Hybrid Classes are a way to combine online learning with face-to-face classroom interaction. In this world of convenience and technology hybrid classes help maximize learning for the students and teacher. The days of wasted time or being in class for things that you could have been doing at home are changing. Universities are using a hybrid model where part of the time a student is working off of a computer in the convenience of their home or Dorn and then part of the time they head into class for a group activity or specific face-to-face opportunities.
Models of Hybrid Classes: Students meet in the classroom on certain days of the week and on other days they are at home. Home may include live video conference calls, recorded lectures, or e-mailed assignments. The in-person portion may be a classroom or a laboratory.
Model 1: Students are given online instruction, videos, lectures, and then they come into class and discuss what they have learned and go over the week’s topics. This is also the way a laboratory model would run where students come in person for hands-on experience in the lab.
Model 2: Students are in class for certain learning activities and then they head home during the week to complete tasks at the required pace of the professor.
Model 3: In-person learning for a few weeks and then online for a few weeks. This duration of time can vary based on the professor.
Benefits of the hybrid model:
- Cuts down on driving or transportation for students and teacher
- Opens up that teaching space to another teacher
- You can teach more students and enroll more in a class
- Students and teachers can be on-the-go during the week and don’t have to be on campus.
- Prepares students for self-driven education
- Utilizes all different types of learning styles to help students learn.
- Prepares the student for working and learning in the future in a career.
Negatives of the hybrid model:
- Not all students are self-motivated and need checking on
- Teachers have to change the way they were taught to teach
- Daily or scheduled interaction is less since you aren’t in the classroom
Hybrid classes have been a newer way of learning based on the needs of society. People want to work smarter not harder. Group activities may sometimes only be in person but in some hybrid classes, group meetings will also be online in chat forums, video conference calls, or through online communication. Teachers worry about assessing students that work in this model.
How teachers assess productivity with the hybrid model:
- Only offer tests or material review while in person
- Make online quizzes simple and more review of the material
- Take important tests in person
- Have online review assessments that have to include writing about the material instead of just multiple-choice questions.
- Limit the time on tests online and/or limit the availability.
- Have an online assessment that changes the questions or pulls from a bank of questions.
- Have meetings with each student periodically and assess them where they are at.
The demands of students and teachers have helped to shape the future of hybrid learning. No longer are students having to sit in a classroom week after week but they now can learn from their home giving them more time to study and manage the material. Not every student will be good at the hybrid model but it helps with keeping students on task and still involved with classmates. The hybrid model of learning will continue to gain popularity over the next decade and schools will be shifting how they conventionally taught.
