For decades we’ve been able to teach campus and online students in live seminars at the same time. Early writing about this sets out a vision of inclusion. Students who would otherwise be unable to join a timetabled seminar – because of caring commitments, being unwell, geographical distance, finances or competing demands – could cut the commute and participate online. So this kind of teaching has had a place since the web was young – but it was Covid19 that really kicked hyflex into play.
Universities which decided to offer each student a quota of taught hours on campus began to explore hyflex as a way of overcoming the reduced capacity of teaching rooms. However, teaching that way wasn’t conceived for a pandemic – it demands an immense amount from educators. You need to be proficient teaching physically-distanced, face-covered students on campus. You also need to be proficient teaching online students – a distinct repertoire of strategies along with mastery of your technology (and if your platform falls short on social presence or checking learning, you need to come up with creative work-arounds). And then with hyflex you need to do both at once with your own nose and mouth covered – attentively, equitably, interactively, effectively and in such a way that students recognise its educational benefits distinct from on campus or online alone. Three modes is quite a stretch for most educators under pressures of a global mega-crisis.
This month’s texts
If you haven’t seen hyflex in action, here’s a video introduction from Chris Sharp, learning technologist at the University of Florida – but note that example is oriented to large groups and there are other ways of configuring a room and the technologies.
If you only read one thing:
Predating Covid19, this illustrated systematic review summarises pre-existing benefits and challenges from organisational, student and educator perspectives.
- Raes, A., Detienne, L., Windey, I., & Depaepe, F. (2019). A systematic literature review on synchronous hybrid learning: Gaps identified. Learning Environments Research.
Further reading
Converting an existing course:
- Heilporn, G., & Lakhal, S. (2021). Converting a graduate-level course into a HyFlex modality: What are effective engagement strategies? The International Journal of Management Education, 19(1).
And at the microlevel, scaffolding student interactions:
- Lakhal, S., Mukamurera, J., Bédard, M.-E., Heilporn, G., & Chauret, M. (2020). Features fostering academic and social integration in blended synchronous courses in graduate programs. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(1), 5.
Some questions to think about:
- If you had a good budget to fit out a flagship hyflex room, what kind of hardware, software and furniture would you buy, how would you set them up, and why? Prioritise pedagogical considerations, from student and educator perspectives.
- What promotes or disrupts equivalence of learning and for online and campus students in a hyflex setting?
- What are the main things educators need to be aware of and master?
- What implications does Covid19 have for hyflex?
