Chapter 2: Which Flexible Course Design is Best for Institutions?

What is the Institutional Perspective?

During COVID colleges and universities rushed to provide online options for students to attend classes because the in-person restrictions would mean that institutions could end up in a very risky situation.  Now that the world is on the other side of the pandemic, institutions wonder how they might continue to provide flexible learning options for students.

Institutions recognize the need students have for flexibility due to the many obligations students have beyond their academic studies.  Students deal with many demands and stresses in life which may cause them to miss a class or two throughout the duration of a course. For example, some learners have jobs and families to manage, some live far from campus or out of the province/country, and some may become ill from time to time.

Colleges and universities continuously seek to increase enrollment because students come, graduate, leave the institution, and go out to work (or come back sometimes), and then more students are needed in order to keep operations going.  Offering flexible options for student attendance and participation support institutions in their recruitment efforts.

David Rhoads is the director of teaching excellence and digital pedagogy at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, Calif., and has been teaching and leading in the areas of educational technology and hybrid pedagogy for over a decade. Here is what David says about the HyFlex model, “I wholeheartedly believe that HyFlex is the future of higher education, but I also believe that many professors are intimidated by the time required to learn, design and build these types of courses efficiently and effectively. Faculty can get overwhelmed at the prospect of learning how to use new technologies in the classroom — and trusting that those technologies will work during their classes. The additional time required to design and teach a HyFlex course that meets learning objectives for up to three different sets of students at the same time — live on-campus, live online, and asynchronous online — must also be considered.”^[1]

Johnny Lee, a learning technologist, at Ravensbourne University, London shares some of the institutional benefits of the HyFlex course model.”As a way for higher education institutions to extend their reach to diverse learners all over the world, hyflex teaching overcomes the limits of physical classrooms, particularly for smaller institutions such as Ravensbourne University London, which offer courses like fashion, design and architecture that need plenty of space for hands-on work. The hyflex model also facilitates partnerships with industry by allowing busy academic experts and leading industry figures worldwide to share their experience with our students online. This helps students build their networks with industry and equips them with the core knowledge employers and society seek.”^[2]

Educause published an article in 2022 discussing the importance of incorporating flexible learning into higher education. “Although HyFlex seems like a simple concept, it can be extremely complex to implement successfully. Executing a HyFlex model involves much more than embedding videoconferencing equipment and network and internet connectivity into an existing physical classroom. HyFlex merges the dichotomy of in-person and online learning. The goal of HyFlex is to make the online and in-person experiences equal for students. Participation in the class is necessary regardless of where and how students attend. The online experience should not be a lesser version of the in-person experience; it should be an alternative to it.”^[3]

What are the Types of Flexible Course Models?

There are several types of flexible course models and institutions need to determine which types they can support and maintain best based on institutional resources.  They also should consider which types of flexibility their students value most. Educause published an article in 2022 about the importance of higher education staying relevant. “Higher education can remain relevant only by adopting new technologies and teaching strategies that provide the most flexibility to students. If colleges and universities choose to adopt a HyFlex strategy, they should plan on investing time and money in its implementation. After everything that has happened over the past two years, can higher education institutions and educators afford not to invest in doing things a bit differently? Today’s workforce is more flexible than ever because of the pandemic, and teaching and learning should be in alignment with workforce needs to prepare students for their professional lives.”^[4]

Refer to Table 2.1 below for a description of the types of flexible course models.

Table 2.1 is adapted from Dhami, H. (2021, July 14). Hybrid, blended, or HyFlex: Which is the right fit for you?  Top Hat.^[7]

Delivery Modes

Hybrid or Blended

A hybrid or blended course is a type of course that combines face-to-face and online learning. It means that some class sessions are held in a physical classroom, while others are conducted through web-based platforms (e.g., video lectures, online discussions, or activities).

Blended courses are a form of blended learning, which is any learning model that integrates traditional and virtual methods.^[8] These are the third most flexible course models for students and have been available for some years.

Trimodal (HyFlex)

Trimodal is often referred to as HyFlex and is a hybrid course that permits flexible student attendance. Students may attend fully online, either synchronously or asynchronously, or attend on campus, in person. Usually, students are permitted to vary their choice for attendance from week to week, session to session. This is the most flexible course model for students available today.

Bimodal (ByFlex)

ByFlex is a hybrid course that permits flexible student attendance. Students in an online course may attend fully online, either synchronously or asynchronously, while students enrolled in an on-campus course may attend fully in person or online asynchronously. Usually, students are permitted to vary their choice for attendance from week to week, session to session. This is the second most flexible course model for students available today. Refer to Figure 2.1 for a comparison between the HyFlex and ByFlex flexible course models.

Student Participation

Synchronous

Learning at a scheduled class time (either online or on campus, in a classroom), guided by the professor.

Asynchronous

Learning at a time the student prefers, self-guiding through the course materials and objectives.

How Can Institutions Plan for the HyFlex Course Model?

There are a few things for institutions to consider when planning for HyFlex course delivery.

1. 

   Budget: It is expensive for institutions to install the required technology in classrooms in order to facilitate concurrent in-person and virtual synchronous sessions. There are costs involved with training faculty and ongoing costs as new faculty are onboarded. There are costs to having the IT team support the educator in the classroom when technology fails.  There are costs in maintaining the equipment and costs of obsolescence and replacing technologies going forward.

2. Physical Space: Classrooms are needed for HyFlex delivery and it’s expensive to fit labs/rooms with the equipment needed to deliver this type of flexible course, so with a limited number of classrooms, how many will be used for HyFlex course delivery?  Will there be enough classrooms? Will only a few courses be offered in HyFlex mode?
3. Educator Skills: Educators may not have the technical skills to manage the equipment effectively/efficiently.  They may not have the teaching experience or skills to blend two different learner groups into one cohesive class session. They may be reluctant to support HyFlex as they may not value online learning and more specifically asynchronous learning. They may believe students will only learn best in a classroom with the professor, as this is the traditional way learning has been done. They may be comfortable teaching in a traditional manner and are not capable (e.g., lacking skills) or willing (e.g., fearful of change or failure, conflicting beliefs or values) to be innovative and experiment with new approaches. They may be reluctant to support HyFlex as they feel it is excessive or superfluous, while other, simpler, delivery methods would suffice and still offer students flexibility.
4. Equity and Access: Will each of the learning groups have equitable experiences and access to the learning materials, resources, and educators?  The asynchronous students may be disadvantaged if the learning management system (LMS) is not designed well.  The synchronous online students may experience equipment malfunction on their own devices, or the classroom equipment may not function optimally,  resulting in a less-than-equitable experience for this group of learners.  If the educator spends too much time working with the equipment, the on-campus, in-person students may become bored or disengaged, they may also be resistant to working with the online students as they view them as a separate group of learners. Time zone differences for online students must be considered. The ability of all students to access the equipment needed for student success in online courses (either synchronous or asynchronous) must also be considered.
5. International Students: Government regulations (IRCC) for international students may require students to be studying in Canada for at least 50% of their courses and 50% of their courses must be “in-class” in order for international students to obtain a post-graduate work permit. This would be a concern for institutions with a high number of international students enrolled in flexible courses that may NOT qualify as “in-class”.  The IRCC does change the regulations from time to time and it loosened restrictions during COVID then began to tighten them again. For example, Seneca College, as of September 2023, qualifies the term “in-class” as follows, “At least 50 per cent of your program must be completed in class. This includes in-person, hybrid or flexible program delivery.”^[9] Time zone differences and students access to the equipment needed for student success in online courses (either synchronous or asynchronous) are two things to consider pertaining to course delivery modes. IRCC regulations may be a guide that will help institutions determine the number of flexible and/or online courses in relation to the number of on-campus, in-class courses to offer.

How Can Institutions Plan for the ByFlex Course Model?

There are a few things for institutions to consider when planning for ByFlex course delivery.

1. Budget: It is not any more expensive than what institutions do now because many institutions already offer on-campus courses as well as online courses. There is no trendy, cutting-edge, or sophisticated equipment required to continue to do what we have been doing.  There may be some training for educators required, but not as elaborate or lengthy as with HyFlex.  There may be some costs involved in having the IT team support the educator in the classroom when technology fails, but no more than what is currently needed.  Should institutions convert current traditional on-campus courses for ByFlex delivery, there may be some additional IT support needed (e.g., more laptops/devices for educators and students who are now utilizing the online components of the courses).  There is still some cost to maintain the equipment and the cost of obsolescence and replacing technologies going forward, but less than with HyFlex.
2. Physical Space: ByFlex comes with two options, either on campus, in-person delivery coupled with the option for online asynchronous learning; or, online synchronous delivery coupled with the option for only asynchronous learning. On-campus delivery requires a classroom or lab, but these do not require upgrades just for the delivery mode, and online delivery does not require classroom/lab scheduling but will require the educator and students to have a laptop/device to participate in the course.
3. Educator Skills:  Because the LMS is designed prior to courses being scheduled, the educator does not require any technical skills beyond what we have seen before and throughout the COVID pandemic.  With that said, they may have little experience teaching online courses and may need some support or training to build those skills. They may be reluctant to support ByFlex as they may not value online learning and more specifically asynchronous learning. They may believe students will only learn best in a classroom with the professor, as this is the traditional way learning has been done. They may be comfortable teaching in a traditional manner and are not capable (e.g., lacking skills) or willing (e.g., fearful of change or failure, conflicting beliefs or values) to be innovative and experiment with new approaches. On the other hand, some educators may already be offering students flexible options within assignment design, attendance, and assessment proctoring which is part of the ByFlex course design. Educators may not realize they are already delivering some ByFlex options.
4. Equity and Access: Will each of the learning groups have equitable experiences and access to the learning materials, resources, and educators?  The asynchronous students may be disadvantaged if the learning management system (LMS) is poorly designed. There is no disadvantage for on-campus students as the courses will run as they always have (with the added benefit of flexible attendance). Also, time zone differences for online students and the ability of all students to access the equipment needed for student success in online courses (either synchronous or asynchronous) must be considered.
5. International Students: Government regulations (IRCC) for international students may require students to be studying in Canada for at least 50% of their courses and 50% of their courses must be “in-class” in order for international students to obtain a post-graduate work permit. This would be a concern for institutions with a high number of international students enrolled in flexible courses that may NOT qualify as “in-class”.  The IRCC does change the regulations from time to time and it loosened restrictions during COVID then began to tighten them again. For example, Seneca College, as of September 2023, qualifies the term “in-class” as follows, “At least 50 per cent of your program must be completed in class. This includes in-person, hybrid or flexible program delivery.”^[10] IRCC regulations may be a factor that will help institutions determine the number of flexible and/or online courses in relation to the number of on-campus, in-class courses to offer.

What are the Benefits of Flexible Course Design for Institutions?

Below is a list of some of the benefits institutions may experience from offering flexible courses.  Both HyFlex and ByFlex are good course models.  The institution needs to determine which course model is doable given the current resources, strategies, and goals.

1. Fail-safe: The online options within HyFlex and ByFlex do provide a built-in fail-safe for times when in-class teaching isn’t possible (i.e., COVID, educator illness, and no classroom availability).
2. Increases Enrollment: Flexible options allow institutions to reach international students as well as domestic students who may not be able to travel to the college or university.
3. Higher Student Retention and Success: When students have flexible options for attendance and participation they can better customize a school-work-life balance and encounter fewer issues that may pressure them to withdraw from school.
4. Higher Student Satisfaction: Students should be more satisfied with the courses (if well designed) and feel that the school, educator, and course design supported their needs, thus, completing KPI and Class Climate surveys with higher ratings.
5. Positive Image: Offering flexible courses may help the institution create a positive public image (if done well).
6. Remain Competitive: Since COVID, many higher education institutions are offering flexible courses.  To stay relevant and competitive institutions that are not currently offering flexible courses will need to consider this.
7. May Increase Government Funding:  Government funding is based on specific key performance indicators which measure institutional performance. In Ontario, Canada, the Government reviews graduate employment, graduate satisfaction, employer satisfaction, and graduation rates for each public higher education institution. Depending on what is being measured, the institution may or may not receive additional funding. “Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are measurements mandated by the Ontario government that tell us how well we’re meeting the needs of graduates and employers.”^[11]

References

(Note: This list of sources used is NOT in APA citation style instead the auto-footnote and media citation features of Pressbooks were utilized to cite references throughout the chapter and generate a list at the end of the chapter.)