What is backchannel communication? You have been part of a backchannel communication if you have participated in a Twitter feed during a conference presentation or used Zoom chat in a synchronous Zoom session. The term backchannel was first used by Victor Yngve (1970), a professor of linguistics, to describe the concept of two simultaneous communication […]
One anxiety I often hear when talking to faculty and instructional designers new to HyFlex is that students may be confused about how to participate in a HyFlex course. I understand this anxiety, but I have to say I don’t think it’s as big an issue as we might think before implementing HyFlex and talking […]
I get that one of the benefits of HyFlex courses is that you can reuse course material but I struggle with this. I like to personalize my material based on the current students and for me, that’s most organically done by creating new material for each cohort. I tailor lessons based on their interests and customize […]
One of the challenges to designing HyFlex courses is to design it so that the delivery does not add to your time-commitments. A HyFlex course is intentionally designed; not just for course content but for process — design and delivery processes. HyFlex design is efficient since you work on multiple teaching and learning modalities at […]
Are you considering adding HyFlex to your course delivery offerings? But find yourself a bit overwhelmed? Is the availability of classroom technology holding you back? Budgets are tight? Technology is expensive? While some HyFlex courses “offer three paths for learning: 1) in the classroom, 2) learning synchronously online with a web conferencing tool like zoom, […]
Not surprisingly, one of the biggest anxieties – FEARS – for many faculty considering or implementing a HyFlex approach for the first time is learning how to do so, and to do so effectively the very first time. No one likes to feel like they aren’t equipped to do the work they are required (or […]
The ongoing pandemic combined with global warming-related natural disasters has introduced a measure of uncertainty into how to best build courses to ensure instructional continuity. The HyFlex model of course delivery can reduce this uncertainty by structuring courses for in-person delivery when circumstances allow while also supporting fully online delivery- synchronously, asynchronously or both. The […]
When designing different types of courses, especially those that are HyFlex, it is extremely important to start with the establishment of clear and measurable course learning objectives (Check out this resource from UNC Charlotte). Once your learning objectives have been established, you can proceed to create participation/engagement activities that best match each of the delivery […]
When asked, faculty and instructional designers often list the same concerns (anxieties, fears) about starting to teach or support HyFlex courses: Managing Workload, Learning to Teach Differently, Preventing Student Confusion and Chaos, Ensuring Student Success in All Modes, and Deficient Technology Resources. Do you (or did you) share any of these at the beginning of […]
We should have known that the return to teaching normalcy would be fraught with obstacles, and one of the biggest is the mask. The mask, along with its cohort, the plexiglas barrier, may be helpful in limiting transmission of airborne pathogens. However, these devices may also be limiting communication. They muffle voices, hide facial expressions, […]