A HyFlex course is a regularly scheduled course in which all the content is provided online so that students can choose to participate in the classroom live, or they can video conference into the live class, or they can participate asynchronously online.
Students can also choose every week, or during each class time, which way they’re going to participate. So, if a student regularly attends class, and then has a medical appointment, and has to miss class, they can catch up later on online. Or, if somebody has to travel in this class, they can participate online. Or, if somebody registers, planning to take the course online but then decides they’d rather be in the classroom, they can change their mind and come to class.
It’s literally “highly flexible” in that the student has full choice of exactly how they’re going to participate from course session to course session.
The faculty member is responsible for creating a comprehensive course schedule prior to the start of the course so that students can make an informed choice regarding their attendance options for each class session. The schedule should clearly state what activities will take place in the classroom and what comparable, active learning activity will be completed by the online, asynchronous students.
The faculty member, while teaching in the live classroom, must also include the virtual participants who are participating via Zoom or any similar web-conferencing app. In addition, the faculty member may choose to record the class sessions and include them in the online course shell for all students to access as needed. Of course, these videos must be accurately captioned to comply with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and ADA standards.
Interested? Here are some resources to help you get started:
A podcast discussion about HyFlex from SUNY OSwego:
A HyFlex Course Development Guide pdf
Additional Resources:
- Beatty, Brian. Hybrid-Flexible Course Design.
- Beatty, Brian (2014). “Hybrid Courses with Flexible Participation: The HyFlex Course Design” in Kyei-Blankson, Lydia, and Esther Ntuli, Practical Applications and Experiences in K-20 Blended Learning Environments. IGI Global, 2014.
- Bowen, Ryan S., (2017). Understanding by Design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/understanding-by-design/.
- Brame, C., (2016). Active learning. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching.
- Brinthaupt, Thomas M; Maria A. Clayton, Barbara J. Draude, and Paula T. Calahan (2014). “How Should I Offer this Course? The Course Delivery Decision Model (CDDM)” MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. Vol. 10, No. 2, Junes 2014.
- Cambrian College Teaching & Learning Innovation Hub (2018). “Cambrian College HyFlex Course Development Guide.”
- DelGado Community College. “HyFlex Introduction Handout”. 9/15/15.
- Educause (2010). “7 Things You Should Know about the HyFlex Course Model”. Educause.edu/eli
- Flexspace
- Genesee Community College HyFlex Development Guide (scroll to bottom of page)
- The Hanover Research Council (2009). Best Practices in Online Teaching Strategies. July, 2009.
- “Hope, Hip, or Hype? Discovering the HyFlex Course Model”. DT&L Conference, August 6, 2020.
- HyFlex Resources from SUNY (State University of New York)
- Littlejohn, Judith M. “Active Learning in Zoom” August, 2020.
- McGee, Patricia and Abby Ries. “Blended Course Design: A Synthesis of Best Practices.” Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, Volume 16: Issue 4.
- OSCQR Course Design Review – Open SUNY Online Course Quality Rubric
- Tea for Teaching podcasts mentioned in the above episode:
- 80. Self-Regulated Learning – Linda Nilson
- 95. Specifications Grading – Linda Nilson
- 97. Emotions and Learning – Sarah Rose Cavanagh
- What Is HyFlex, and How Do I Do it Well? University at Buffalo Educational Design Collaborative
- “HyFlex Development Guide” presentation for OLC Accelerate, Nov 22, 2019
