HyFlex Teaching Toolkit

Teaching HyFlex this semester? We're here to help.

Hybrid-Flexible, or HyFlex, is a multimodal method of course delivery with two groups of students—online students participating via Zoom and in-person students in a classroom. At USF, HyFlex is considered a pedagogical context where in-person or hybrid/online synchronous sections are cross-listed and students register for the instructional modality that they will use for the semester.

Frequently Asked Questions about HyFlex at USF »

Course Design

The HyFlex learning environment should provide an equivalent experience to both groups of students. Students should not face a "learning deficit" regardless of how they participate in class. As you assess your course's readiness for HyFlex instruction, Beatty (2019) suggests that for each learning objective, tailor your instructional objectives—the result of participating in class—to each participation mode.

What should students walk away from the lesson knowing? What specific tasks and skills should they learn by participating? Consider these five things:

  1. Assess your Course Learning Objectives (CLOs)
  2. Create learning goals for each class session
  3. Determine method(s) of content delivery and create instructional objectives
  4. Reevaluate learning activities
  5. Examine assessment strategies

As you progress through the semester, keep in mind the topics your course will cover and the activities that are most suitable for a HyFlex learning environment. Confirm all students can access course materials and learning activities whether they are in the physical classroom or joining remotely.

Course Facilitation

Preparing a course can be time consuming and stressful at the same time—be sure to review your syllabus and get ready for each class session by considering how you'll communicate and prepare your two groups of students. How will you inform students about technical problems (for you or them) and provide adequate opportunities for in-person and online students to engage together?

Once you're in the classroom, allot time to test the technology before every class, use your Canvas course as your "class hub," include all students when possible, and respond to students' feedback as the semester continues.

Read more about facilitating a HyFlex course on USF TEAch »

Student Engagement

Here are some suggestions on how to engage all your students:

Need more suggestions? Request a consultation with the Instructional Design team.

Assessing Student Learning

What are your current assessment strategies? How can you scaffold the learning process for students to be successful in your class, regardless of how they're participating? Determine if your assignments align to your course learning objectives. Here are some suggestions for assessing student learning:

Resources Curated by the Instructional Design Team