Description:

The COVID Pandemic has increased awareness of the challenges that students face in achieving 100% participation in face to face classes and the need for professors to be more flexible in their attendance policies. In addition to students being required to quarantine or self-isolate, students have faced increased pressures to work, take care of loved ones and deal with mental health illnesses. In a hybrid model, when students are absent for the only face to face class period of the week, it can create a disconnect with their peers and professor as well as make it more difficult to create an inclusive classroom environment where they feel comfortable participating throughout the semester. In order for all students to have equitable opportunities to meet course objectives and participate, a more flexible course design is warranted. A hyflex course model is a student-centered design that provides opportunities for students to attend in person, online or both. Students can choose which way they participate based on their needs or preferences by topic or class session. Integrating hyflex model strategies can increase participation and engagement and foster a stronger sense of community in the classroom. This flexibility by the professor will continue to benefit students who have sporadic schedules, health problems, and other personal, family or work issues going forward and well beyond the pandemic. To implement a hyflex model, the professor needs to feel and/or get comfortable with using technology in new ways. It takes time for planning and developing activities for multiple participation modalities; however, it can increase student satisfaction and prevent missed learning opportunities. Professors, along with the presenter, who have integrated hyflex components in their course design report increased participation, engagement and satisfaction. In this session, participants will learn hyflex teaching strategies that can be integrated in their course design so they can feel confident in making their course more flexible and accessible to students. Participants will also learn a variety of ideas for both individual and small group activities using Google Forms, Jam Boards, Google Slides and Google Docs. Lessons learned from the 2020-2021 academic year will be shared by the presenter along with resources and tools for designing and implementing either a blended or full hyflex model course.

Objectives:

1. Explain the benefits of a hyflex course design

2. Discuss the challenges of implementing a hyflex course design

3. Identify hyflex teaching strategies and class activities that cross multiple participation modalities

4. Gain confidence in designing and implementing a hyflex model course (blended or full)