USC’s Viterbi iPodia Program invests in collaborative hybrid learning to break down barriers in traditional education with Microsoft Teams

iLearning was developed by the iPodia Program to transform campus education and enable collaborative learning between students across the globe. Launched by the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering in 2009, the program brings together students from 14 iPodia Alliance universities on four continents to engage in synchronous and asynchronous peer learning. Using the “classrooms-without-borders” platform, iPodia students collaborate on various learning activities in person and online, and they work on team projects continuously in small and large groups. The weekly iLearning cycle starts with self-study of course contents followed by a quiz and survey to identify students with the most diverse answers. Students are then grouped as online cohorts to discuss and understand each other’s perspectives.

This “learning-through-diversity” pedagogy turns wide learner diversity in connected classrooms into an additional learning resource. During the live class, the teacher leads remote and in-person students together to discuss key concepts, use Microsoft Whiteboard to brainstorm, and join polls and breakout rooms to work on group exercises. Afterward, students can review class recordings and continuously exchange thoughts at any time, no matter which time zones they’re in. Collaboration via iPodia’s new platform and pedagogy in a hybrid learning environment can develop contextual understandings, break down cultural barriers, and broaden diverse viewpoints to foster a more inclusive and worldly generation.

All iLearning activities are underpinned by Microsoft Teams. “Our partnership was a match made in heaven because of Microsoft’s long-term commitment to enterprise collaboration and our strong belief that collaborative learning holds the key to change education,” says Dr. Stephen Lu, USC’s Chair Professor and Director of the Viterbi iPodia Program and the iPodia Alliance. Beyond providing a seamless collaboration platform, Teams also minimizes the overhead that typically prevents students from engaging in meaningful peer learning. Students change their learning behaviors with Teams together mode, learn from each other directly in breakout rooms, and use organized structures with automated notifications to stay on top of their assignments. “We see Microsoft Teams as a powerful bridge for students to change their old habits into a new and more productive learning practice,” says Dr. Lu. By connecting worldwide students in a collaborative, hybrid learning environment, Teams helps USC’s iPodia realize its vision of “learning together for a better world.”

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