As the world and especially education began to open back up to a mix of in-person learning and remote learning, Chris Harte and Summer Howarth wrote a paper for the Leading Education Series with the goal to renegotiate learning in a hybrid world.

This paper does an excellent job of identifying the multiple definitions that exist around this space. For some, hybrid learning is synonymous with blended learning, remote learning, or online learning; ie, the use of technology is the defining feature. For others, hybrid learning is less about modality and more about pedagogy – learning design choices that are made in the creation of a learning experience – right down to the question of whether the learning is more effective when experienced synchronously or asynchronously. For others, hybrid learning means that different groups of learners are engaging in the same learning experience in different contexts; ie, the challenge of having a class of learners where some of them are present in a physical classroom with a teacher while others are learning in a different place, perhaps isolating at home due to COVID infection.

The paper puts forward the idea that all of these scenarios should be considered as different forms of hybrid learning. This broad definition of hybrid reflects the complex realities we are faced with in education and allows us to focus more closely on the variables we need to consider when designing learning that is rich in technology, complex in nature, synchronously (or asynchronously) occurring in a range of settings, and requiring nuanced learning design.