Why Hybrid Learning?
What's the difference between Hybrid and Blended learning?
Parker (2022) stated that Hybrid and Blended learning have been used synonymously in the past 10 years. However, there has now been a distinction between the two. The differences are laid out below.
Hybrid learning
This type of learning involves the instructor to be teaching in a classroom, lab, or clinical setting with face-to-face students. However, there are also online students present in the class. The class uses a video conferencing tool (Zoom or Microsoft Teams) to interact with each other (Parker, 2022).
Blended learning
This type of learning allows students to have synchronous time with the instructor in person or online. Students can engage with the material asynchronously (Parker, 2022).
Students also have the experience of having a "blend" in classroom activities. From a teaching perspective, instructors determine which course components can be done at certain times or without instructor presence (Parker, 2022).
Set Up: Hybrid Classes
What is Blended Learning
Emergency hybrid learning implementation
One of this team's group member had to teach in a hybrid learning environment for a private language school. The school they worked at decided to open up after the first lockdown restrictions have loosened in Vancouver, BC. There are 3 aspects to sum up this experience.
Classroom infrastructure
Since it is a medium sized language school, the classrooms are not equipped with the same technology specs compared to colleges and universities.
Teachers were provided with a basic desktop computer with a high definition web cam. All classes had to use Zoom.
Learning Management System
There was no learning management system in place before the pandemic. Teachers had to be creative. It's either they used Google Classroom or created a basic shared Google Drive to organize handouts to the class.
Classroom facilitation
This was a challenge as it felt like running two different classes.
As much as possible, the in class and face - to - face students were paired up to build peer rapport.
The audio situation was complicated as there would be feedback if more than one mic is turned on. As a band aid measure, the students and the teacher had to use headphones and would only unmute themselves when they needed to talk.
Lessons from emergency hybrid teaching
Adaptability
The pandemic has forced a lot educators and students as well to adapt to the situation quite quickly.
Educators are particularly resourceful and had made use of the tools available to them. Video conferencing was a very powerful tool. Based on personal experience, the breakout rooms function on Zoom allowed group work during in-class activities. Students being able to converse with their peers help with rapport building and overall class morale.
There are also lots of great websites and blogs that offer free resources to instructors. Some paid websites like OneStop English removed their pay wall to support instructors to utilize their online lesson plans and worksheets.
Arguably, some would think that they were not the same teachers as they were pre - pandemic. Some teachers may find that they learned and adopted teaching techniques that could still beneficial in teaching face - to - face synchronous classes.
Importance of teacher training
If the pandemic teaches us anything, it should show that teachers are an integral pillar of training. Moving forward, there should be a focus on training teachers to use technology to enhance and support classroom instruction and overall learning experience of the students. It does not have to involve the fanciest gadgets on the market or the trendiest teaching methodology. Teachers have to re think how to use common resources like YouTube to aid their teaching. Teachers should also think of productive ways to use smartphones in the classroom. Some teachers shy away from technology in the classroom, but whether we like it or not, technology is here to stay.
Rethinking the concept of learning in relation to physical space
The pandemic has shown lots of people that learning does not always have to happen within the confines of a classroom. Learning can take place wherever and whenever. Arguably, there was a huge injection of Open Educational Resources online and over the years people have used them more and more.
Learning in a traditional setting can be both expensive and time consuming. By having the option of hybrid learning, students can save the time of commuting to school. This can benefit students who work or have other personally obligations like raising a family or taking care of relatives. Moreover, not all students have the financial capacity to receive education overseas. For example, some students had the opportunity to access live English class from Vancouver without leaving their homecountry over the first wave of the pandemic. Not only is this opportunity beneficial for the students, it is also beneficial for the teacher who had the chance to meet students from countries they would not usually get at this private language school.
Moving a course online
U of A has moved their preservice music teaching course online. The first 15 minutes of this symposium serves some valuable lessons about how to move a post-secondary course which is traditionally, only offered in a face-to-face format, to a blended online hybrid learning environment.
Reasons for Hybrid learning besides the pandemic
According to Beatty (2021), there are multiple reasons why Hybrid learning was needed:
Ongoing problems with providing high quality access to education.
Declining enrollments in some graduate programs.
Inability of students to commit to a set class time due to personal and professional commitments outside of class time.
As a result, HyFlex learning was conceptualized.
HyFlex learning
HyFlex
It's a portmanteau of Hybrid and Flexible. Beatty (2021) defines HyFlex as:
Hybrid: There is a mix of in - class synchronous, online asynchronous or online synchronous participation.
Flexible: Learners can choose their method of participation. For example, they can choose to participate in an online setting one week and then participate in a face - to - face setting the next week.
The flexibility aspect is what is highlighted in this type of Hybrid learning. It allows the students accessibility and the choice to choose mode of instruction to suit their lifestyle.
HyFlex values and principles
Beatty (2021) lays out 4 core values and principles of HyFlex:
Learner choice
Learners should have access to fully developed materials regardless of the mode of instruction they choose to participate in.
Equivalence
All modes of instructions must have the same learning outcomes.
Reuse
Instructors must reuse the materials they have to use for other modes of delivery.
Instructors must also capture discussions in face - to - face classes and letting online students have access to them. This is new information and it needs to be shared equally.
Accesibility
Learners must know and have access to all alternative modes of instruction available to the course.
HyFlex technology
Beatty (2021) pointed out that he used the learning management system heavily to facilitate the class. The classrooms itself needs to be equipped with proper technology to handle the demands of teaching face - to - face and online students at the same time. See the screenshots below from Beatty (2021) for some examples of classroom set up.
Learner pods
Each student station is equipped with a screen so that in class groups can see and interact with their online classmates.
The classroom is also equipped with a camera at the back to show a video of the whole classroom.
Instructor station
It is equipped with a desktop computer, webcam, and access to audio visual controls for the room. The zoomed in image shows the wireless mic for the instructor.
High tech classrooms
This is an example of a high tech classroom in Belgium. The screens at the back allow the instructor for better visual access to the online students.
Emergency tech options
Not all classrooms in a college or university is equipped. Beatty (2021) points out that some departments give out "relatively inexpensive" tech for instructors to use should they find themselves in a situation where they need to teach in an ill equipped room.
Engaging students in HyFlex
Beatty (2021) states that student engagement starts with an engaged instructor. This means that the instructor must find value in the mode of instruction they are using. Sometimes instructors favour one mode of instruction over the other. For example, an instructor who prefers in person synchronous instruction often does not engage as much with the students in an online synchronous setting which causes the students in the other end to feel less important or catered to.
Some strategies that Beatty (2021) put forward to boost student engagement are:
Setting weekly reflection posts.
Forming small group discussion with the in-class and online synchronous when possible.
Use online forums/shared docs to "capture" responses from in-class discussion activities.
Require peer feedback on draft assignments and presentations.
Require online and face - to - face students to participate in all discussion forums.
Mention online student names in lectures to show that their contributions matter.