The Future of Education

Hybrid flexible (HyFlex) course designs—that is, multi-modal courses which combine online and in-campus components—have been successfully used in higher education for over a decade (Beatty, 2019). This type of learning and teaching has become popular around the globe following COVID-19 outbreak, as it enables participation which is inclusive for those students who cannot or do not wish to attend face-to-face meetings in times of pandemic. Notably, the massive use of such designs helped identify not only their benefits but also their challenges (Raes et al., 2020). This paper brings together findings from 3 studies—that took place in both the USA and Israel, using different methodologies—that shed light on HyFlex courses from multiple points of view. Study 1 examined to what extent do HyFlex classrooms support and enable active learning. We studied six classrooms with 30 different courses from all major disciplines, and surveyed faculty (N=29) and students (N=1215). The study was conducted in a large private university in the USA, data collection was held in October 2020. Findings suggest that HyFlex settings scored the lowest in suitability for active learning, compared with either traditional face-to-face or fully online lessons. Also, remote students in HyFlex classrooms were less likely to take an active part than in-person students. Study 2 explored instructors’ (N=695) and students’ (N=4159) perceptions of HyFlex courses; the study was conducted in a large research university in Israel. Using an online questionnaire, we surveyed participants (during summer 2021) about aspects related to technology, pedagogy, engagement, and communication. Findings suggest that students overall appreciated HyFlex design to a similar extent as other forms of learning, while instructors prominently prefer either traditional face-to-face lessons or fully online lessons. Study 3 investigated metaphorical perceptions of instructors (N=130) and students (N=80) from Israel towards HyFlex lessons; data collection was conducted during summer 2021. Findings indicate that both instructors and students perceived their role in HyFlex lessons differently from their role in face-to-face classes. Moreover, both instructors and students perceived remote students as less participative than on-campus students.

Keywords: Higher Education, Learning, Flexible