HyFlex: A Path to Providing Students Increased Flexibility, Tailored Instruction, and Human Connection

For students unable to attend in-person or remote class sessions, they have the option to watch or listen to recordings of the class. Therefore, students can attend either in-person, online, or both, and they can change how they attend over the duration of the term. In addition to offering attendance flexibility, HyFlex allows students to choose at least some assignments from a menu of options. These assignments may be tailored to in-person or online formats but should equally support learning goals, since all students complete the same final assessments (Educause 2010).

Potential Benefits

HyFlex courses can decrease the commuting burden for students who live far from campus and alleviate student scheduling conflicts. They can also support students who desire additional practice with course material. For example, a student who attends an in-person class session can also participate in subsequent online discussions or watch the video replay of the class. With a menu of assignments to select from, students can identify tasks that best fit their skills, preferences, and life situation, and they can meet in-person with their instructor and classmates, forging connections less present in an online-only course. Finally, there is some empirical evidence that HyFlex courses can be effective and that students are enthusiastic about them. In his dissertation research, David Rhoads compared traditional semester length courses and 5-week HyFlex courses and found no significant differences in performance. However, Rhoads found students were more satisfied with the structure and clarity of expectation in the Hyflex courses (Teaching in Higher Ed 2020).

During the pandemic, the HyFlex structure allows students to assess their own risk-tolerance and to engage with a course accordingly. Students who desire in-person instruction and are comfortable with the associated risks can attend in-person class sessions, while students with greater concerns can attend the class online. This model also reduces the number of students attending each class session in-person, which can support health and safety protocols, and the online component of Hyflex courses makes them well-positioned to transition to an online-only format if necessary.

Looking to the future, many have argued that changing financial realities have transitioned higher education institutions to a student-as-customer model (e.g., Krueter 2014). As colleges and universities grapple with how to best serve their “customers” during a pandemic, HyFlex courses may be uniquely situated to fulfill student desires for tailored instruction, flexibility, and safety, while at the same time enabling the human connections that are so essential to the learning process. While concerns about safety may diminish post-pandemic, desires for flexibility and differentiation will not. Therefore, as we see an expansion of hybrid courses, we may be seeing the emergence of a new “efficiency” in higher education that will persist in the wake of the pandemic.