local in-person or virtual collaboration, and an individual take-home essay to accommodate connectivity issues. To keep remote students engaged I would run breakout rooms during live sessions, use discussion boards with guided prompts, and schedule drop-in virtual office hours. Mid-semester I would run a short anonymous survey and adjust pacing based on feedback. In a previous contract module at the University of Pretoria, adopting a similar approach raised average submission rates from 78% to 92% and improved student satisfaction scores for accessibility.”