In March 2020, schools closed their doors and shifted to remote teaching and learning while instructors pivoted to teaching by webinar using platforms such as Zoom. By fall 2020, it was clear that some students were languishing in remote learning and needed to be in person. As a result, some schools offered limited in-person instruction, which meant that teachers were now teaching some students by webinar while other students were present in the classroom at the same time. Class sessions were often recorded for review or for those unable to attend. This hybrid combination is known as hybrid flexible learning or HyFlex. It wasn’t new, but suddenly it was commonplace in the K-12 system, and now Montgomery College is introducing it.
HyFlex Instruction offers a number of advantages. Students can attend class in person, online by webinar, or watch recorded sessions. This flexibility enables a high degree of learner agency. It also requires a high degree of learner responsibility.
Best Practices for HyFlex Instruction
Design the Course to be Web-Centric
“The best way to support all learners during this time of uncertainty and flux between the remote and in-person worlds is to continue planning for remote learning—because it’s the only way to be consistent, accessible, and nimble enough for the changing tides, while also leveraging all of the skills the students gained in the new self-directed world of learning.” (Finegan, 2021). We don’t know when the next disruption will occur or if there will be another wave of some variant causing another shutdown, but if we design the course to be web-centric, teaching and learning can continue. This involves creating a robust blackboard site to support learners in between class meetings and, where appropriate, recording each class meeting.
Create One Class
All students should be actively included in class activities, regardless of their physical location. Professors should not have to state instructions twice, once for the in-person students and again for the remote students. Creating one class can be accomplished by having all students plugged into the same Zoom room, whether they are in-person or remote. Professors who have been teaching remotely since 2020 will find this easy. Instead of teaching by Zoom from your kitchen table, you can teach by Zoom in a lab with a camera that automatically follows you and ceiling microphones that pick up voices from the professor and students. Teaching in a computer lab or getting a laptop cart from IT can enable the in-class students to actively participate in real-time. So instead of asking a question once for the in-person students and again for online students, ask all students to type their responses in chat. Comment as their responses scroll by and ask students to elaborate verbally or in chat. This creates a ” we ” dynamic rather than “us and them.” It also enables professors to create breakout rooms and to seamlessly mix in-person and remote students. Note: in-person students should have a headset with a microphone when participating in breakout rooms. They will be able to hear and talk with their fellow students with ease.“By focusing on creating one class, connected virtually through strategic grouping, partnering in-person learners with remote peers, and even implementing remote classroom jobs…educators ensure that all learners are collaborating and connecting as one community.” (Finegan, 2021)
Use Backward Design
It’s easy to focus on topics and learning activities, but there is an even better way to ensure that all students meet the course objectives. Backward design involves writing your objectives, then writing assessments for each of them, and then planning instruction that carries students from where they are to where they need to be to meet the objectives and pass the assessments. It’s not teaching to the test. It’s teaching by objectives.
Ensure the Classroom Technology is Adequate
Work with the IT department to get the classroom fitted with web cameras, a wireless lapel mic, and enough monitors to see all remote students on the screen. A laptop cart is one way to ensure that all students in the class can participate in real-time. See Tips for Teaching HyFlex and Staggered Hybrid Courses with Remote Learners for a list of considerations.
Resources
Grand Valley State University (2021, April 5) Tips for Teaching HyFlex and Staggered Hybrid Courses with Remote Learners
https://www.gvsu.edu/elearn/help/tips-for-teaching-hyflex-and-staggered-hybrid-courses-137.htm
Finegan, Juliana. (2021, May 12) 5 Keys to Success in Hybrid Learning.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-keys-success-hybrid-learning
Educause (2020) 7 Things You Should Know About The HyFlex Course Model
https://library.educause.edu/-/media/files/library/2020/7/eli7173.pdf
University of South Carolina Center for Teaching Excellence (n.d.) HyFlex Course Delivery: A Practical Guide
https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/cte/teaching_resources/docs/hyflex_course_delivery_practical_guide.pdf
Loyola University of Chicago Information Technology Services (2021, May 21) Teaching a HyFlex Course: Best Practices and Ideas to Consider https://www.luc.edu/its/itrs/classroomtechnologies/hyflexclassrooms/ or
https://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/itrs/pdfs/classrooms/HyFlex_Best_Practices.pdf
Bruff, Derek (2020, June 11) Active Learning in Hybrid and Physically Distanced Classrooms
Active Learning in Hybrid and Physically Distanced Classrooms