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Hybrid vs. HyFlex

Hybrid courses move a significant part of course learning online and, as a result, reduce the amount of classroom seat time. The term Hybrid describes courses that combine face-to-face classroom instruction with online and offline approaches in and out of the classroom. Hybrid courses move a significant part of course learning online, and classroom seat time may or may not be reduced.

HyFlex (a term coined by Brian Beatty) stands for a combination of “hybrid,” meaning alternating between face-to-face meetings and remote interactions, and “flexible,” meaning students move between these participation options. In a HyFlex course, classesare delivered both in person and online at the same time by the same faculty member. For any given class meeting, some students might participate in person, while others might participate at the same time online, made possible by a combination of cameras, microphones, displays, and other technology in the classroom.

HyFlex—in its original conception—was designed for students who live on or close to campus. “It was not meant as a solution for distance education, but rather as a means to give residential and commuter students the flexibility to attend class in person or remotely. This flexibility is attractive right now, when the effects of the pandemic are forcing schools to make decisions about how many students can fit into a classroom on campus, even if they live on or near campus” (Maloney, 2020).

Georgetown is currently upgrading classrooms so that they all have the ability to allow remote students to Zoom in and join the class, and we are making some classrooms particularly suited to HyFlex learning, which you can see a sample of on our Classroom Spaces page.

The underlying design of the HyFlex Model is flexibility (Maloney, 2020). Features of a HyFlex classroom include frequent small-group engagement and collaborative work, which might call for team meetings, conducted virtually or in person (Educause, 2010).

In their book Small Teaching Online, Darby and Lang note the relevance of principles for online learning in hybrid learning environments (Darby and Lang, 2019, xxix). For example, making use of Canvas in your course design for remote and in-person learners is an important first step. You should be organizing your learning materials and activities in a way that allows all students, regardless of modality, the same access and information.

We hope that the principles and practices that follow will help you in teaching HyFlex courses. If you have any questions regarding how you might adjust your course design and preparation for teaching in a HyFlex classroom environment, please email cndls@georgetown.edu. See this resource from educational technologist Phil Hill that may help you as you contemplate adapting your course.

Highlighting HyFlex capabilities at Georgetown – Classroom Educational Technology Services (CETS)

Principles for HyFlex teaching and learning

Involve your students

As you think about the possibility of a HyFlex approach, the most important step is to involve your students.First of all, make sure they’re clear on your expectations for how they should approach class.

Second, keep in mind that you will be juggling a lot. From the technology in the classroom, to making sure the students who are online are engaged, to…well…teaching the material. Your students can help.

Consider assigning rotating roles to your students (and making these roles part of the expectations of the course). Some possible roles to think about:

There are plenty of other roles, from coordinating collaborations to helping make sure people online hear what you’ve said in class.

You might also consider pairing or clustering students, so there is always at least one student from a cluster in class at any given time. This would give all your students a way of staying connected. You might build collaborative projects around this pairing.

Involving your students will not only help you, but it will help them engage with the material and understand the difficulty of the challenge of teaching in this environment. This would mirror active learning principles, and they will likely become more invested, not less, in the course.

Prioritize accessibility

In hybrid models, special attention needs to be paid to issues of access; mixed modes of presentation, the readability of digital materials, how to handle hearing or visual impairments, or when online students are watching, etc. These considerations are important to examine both for the digital materials and environments you are using, as well as for the in-person discussions and activities.

Increase time for activity planning

This set-up is a unique environment, so it is important to allocate extra time to think through activities, to plan assessments for a mixed-mode class of students, and to consider the intentional creation of spaces “in” which students may congregate and communicate on equal footing. See this class plan as one model of planning a 50 and 75 minute class.

For example, small group meetings may be conducted in virtual spaces, even when students are present and together in a room. They may stay seated at their assigned desks and collaborate via a host of online collaboration tools, which will help negate the distance between the remote and in-person students. These kinds of adaptations to your planned course activities will require some forethought to facilitate activities that will run smoothly whether your students are in person or joining in online.

Preparation is also a key component for knowing how to react or adjust when something inevitably goes wrong. Even if you do everything right, there are times when the internet slows down, a student is unable to make it to class, or your plan isn’t quite working out. Having a back-up plan, sharing digital resources ahead of time, and even just becoming more familiar with the technology can all boost your confidence going into class.

Faculty insights

Establish ground rules

When it comes to norms for communication in a traditional in-person classroom setting, instructors typically use the first day or first few weeks to develop norms and expectations with students. In both online and HyFlex class sessions, having a plan to establish a set of norms and expectations for your class can go a long way in helping both groups of students make the most of their learning together.For HyFlex classrooms in particular, it is easy for remote students to disengage or else be disregarded by those participating in the room.

Communicate consistently about what kinds of habits, practices, and dispositions will lead to a successful learning experience. Students will have an easier time adjusting to a HyFlex classroom environment when they know what the expectations are through seeing you model behavior and explicitly discuss it.

In addition to the below, it’s always crucial to ask your in-person students to bring their devices to class with them. Based on our experiences teaching and learning in HyFlex environments in the Learning, Design, and Technology (LDT) program, we’ve identified a few principles that you might consider discussing or applying with your students.

Flexibility

Teaching and learning in this mixed environment takes practice, experimentation, and adjustments to expectations. Being upfront about the need to be flexible, for both in-person and remote students, will help in an environment where changes may arise, and where everyone is learning to adapt.

Proactive communication

Remote students “zooming in” to an in-person classroom sometimes hesitate to speak up. It can feel awkward and delayed, and they may be unsure how visible they are when they indicate that they want to join in. Encourage your remote students to jump in proactively in whatever way makes the most sense in your context. Maybe they could simply unmute and speak up during class, or else an in-person student could speak up on their behalf when they notice their remote peers wanting to speak.

Empathy

For in-person students, and even at times for the instructor, it can be all too easy to speak and act in the classroom as if the only participants are those who are physically present. Maybe there’s a paper handout rather than a digital one, or perhaps the instructor facilitates a discussion without keeping an eye on the folks online to see if they want to speak. Helping students to develop empathy for their peers—and nurturing that empathy in oneself—will help lead naturally to solutions.

Technology expectations

Knowing how and where to communicate during class, as well as between classes, is an essential part of empowering students to engage with you and each other in a mixed environment. Explore practices such as encouraging in-person students to face the camera and microphone while sharing out with the class, or encouraging students to engage actively in online discussions and dialogue outside of class.

Follow-up before and after class

Communicating in the online environment before and after class becomes even more important in a mixed-mode environment. Making regular use of announcements in Canvas, posting your slides in Canvas, recapping any assignments or next steps discussed in class can be especially helpful for remote students who might benefit from clear and concise follow-up. These actions will also increase your visibility for all students, and increase their connection to both you and the course content (Yearwood et al., 2016).

Faculty insights

Conclusion

Hybrid models of teaching require effort on the part of faculty in terms of preparation and resilience. Likewise, students will get more out of the experience if they recognize the key role they have to play as partners in the class experience. Teaching and learning has always been a collective endeavor, and the HyFlex modality emphasizes the need for instructors and students to partner on the cultivation of a meaningful learning environment. As the HyFlex model becomes more widely adopted and adapted, the flexibility of this model affords faculty and students the opportunity to navigate the complex challenges posed by COVID-19.

Resources

Consider connecting with our Instructional Technology Aide program to support your classroom technology.

References

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