Which do you think would be better for students: hybrid (ie, flipped) or HyFlex?

[Cheerful]

My university wants us to do a "HyFlex" fall--half the students come to class each session, and the other half Zoom in, with each student coming in person once a week. The students in the classroom can still do their mini-discussions, and the Zoom students can use break-out rooms for the mini-discussions.

So a prof teaching, say, three classes, would lead in-person classes six times per week? The student taking, say, three classes has to attend in-person three times weekly.

Leaving aside all the pedagogical complexity, where is consideration of what is "better for faculty" here?

[tiva]

So a prof teaching, say, three classes, would lead in-person classes six times per week? The student taking, say, three classes has to attend in-person three times weekly.

Each university would probably be different, but at my university, for my size class, the class time would be exactly the same as before. So for my 25 student, 75 minute session class, I'd teach the same 75 minutes twice a week. Half the students would be in person on Tuesday and half Zooming in. On Thursday it would be reversed. I'm simply not sure how much the Zoomed students would learn, given the limitations on our microphones, webcams, and my attention to them (when I give in-class students a brief discussion prompt or other activity, I will give the same to Zoom students in break-out groups, if I go with HyFlex).

HyFlex sounds like a cross between gym equipment and acid reflux medicine.

[Cheerful]

Each university would probably be different, but at my university, for my size class, the class time would be exactly the same as before. So for my 25 student, 75 minute session class, I'd teach the same 75 minutes twice a week.

Well, not exactly the same.  You would be teaching during a pandemic.

[Caracal]

My university wants us to do a "HyFlex" fall--half the students come to class each session, and the other half Zoom in, with each student coming in person once a week. The students in the classroom can still do their mini-discussions, and the Zoom students can use break-out rooms for the mini-discussions.

So a prof teaching, say, three classes, would lead in-person classes six times per week? The student taking, say, three classes has to attend in-person three times weekly.

Leaving aside all the pedagogical complexity, where is consideration of what is "better for faculty" here?

It seems clear that it would be better for everyone if classrooms could be kept less crowded. You can divide the students, but not the instructor. It seems more important to me that instructors have the ability to make choices about whether they want to teach in person or online, than inciting on some sort of equality of risk.

[polly_mer]

Why are faculty more important than equality of risk for students?

Why isn't the focus on best teaching for the academic goals based on acceptable risk all around?

[Caracal]

Why are faculty more important than equality of risk for students?

Why isn't the focus on best teaching for the academic goals based on acceptable risk all around?

I think it should be. I've been reasonably happy with my school's response, mostly because a core principle has been that nobody should be forced to go into classes if they think the risk is too high and that applies to both students and faculty.

[Cheerful]

Why are faculty more important than equality of risk for students?

Why isn't the focus on best teaching for the academic goals based on acceptable risk all around?

If you're reacting to my posts (?), I asked about "better for faculty" because the title of the thread mentions "better for students" without mentioning faculty.

[ciao_yall]

I have zero interest in teaching online.

I teach several classes that don't work online due to the subject matter - they are all about interpersonal skills and conflict management. We do role plays and have lively discussions.

My style, in general, is all about facilitating discussions and Zoom Breakouts just don't cut it.

Last semester, while not teaching, I was taking a class that had to shift to online due to the pandemic. It stunk. We posted comments to Canvas and had awkward Zoom meetings. My instructor told me only half of my fellow classmates actually completed it.

Yet the push seems to be to teach online unless there is no other alternative, rather than teaching in the classroom unless there is some good reason to put classes online.

I hate this.

[mamselle]

The "good reason" is spelled c-o-r-o-n-a-v-i-r-u-s.....

M.

[mleok]

Yet the push seems to be to teach online unless there is no other alternative, rather than teaching in the classroom unless there is some good reason to put classes online.

It's almost as if you haven't noticed we're in the midst of a pandemic...

[marshwiggle]

Yet the push seems to be to teach online unless there is no other alternative, rather than teaching in the classroom unless there is some good reason to put classes online.

It's almost as if you haven't noticed we're in the midst of a pandemic...

I blame a lot of this on institutions insisting that they're going to be in-person, but they're going to do it "safely". (Thankfully, my institution has already said we're all online in the fall.) The reality is, no matter what precautions are taken in lecture halls, classrooms, labs, etc. the increase in risk merely by having everyone on campus is vastly higher than it would be with everyone at home. So the fiction that being on campus can be done safely implies the other fiction that adaptations will only be as needed, so it encourages instructors to do as little as possible and to see every adaptation as some sort of onerous but temporary burden. On the other hand, places that have definitively stated that everything will be online makes the adaptations necessary, so there's no point in people trying to do as little as possible; the only rational choice is to try and be as effective as possible.

That framing makes a world of difference.

[downer]

The places I teach have all yet to make a decision about what they will do. They are getting closer to making decisions, and it's looking like they will be doing some form of hybrid for regular classes.

I understand that they want to make sound good for returning and incoming students and also be safe. And that it is a fluid situation, so they need to see how things play out.

But pretty soon they are going to have some plans in place so that faculty can prepare their classes. As several of us have said, it seems the best plan is to basically prepare on online class for everything and then if necessary make some minor modifications to ensure the class counts as hybrid if necessary. Still, I will be more motivated to really prepare when I hear something definite. Otherwise, if they are going to delay, then so will I. That will leave less time for preparing a really solid class.

[ciao_yall]

Yet the push seems to be to teach online unless there is no other alternative, rather than teaching in the classroom unless there is some good reason to put classes online.

It's almost as if you haven't noticed we're in the midst of a pandemic...

I have noticed.

And our region has been very strict about shelter-in-place, the community is cooperative, and our numbers are very good. Case counts are flat/declining, hospitalizations and deaths are very low. So... it's working! Yay.

What will be interesting is a few weeks from now when the exposure from the protests starts to show up in our case counts. Will it be a spike or a gentle bump? People (for the most part) wore masks and weren't too touchy/cozy with one another. They were also likely COVID-19 or at least asymptomatic, along with being at lower risk for complications if they did get it.

If it's a gentle bump it could be a good indicator that masks, reasonable distancing and washing hands are enough to control the pandemic. That we don't need to put everything online and can have lively classrooms and campuses.

[the_geneticist]

My vote is for entirely online.  The logistics nightmare of keeping track of participation when students can either discuss in person OR online is reason enough to not do the so-called "HyFlex".  The folks who champion HyFlex forget to note the very critical detail that you need TWO INSTRUCTORS in the room (or one instructor and one very excellent TA), one for the students in the physical classroom and another for managing the students who are online.  Add in the technology issues, sound issues, & video issues and you'll waste a lot of class time trying to give the online students access to the class.

[Caracal]

My vote is for entirely online.  The logistics nightmare of keeping track of participation when students can either discuss in person OR online is reason enough to not do the so-called "HyFlex".  The folks who champion HyFlex forget to note the very critical detail that you need TWO INSTRUCTORS in the room (or one instructor and one very excellent TA), one for the students in the physical classroom and another for managing the students who are online.  Add in the technology issues, sound issues, & video issues and you'll waste a lot of class time trying to give the online students access to the class.

Yeah, I can't imagine trying to manage the students who aren't there in real time. Why not just have the half of the class who isn't there watch the recording and then post on a discussion board, or just take a short quiz on the lecture? It isn't ideal, but what is right now.