Episode #49. Saturday March 6, 2021, 5:30 pm EST
Have you heard about HyFlex in this blended age? This term is used widely and often with a tint of controversy; especially when teachers are already overwhelmed with student psychological, emotional, technological, and academic needs during the pandemic. It was pervasively bantered about in the news and university press reports when planning for the 2020-2021 academic year. Many educators cringe at the extra time it potentially requires when teaching a HyFlex class. Others see it as an innovative way to address learner needs and give them more ownership over their learning. University administrators argue that it is an effective way to stay open during the pandemic. But what is it exactly and how might one implement it?
Essentially, the Hybrid-Flexible (HyFlex) course design delivers a student-directed multi-modal learning experience. Students choose between attending (participating) in class sessions in a traditional classroom (or lecture hall) setting or in an online environment. Two conditions must be present for a course (or class) to meet the HyFlex definition: (1) an in-person and at least one online participation mode are available, and (2) students are able to select their preferred participation mode for each class session. Online participation is available in synchronous or asynchronous mode; sometimes both.
The HyFlex course design is built upon four fundamental values: (1) Learner Choice, (2) Equivalency, (3) Reusability, and (4) Accessibility. Each of these pillars has a corresponding guiding, or universal, principle for course designers and instructors to follow. These four “pillars” provide a consistent and solid foundation for resulting courses and programs. The typical design process begins with an existing effective classroom-based course and builds an effective online (asynchronous) course which is used to teach in both online and classroom settings. Specific activities are developed that all students, in all participation modes, complete together so that a single learning community is developed: one class with different participation modes rather than two or three different classes mashed together.
More below the video
Free book: Hybrid-Flexible Course Design: Implementing Student-Directed Hybrid Classes by Brian J. Beatty: https://edtechbooks.org/hyflex
Dr. Brian Beatty is Associate Professor of Instructional Technologies in the Department of Equity, Leadership Studies and Instructional Technologies at San Francisco State University. Brian’s primary areas of interest and research include social interaction in online learning, flipped classroom implementation, and developing instructional design theory for Hybrid-Flexible learning environments. At SFSU, Dr. Beatty pioneered the development and evaluation of the HyFlex course design model for blended learning environments, implementing a “student-directed-hybrid” approach to better support student learning.
Previously (2012 – 2020), Brian was Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Operations at San Francisco State University (SFSU), overseeing the Academic Technology unit and coordinating the use of technology in the academic programs across the university. He worked closely with IT professionals and leaders in other units to coordinate overall information technology strategic management at SFSU. Prior to 2012, Brian was Associate Professor and Chair of the Instructional Technologies department in the Graduate College of Education at SFSU. He received his Ph.D. in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University Bloomington in 2002. Dr. Beatty also holds several CA single-subject teaching credentials, an M.A. in Instructional Technologies from SF State and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Marquette University. Dr. Beatty has more than 25 years’ experience as a classroom teacher, trainer, and instructional designer at schools, businesses, and the US Navy. He can be contact at: bjbeatty@sfsu.edu and his homepage is: https://faculty.sfsu.edu/~bjbeatty/. HyFlex World: https://hyflexworld.wordpress.com/about/
Dr. Jeanne Samuel is the Dean of Distance Learning & Instructional Technology (DLIT) for Delgado Community College, New Orleans, LA. Jeanne is very interested in game theory for learning and assessment for learning. As a lifelong techie, she has spent decades providing both technology support and teaching in the fields of technology and computing. She loves to learn new things and solve puzzles. Shortly after receiving her PhD from LSU with a focus on Education Technology, she became the Director of Faculty & Staff Development at Delgado Community College, New Orleans, LA. During that time, she researched and promoted HyFlex course design and delivery. She has been the Dean of DLIT at Delgado since Spring 2015. Her interests are in technology adoption (see article: From “S” to “J”: A theoretical technology adoption rate model, IJEA 1(2): 55-68, 2009) and motivational strategies to promote student learning and completion (The effect of test design on student motivational strategies for learning and student retention, dissertation, 2012). See her chapter, One Size Fits All. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanne-samuel-5245b620/
Cathy M. Littlefield, Ed.D., M.B.A., serves Peirce College in the capacity of Professor and Faculty Chair of the Business Division and joined Peirce College in 2012. As faculty Chair of the Business Division, Dr. Littlefield oversees the Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resource Management, and Organizational Leadership programs. Additionally, her responsibilities include the organization, administration, continuous program review, planning, development, and general effectiveness of the Division. As a business professional with nearly 30 years of experience in hospitality, human resources, business ownership and higher education, Dr. Littlefield combines practice with scholarship. She has been teaching graduate and undergraduate students at the university level since 2009, and while at Peirce, was hired as the first full-time faculty member of the graduate division. She holds a Master’s in Business Administration and a Doctorate in Education and her research interests include organic collaboration, collaborative learning and work environments, advisory board development, team development, course design and technology integration within the scope of teaching and learning. Dr. Littlefield is a published author of scholarly work and has presented at numerous professional conferences. See her case study chapter. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathy-littlefield-ed-d-8a155046/