Teaching HyFlex Classes

Challenges and Rewards

Dr. Dani Weber
Overview Grant opportunity - form a cohort
Agenda:
1. Prior knowledge?
2. Challenges
3. Rewards
4. Takeaways
5. Post-test
End game:
Much student feedback was positive. One
student told me this was the best class
she’d ever taken.
 What’s your current impression of HyFlex?

What do you know about

teaching a HyFlex class?
Background
● Certified & published in online
teaching
● Not an expert in HyFlex
SUNY Pilot:
● Training through SUNY
asynchronously
○ Theory, practice, design
● Extra pay for SUNY training, record
keeping, tracking, & surveys
● No extra pay or time for teaching
the class
HyFlex = 1. In-person face to face
- Students show up in person
Hybrid + Flexible 2. Online synchronous
- Students beam in during class
3. Online asynchronous
- Students complete work outside of
class on their own schedule
Core assumptions:
- Students have complete control
over how they choose to participate
(with some caveats)
- The class meets students at the
point of need
Basic Principles of
Garrison, Anderson, & Archer (2000)

Communities of Inquiry

Online Design

mage created by Sarah North from:

https://www.cu.edu/blog/online-teaching-blog/strategies-promoting-social-presence-your-online-courses-Social
presence
 Challenges:
The Perfect Storm
Writing as a Way of - Creative nonfiction class based Louise
DeSalvo’s book Writing As a Way of Healing

Healing -
-
Process for personal narratives of trauma
Zoom & OWL
- took 5 months to optimize
- KISS
- Classroom environment & externals (noise)
- Best/worst
Challenges:
- Ensuring student familiarity with technology
across the spectrum
- Meeting student needs across the spectrum
- Balancing shifting student work loads
- Maintaining Instructor neutrality: suspending
judgment
- Creating community
- Creating meticulous tracking
- Balancing instructor workload (14 students)
- Ensuring confidentiality
 Rewards:
The Rainbows
Pay-offs - The only class I’ve ever taught
where no one failed
- (with 2 caveats)
- Greater student engagement
- (to an extent)
- Increased focus on course design
- Increased awareness of students’
points of need
- Greater inclusion/wider range
Student feedback
Student 2 End of semester:

“I just wanted to reach out and let you know that I appreciate you
so much as a teacher and a person.

Throughout my time at SUNY Sullivan, I had you as a teacher for

three different classes, and you were absolutely amazing and
made each class much more enjoyable.

I appreciate the fact that you really care for your students and give
so much time into feedback with videos, notes, conferences,
emails, etc.

The class Writing As A Way Of Healing was my all-time

favorite class that I had ever taken in my life, and I thank you
for being the biggest help and such a great teacher, and I do
not think anyone else would have been a better fit for the role
you played as the teacher of the class.

As I graduate and move on from SUNY Sullivan, you will never be

forgotten and I will always hold a very special place in my heart for
the charismatic, enthusiastic, empathetic, person that you are. I
hope your future at this school is full of fulfilling classes and
Student 1 Week 1 determined students that you find joy in teaching. Thank you for
being you.”
Takeaways - Teaching HyFlex amplifies
challenges & rewards of classroom
teaching
- HyFlex classes amplify student &
instructor strengths & weaknesses
- Class choice is key
- Class design is key
- Classroom design is key
- Technology is key (& perhaps the
easiest fix)
- Providing instructor support is
crucial:
- Less individual overload
- More support for ambitious
projects (time/money/human)
Proposal Window of opportunity to
- Explore options together
- time, $, class size/caps,
credits?
- Form a cohort to iron out
problems with support
- Create a new avenue for
student access
- Create an alternative to current
campus culture of broad not
deep
- Up to $10k
 Post-assessment

https://www.mentimeter.com/app/prese
ntation/alkax7437y9o7ifwsdb5y5ucp9m
swcq8/61aq5wku8kt3