HyFlex - it’s a hot topic in the current edusphere. It’s a new(ish) learning model that gives students the autonomy to choose how they would like to attend class, either online or on-campus, where the instructor manages both physical and digital learning environments simultaneously. How is this possible, you might ask?
Well, add some high-tech equipment such as retrofitting the physical classroom with microphones, multiple cameras, dual monitors, and a way to display Zoom to the whole class. Then, throw in on-ground support staff, online support staff, and some pre-planned proactive training for faculty, and you can conduct a HyFlex class.
National attention has shifted towards the HyFlex model as administrators and educators across the nation face tough choices around how their university campuses will function during the Fall semester. During the pandemic, the Faculty Success team at 2U has been at the forefront in supporting educators in many different ways and were recently asked to support HyFlex classes. In a span of one week, 16 team members supported 69 HyFlex classes (approx. 126 hours) where we provided technical support and acted as moderators for online students. Here are some of our observations:
Audio issues were the biggest barrier to student engagement.
The team collectively reported that sound seemed to be the main issue that kept students from engaging in class. Neither students in on-campus and online environments were hearing each other consistently. The microphones were either not working or causing static, feedback, and echoes that felt distracting throughout the class. Further, the volume changed depending on where the instructor was standing, which kept instructors tied to the podium at all times. On top of that, wearing masks further added to the audio roadblocks.
Strategies + Questions to Consider:
Before class begins, check your microphone and volume for both on-ground and online environments.
Test the limits of your technology - where can you stand so that it provides optimal sound and view? Is the camera set up so that students from both environments can see each other?
Check in with all of your students frequently to make sure they can hear you. This can be done through a poll, or a simple question.
When students speak up, be sure to repeat or summarize what they say, and confirm that all students can clearly understand what’s being addressed.
Creating an inclusive learning environment is even more important and complex in a HyFlex model.
Inclusive learning is all about how we structure the environment so that everyone can participate and learn together. The HyFlex model adds another layer of complexity to creating inclusive learning environments which occurs at the modality level (i.e., digital vs. physical), where educators must pose another question: Are we creating supportive and equitable learning environments for learners on-campus and online simultaneously?
Across most observations, the team reported a stark difference between the two environments, specifically calling out the concerns of students feeling isolated, and the potential of students’ FOMO, or “fear of missing out.” First, the inability to see on-campus students from Zoom hindered connect-ability between students. Further, there were comments and friendly banter exchanged in the online chat, which no one on-campus had access to. One observation reported that students who attended through Zoom had more opportunities to participate than on-ground students because the instructor solicited more response from online students. Meanwhile, another observation reported a faculty member saying, “it’s too quiet” with so few people in the physical room. In one of the classes, a new term emerged: “Zoom people.” The instructor, with no particular intention to separate the two environments, continued to call out to their students online as ‘Zoom people’, and their students on-campus as ‘students in class.’ This unconscious distinction calls out how important intentional language choice can afford an inclusive learning environment. All of these observations reaffirm how critical it is to implement an inclusive approach across language choices, experience and opportunities, and it’s specifically amplified in the HyFlex model.
Strategies + Questions to Consider:
Is participation graded? If so, it is even more important for students to understand how they should participate in live sessions (both online and on-ground).
How are you providing opportunities for cross-collaboration between on-ground and online students? Utilize student introductions, icebreakers, and group projects.
How are you creating informal opportunities where students approach you after or before a class on-campus? Are you making these moments available to online students as well? Make sure to set office hours and make it available for all students. Create a Q&A collaborative document for students to ask questions before and after class.
There’s a lot to be gained from this new method of learning, should this be the path that administrators choose in the future. Read more about HyFlex in a recent article from Inside Higher Ed here: https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/08/03/lessons-college-has-practiced-having-socially-distant-classes-opinion
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