Did you have fun staring at your computer screens for hours to learn a new concept? Unfortunately, the world saw an abrupt shift in education when the global pandemic first set in. However, we must recognize that the educators have responded exceptionally well to the online teaching transition. Despite being difficult, things worked out pretty well for everyone.
Wondering how? As per projections, the e-learning market will rise to 243 billion by the year 2022. Moreover, faculty worldwide have shown their willingness to support digital education models. A survey conducted in the Spring of 2021 in the United States noticed that students choose online education as their go-to. 55% of the respondents reported that the main reason is its affordability and convenience. Therefore, you need to be prepared and hold your sanity to function for long.
To make things favourable, discussed below are certain factors that can enable you to find the best alternatives and transition quickly.
What Is HyFlex Approach?
This term is a combination of words like “Hybrid” and “Flexible”. It was first created by Brian Beatty, an associate professor of instructional technologies at San Francisco State University. This approach refers to the integration of in-person and online learning to facilitate the students’ learning objectives. It is a method to serve as a bridge between fully online and offline classes. Moreover, it allows students to decide the best path for them and are expected to undergo the same combination of in-person and online activities.
In simple words, HyFlex provides students with multiple forms of learning opportunities. The way information and content are presented to the pace they receive it, and how they assess their knowledge is all under their control. Here are the three participation paths that every student can choose from:
- They can participate in face-to-face classes in a full-on classroom setting.
- They are allowed to participate in in-person sessions vis video conferencing platforms.
- Students can participate asynchronously vis submission of assignments and coursework.
The significant difference between HyFlex and Hybrid classrooms is their flexibility component. This means that the educators are not creating content materials specifically for any one mode. Instead, they build class materials that are adaptable for both online and offline methods. Doing this will allow you to optimize your effort and provide equal learning opportunities for all students.
4 Major Factors To Consider While Transitioning
Brian Beatty presents 4 core values associated with HyFlex Courses. He stresses making course materials and class meetings available for both online and offline access. Regardless of the path chosen by the students, they will achieve the same learning objectives. To know more, take a look:
- Students Act As Active Learners
This course puts enough stress on the learner’s choice and provides alternative modes of participation that are engaging and meaningful. In contrast to the traditional teaching methods, the HyFlex approach is very student-centric. As educators, their significant role is to facilitate learning, not to direct and impose a lecture.
The primary concern is how to ensure that the students meet their needs and adapt to the changing dynamics and circumstances. Here is how an HyFlex course is valuable:
- It gives the students a choice o how they complete their course activities.
- It provides learners complete flexibility and empowers them to attain and pursue their learning outcomes in the best possible way.
- Educators employ various techniques such as assigning roles to the students to assist them with technology, grouping the students for a project, or even asking them to facilitate note-taking. This ensures that learning runs smoothly.
- Synchronous And Asynchronous Student Engagement
Student engagement is the most crucial aspect of any learning process. Without this, learning will be ineffective, and no learning objectives will be met. The biggest challenge to shift to remote classrooms is not connecting with the students physically and making the classes memorable. This is why it is essential to establish a set of rules before beginning your course. As an educator, all of your students share the common goal of making their learning fun and worthwhile. Here is how you should plan your HyFlex classes:
- Promote interaction between both remote and physical learners by including equivalency and usability of activities.
- Allow your students to contribute to idea generation, interact with their peers and reflect on the classes as a part of the learning process.
- Provide a wide range of learning alternatives such as videos, podcasts, forums etc., to promote teamwork and active learning.
- Assessment Of Knowledge And Skills
Students’ assessments is another major challenge faced by teachers during both online and offline teaching methods. However, in terms of HyFlex teaching, the challenge can be multifold. While submitting their assignments online, most students prefer to get marketing assignment help from experts believing their educators would not know. This can lead to instances like academic dishonesty, network issues or even the commitment of the students to submit their assignments on time. To minimize such cases, there are certain things that educators can do:
- Ensure all the tools and techniques are adequate and appropriate to conduct both online and online assessments.
- Coordinate assessment activities to ensure accessibility, usability and equivalency to all students regardless of the format, place and time of learning.
- Effectively evaluate your students’ learning outcomes regarding knowledge, skills, efforts and intelligence rather than preparedness and ability to work.
- Classroom And Technology Setting
HyFlex teaching is about providing students with equal chances to participate and learn despite their learning mode effectively. It will only be successful if appropriate technology is put in place to back up the learning objectives. It’s a no-brainer that remote learning will not be favourable for students who do not have access to the internet. Therefore, institutions and educators must provide the appropriate environment for HyFlex teaching. Here are specific ways in which you can do so:
- Equip your students with proper software, hardware, networks and skills of using them efficiently.
- Set up your classrooms with sound and image recognition technologies to support learners online.
- Make your students proficient in using asynchronous and synchronous tools for digital collaboration.
