Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 26 seconds
This blogpost is going to be much simpler than you think, but I am convinced it will make a huge difference to people who are grappling with a Hyflex model where they teach to small groups onsite and livestream to large groups virtually.
The key value underlying Virtually Connecting (basically a grassroots community that facilitates hybrid conversations between people who are onsite and others who are virtual – so basically Hyflex!) is Intentionally Equitable Hospitality, and the way we enact the model is via onsite and virtual buddies.
The key to ensuring you can be equitably hospitable to your virtual students, so they are not second-class citizens, is to have one person sitting in the class who is responsible for ensuring virtual folks can hear, are connected, can speak (this onsite buddy can be a TA or a volunteer student, on rotation?). You also need a virtual buddy responsible for virtual students, ensuring they’re connected, and that person needs to be connecting/communicating with the onsite buddy. You need this so the teacher can focus on teaching, as these logistics can be distracting. The virtual or onsite buddy may need to get a small amount of digital literacies preparation so they can manage things like breakout rooms if needed. You don’t need both to be very tech savvy, but maybe one at least.
If ppl have TAs they’re probably already doing this, but if they don’t have them, do you think students would be willing to volunteer to do this once or twice a semester?
One of the interesting things about hybridity is that whatever works for fully online can work in hybrid, with some modification. For example, if online you would ask ppl to type in chat, that won’t work in hybrid because onsite students aren’t connected, but you can use polling tools or Google docs or such, depending on class numbers.
Group activities are probably easier to do virtual in breakout rooms, onsite separately. Or one onsite with multiple virtual folks in a breakout room (if the noise won’t be an issue and your proportions make sense – I assume virtual are more than onsite). Or done outside class time, fully virtual.
I don’t know if most Hyflex models have a different group of students each time, or if the same groups are always onsite or always virtual? This can make a huge difference in terms of what you can do to ensure equity of learning experiences.
One of my concerns w Hyflex is how to do it so faculty don’t end up having to teach TWO courses for each ONE. Things like unifying assessments to something like a take home exam ensures both onsite and virtual students get the same exam under same conditions, which feels fair to students (hopefully).
What are some other situations Hyflex teachers are facing in practice? It’s something that must look really different in practice than what people imagined it initially.