While not over, the pandemic has given way to a new normal. Remote work and online courses are now part of our vocabulary more than ever. As we learn to live in this new world, hybrid seems to be the key word.

Hybrid courses with some meetings online and some in-person, and hybrid work schedules with some days in the office and some working from home seem to be the compromise that’s acceptable to a lot of people. CEOs of big companies want employees to return to the office full time. A lot of employees on the other hand, are not so thrilled about the prospect. It seems the compromise is hybrid work.

In higher education, hybrid courses seem to be the future as well. Online courses, while useful in a pandemic, and convenient in many respects, is a form of learning that requires a completely different approach than in person. Faculty cannot just take an in-person course and transfer it online and students have to adjust their learning styles to a modality that requires more independence and self-motivation. Hybrid can help bridge that gap.

There are a few different hybrid models worth mentioning. One, is a traditional hybrid model where some classes are in-person and some classes are online. Students have to arrange their schedules to participate in the on campus classes. This model allows the instructor to employ a flipped model of learning, with lectures being recorded and class time used for interactive activities such as discussions or hands on exploration.

A second hybrid model is the Hyflex model. While much harder to implement, it offers students much more flexibility. In the Hyflex model, students have the choice of attending in-person or online. The instructor is present in the classroom for all classes during the semester and those who chose to participate in person may come to campus as well. Classes are streamed online as well using video conferencing software and cameras placed in the classroom. Students who chose to participate virtually can join using video conferencing. The Hyflex model is highly dependent on technology access, both in the classroom, and at home. While institutions of higher education can chose static cameras in the classroom, the instructor will have to constantly adjust the camera angle to capture either the blackboard, the instructor, or the rest of the peers in the classroom. This puts an undue burden on the instructor and can be a distraction from the learning experience. More expensive, auto tracking cameras can be installed and they will track the instructor as they navigate between the podium and the blackboard making the experience easier to navigate. However, the ability to conduct group work will be limited and the students at home may feel more isolated than their peers in the classroom. While students can bring laptops and join the video conference to work with their remote classmates, the process will take longer to set up and will require more advanced technology skills, both on the part of the instructor and on the part of the students. Technology hiccups can occur leaving the remote students stranded from the rest of the class.

Regardless of which hybrid model is chosen, training both in terms of technology and in terms of pedagogy is important. Technology can make our lives both easier and more complicated and it’s our job to make sure it’s the former.