What Is A Hybrid Course In College? Explained

Most of the practices about how a college school should work are mostly based before the digital age. As society moves forward into the future, the colleges are also slowly adopting and introducing practices that are born in the information age, such as the “Hybrid Course.” So what is a hybrid course in college? What makes it different? And, what are the advantages? If you are interested in uncovering the answers to these questions, then this article is for you.

Hybrid Course – What Is It

It used to be that all college courses were on a face-to-face basis. Alternatively, fully online courses were introduced during the digital age.
Courses that are entirely online or face-to-face may not meet all the student’s educational needs. Hence, the hybrid course is introduced, and it’s a mix of face-to-face and online classes. Suppose you like the convenience of online classes while also having some traditional classroom experience. In that case, a hybrid course may be an excellent option for you. A hybrid course can help you balance the demands of your life. And yet, this is not the most significant benefit of such a learning modality. According to a study by the United States Department Of Education, students in a fully online class will typically slightly outperform students in face-to-face courses. However, A hybrid class will surpass the two. Furthermore, presenting information in different formats can help in increasing knowledge retention, according to some experts. Additionally, the integration of technology into learning models can help motivate and keep students’ interest. A study from the Center For Digital Education reported that around 73% of K-12 teachers or educators had observed an increase in student engagement when applying a hybrid classroom model. Another study from Blackboard reported that 59 of the teachers had reported their students are more open and motivated to learn when engaged in a hybrid environment.

How Does It Work?

All hybrid courses will feature a single trait: the student has the opportunity to learn from a real-life classroom and in an online setting. The only difference is how the course is formatted, which is often set by the institution and sometimes by the student. In most cases, the student will attend half of the classes on campus while the other half is online.

Advantages Of Hybrid Courses

• Flexibility – the COVID-19 has drastically changed the views on education. Some people think that education is best done in a physical classroom setting. However, online classes showed that some students excel in such medium. Perhaps, it’s now time to re-think the typical approach to education, which is one-size-fits-all.
  Hybrid courses are also advantageous to non-traditional students, such as students that are parents or have full-time jobs. Hybrid courses allow students to access the modules through smartphones, laptops, or desktops. Also, lectures and coursework can be done at a convenient time. The nature of the hybrid system also reduces the chance of missing a class session.
  Hybrid courses can partly reduce the need to commute to a campus, saving time and money.

  
  

• Enhanced Comfort Levels – it’s no secret that your comfort levels will affect your cognitive abilities. After all, if you are uncomfortable, your mind is already distracted or can be easily distracted. For example, extroverted students are perfectly comfortable raising their hands and engaging with the teacher.
  On the other hand, introverted students may find a live classroom uncomfortable, which means they’d rather stay under the radar. And yet, many introverted students are more comfortable engaging with the teacher or the class if they are in an online classroom.
  However, staying within your comfort level bounds is not all great. In most cases, growth will be uncomfortable. The beauty of hybrid courses is that it allows a good mix of comfortable and leaves room for growth. An extroverted student can learn how to be comfortable being alone in an online classroom, while an introverted student can learn how to engage people in a public setting.

  
  

• Better Quality Education – in most cases, the best educator for a subject is not necessarily the traditional teacher. This is not to belittle the importance of a teacher, but it can’t also be denied that the best sources of information are not necessarily the teachers – for example, a course on entrepreneurship. The best person to teach such a course is a successful entrepreneur. However, a successful entrepreneur is likely busy and cannot handle an entire course. Entrepreneurs who would like to share their wealth of knowledge and wisdom can do it online or in a live setting if the schedule permits through a hybrid course. They also don’t need to carry the entire course as traditional teachers can cover the basics or fundamentals. This flexibility will encourage elite teachers to share their information rather than altogether dropping the teaching idea due to scheduling or workload conflicts. As a result, a student will have a better overall education.

  
  

• Better Learning Resources – it can be denied there are teaching methods or resources that are only applicable in a live physical setting and vice versa. The beauty of a hybrid course is that it can take full advantage of offline and online learning. For students, the online classes will pave the way for better learning about tech and the Internet. The offline classes can also help them learn how to successfully interact with other people and the environment in a physical setting. It also exposes the student to a wider variety of backgrounds, which can help them recognize their interest, strengths, and weaknesses.

  
  

  Wrapping It All Up

  
  

  A hybrid course is a learning modality that takes advantage of both online classes and a live classroom. According to research, such kind of method yields better results when compared to students learning from strictly offline or online classes.
  In most cases, it’s the institution that will determine the format. You can also expect to spend half of your time in a physical classroom and half the time in an online class. Finally, a hybrid course offers more benefits as it can take advantage of what an online and offline classroom setting can offer.