At least one-third of college universities are offering a hybrid of in-person and online instruction this Fall, according to a recent survey of higher ed professionals. And for many students, this shift—whether brought on by the pandemic or not—is having a positive impact on their education journey.
At the University of Houston at Clear Lake (UHCL), Jennifer Willis-Opalenik, Director of Technology Learning Services, sees the post-COVID world as an opportunity to design more inclusive learning environments. And she is not alone. Last year, in an Ipsos survey, 68% of Black and 60% of Hispanic students said they felt positive about online learning because of the convenience of recorded classes and less experiences with racism and microaggressions.
At UHCL, Hispanic students represent the largest demographic on campus—and over half of the students are part-time, juggling jobs and family as well. Fierce Education spoke with Willis-Opalenik about UHCL’s use of digital learning technologies and video to create a more inclusive classroom experience.
Fierce Education (FE): What are the advantages to the new world of hybrid learning?
Jennifer Willis-Opalenik (JWO): Simply put, it provides a much-needed bridge connecting the vast differences between traditional face-to-face and 100% online instruction.
One advantage that colleges and universities may be missing out on is that hybrid teaching provides programs and individual instructors with an opportunity to carefully review those strategies that did and didn’t work well originally in the emergency of the pandemic. Such reviews and resulting action plans present untapped opportunities to update and optimize classes for hybrid instruction, thereby avoiding the common trap of simply trying to “fit” a face-to-face course into web-based delivery.
FE: Despite hybrid, what hiccups is higher ed still facing in reaching students?
JWO: In some institutions, the intent is to treat online or hybrid pandemic classes as an abnormality, with the goal to return as quickly as possible to the old ways. With as much time, money and resources that have gone into the pivot to virtual learning, it seems ill-advised to not at least try to take stock of things that worked well and promote a return to an updated and refreshed take on the way we have traditionally taught. In addition, it seems prudent to consider that COVID-19 may not be something that goes away soon—or it may not be the only disaster our schools face in the future. We need to retain the capability and readiness to respond and adapt in ways even more compelling than what we've done since March 2020.
In addition, technology availability and electronic accessibility concerns that have plagued fully online classes for some time are still an issue in hybrid teaching/learning. Even in the suburban/metropolitan area in which our campus resides, our students represent a breadth of socioeconomic backgrounds and statuses. As we learned early in the pandemic, many of those students lack access to relatively current computers or stable internet service. Those challenges persist and cannot be wholly addressed simply by improving computers and Wi-Fi access on campus.
Finally, schools need to commit to offering face-to-face, hybrid and fully online classes—or using a genuine HyFlex approach—to accommodate all students’ various instructional preferences. On a related note, administrators should endeavor to match course assignments for instructors with faculty members’ delivery preferences and strengths. Instructors for HyFlex and bimodal teaching need in-class assistance from designated teaching assistants or similar helpers who can monitor and blend in remote learners throughout face-to-face instruction. The lack of such support is a significant barrier to flexible delivery for many instructors.
FE: What have you learned in the past year and a half about what resonates with students and staff and what does not?
JWO: For students in fully online, hybrid or HyFlex classes, the critical elements remain the same: (1) instructor presence, (2) intentional instructor-student and student-student interaction regularly, (3) course organization and navigability, and (4) meaningful, authentic assessments and activities. On the technical front, instructor-created video content and virtual meetings were very well-received by students. We expect to see continued use of those options for hybrid instruction in the coming semesters. Faculty can already record and/or live stream their on-campus meetings to remote learners using either Zoom or Echo360, which is the unique academic video platform we use that enables educators to create a more seamless and engaging digital learning experience by bringing together live and asynchronous videos, digital course materials, and online tools like polling and chat. The ability to integrate Zoom Cloud recordings into Echo360 for Blackboard deployment has provided much-needed flexibility for faculty to choose the lecture recording solution with which they are most familiar and comfortable. For instructors, access to instructional design/technology training and support remains fundamental, although many instructors are still so overwhelmed and have the bandwidth for formal training.
FE: How do you view hybrid learning versus online only or in-person only for higher ed?
JWO: Comparatively, all three delivery modes can provide equally effective learning environments. However, the hybrid model is emerging as the option that provides both instructors and students with benefits from online and face-to-face instruction without some of the weaknesses associated with those modes. For instructors, transitioning from traditional face-to-face teaching to a hybrid delivery is often a far less arduous task than moving from face-to-face to fully online instruction. They can retain those critical elements of face-to-face activities and interactions that are challenging to replicate online. At the same time, hybrid instruction provides faculty opportunities to give students scheduled breaks from synchronous in-person attendance and lets them tap into activities that are better suited to the virtual environment. Ideally, colleges and universities should offer as many classes as resources permit in various modes so that students can choose which format best suits their personal/professional lives and their learning preferences.
FE: What staff development is offered at UHLC to help improve hybrid instruction?
JWO: We are planning for more hybrid-specific training offerings in the Spring 2022 semester. Pandemic-related teaching fatigue is still a significant stressor among instructors. In recognition of that, my team’s efforts in the Summer and Fall 2021 terms have focused on one-on-one, targeted, just-in-time training and consulting for our faculty clients. Of course, since the pandemic began, we have provided numerous opportunities for training/professional development in support of the pivot to fully online instruction. Those sessions focused on essential technology tools including Blackboard Learn, Echo360, Zoom, and online proctoring tools. However, we also addressed less technical topics with sessions including Instructional Technology Support Options for Faculty; Panel Discussion: Lesson Learned from Pandemic Teaching; Designing Blackboard Courses from a Student Perspective; Tips for Creating Better Lecture Videos; Smoothing the Way for Students–Course Organization in Blackboard; Enhancing Student Motivation and Self-Direction; Active Learning—Student Engagement Tips and Tricks; and Blackboard Reports for Determining Student Activity/Engagement.
FE: How has digital learning been positive for minorities who report microaggressions?
JWO: Digital learning has been positive for many learners who struggle with microaggressions, prejudices, social anxiety, and other issues in face-to-face classes. This observation may reflect a digital version of the adage, “good fences make good neighbors,” in that the social distance that often manifests in virtual instruction can be a good thing—to some extent. Especially in asynchronous digital learning, students don’t always have to share information with their classmates that might cause them to be treated differently. My team and I have spoken to several students about pandemic asynchronous online classes who reported that, in the virtual class, they felt more freedom to comment and participate in conversations, chats, etc., than in their traditional face-to-face courses. For example, through the Echo360 platform, students can ask questions anonymously while watching lectures, live or asynchronously, eliminating the embarrassment a student might feel for asking a question. To be clear, this doesn’t mean that all hybrid or online classes are free of microaggressions and other potentially damaging factors. I believe there is work still to be done in terms of better understanding how to design more welcoming classes and provide effective professional development to faculty on those topics.