Hyflex Curious

What is HyFlex?

"An instructional model that allows students to toggle back and forth between educationally comparable in-person and virtual formats depending on the circumstances at the moment” (Inside Higher Ed).

At Gavilan we've agreed to further define this model as: hyflex = synchronous.

FAQ	Answer	Resource
Managing the HyFlex Classroom: How do instructors manage the technology, interactions with remote students, and face to face students at the same time? How can instructors manage both groups at the same time successfully? How do you do group/collaborative work when doing it both virtually and face-to-face?	No matter how much experience an instructor has in the f2f or asynchronous classroom, there will still be some training and support needed. Training will be a big component for the delivery of a successful educational experience, as will institutional support. Planning will be key, as will follow-up support for training and infrastructure development.	This e-book is a fantastic resource based on San Francisco State's HyFlex experience and model: HyFlex teaching experience. AND check out the student experience.
Accommodations: How are accommodations for students different for students in a high flex classroom vs. reg classroom. I am sure that sign-language interpreters, etc. will be required. How do we handle this accommodation?	This is an important question. The institution will need to answer it and create a solid plan and training and support to ensure it is being carried out in every HyFlex classroom.	Check out some more info on planning for student accommodations. Scroll to "Aligning Support for Students and Faculty"
Should we expect students to drop off F2F as the semester progresses?	A good way to answer this question will be to track the courses that are piloting some form of "HyFlex" in fall. A recommendation would be for these courses to be a part of a study group set up by the College's Institutional Researcher working with the faculty of the courses.	This e-book is a fantastic resource based on San Francisco State's HyFlex teaching experience. Also, check out case studies.
Because students can choose, class by class, whether they attend f2f or in person, how do you determine 50%? At the very end of the course?	This question was not clear. It may have been posted as a follow up to some verbal exchange in the discussion. It may refer to designating the course as Distance Education for reporting purposes. If so, since Gavilan's official definition of HyFlex is synchronous, then we shouldn't have to worry about this determination. The course is being delivered as a Distance Ed class.	You can follow up for Distance Education regulations.
Do the students at home have to interact with the students in the classroom?	Best practices in any classroom would dictate that the answer is YES! To make the learning experience as dynamic as possible you would want to create opportunities in which student/instructor and student/student all have opportunities to interact, no matter how they are attending.	Check out the Distance Education Best Practices guide and Distance Education Faculty Handbook. Another resource to look at, "Setting Participation Expectations"
Do we need one or more dedicated classroom spaces to do this the right way?	Again, the Institution should do a little research and planning before arbitrarily rolling out technology and assigning HyFlex classrooms. Reasons for this include acoustic, technology infrastructure capabilities, capacity, room layout, etc. Hypothetically, any classroom could be outfitted to have this capacity but if you want the most successful educational experience for instructor and student, you'll want to do some initial planning.	This is a great resource for starting the process of building a HyFlex program.
Can we get someone in our class who can monitor the chat (if chat is being utilized) or recognize when questions are being raised? Does the instructor have to just stay on top of it?	Again, this is where training for the instructor will be vital. There are other institutional responsibilities here as well. Support for classroom technologists is important as well, in case technology fails at any point during the class or to support students trying to get into the classroom, etc.	We recommend low cost options like trained student workers and/or part time classified help, potentially supporting IT or a student help desk in between classroom support.
If the hyflex class is T/Th, do all of the students have to attend in-person once a week? (For example, one class planed to schedule 12 students to attend on Tuesday and the other 12 students to attend on Thursday.)	What we've seen is a variation of models regarding required in person attendance. The first thing would be is to do a needs analysis of your students and then the support capacity and technology. Will the delivery of your content be as effective online as in person? If so, there may be no need for students to attend in person.	More planning resources can be found by scrolling to "Enabling Student Scheduling Flexibility"
Given all the needed tech and infrastructure, is it cost effective?	This is a good question and we'll need to take some time to do some research and planning to see if this a good fit for us.	This resource gives some excellent information about what we'll need to take in to consideration regarding cost effectiveness. Here are some good planning documents to help guide the process.
Who else is piloting hyflex in the fall besides ESL and AEC? Do we start with a small number and build? How do we decide who goes first? What groups have greatest need for this delivery?	This question can probably best be asked and answered at a Department Chairs meeting, and may be preceded by Department Chairs asking their departments at a department meeting.	This resource has some highlights from selected programs that can offer some guidance. "Evaluating the Impact of Hybrid-Flexible Courses and Programs". Also consider this resources for hyflex design.
Do the students in the classroom have to be on the Zoom call as well?	No. The Instructor will have one classroom connection to the web conferencing classroom.	See more on the student experience.