Why Hybrid Learning is Rapidly Becoming More Popular

by Josh Biggs in Tips on 22nd January 2021

The ways the world has changed in the past year have made different learning methods necessary. Learning methodology flexibility is what allows students at various levels and ages to get the skills they need so they don’t fall behind.

However, it’s not always easy to come up with the ideal lesson plan. What works for one student may not always work so well for another.

Hybrid learning is a way to tackle these challenges and face them head-on. Let’s learn a little more about it so you can understand why its popularity is increasing so rapidly.

What Exactly is Hybrid Learning?

You could best describe a hybrid learning strategy as one that combines a traditional classroom experience with some experimental learning objectives. It involves digital course delivery as well.

The idea behind hybrid learning is that a teacher or course creator will emphasize each learning objective’s best option. In other words, one hybrid classroom might look very different from another, depending on the subject matter and what teaching it requires.

Hybrid learning is similar to blended learning models in some ways, but the two approaches are also distinctly different from one another. With a blended learning model, the creator or instructor wants to balance an online and face-to-face aspect within a course. That won’t necessarily happen with a hybrid learning model.

How Does an Instructor Create a Hybrid Course?

A teacher who wants to create a hybrid course will probably seek out many different professionals for input. They’ll want to ground the course in the best practices that previous course attempts indicate work particularly well. They will also try to think about individual learner needs.

A course’s challenges increase because an instructor may know that some students won’t have particular material access. For instance, there’s nothing to say that some students can get their hands on the proper lab equipment to conduct experiments that a teacher might feel are intrinsic to a lesson plan. They’ll need to use creative means to overcome such an obstacle.

A course designer who wants to create a viable hybrid model will need to take many factors into account. They’ll need to weigh the learning population’s needs against their potential limitations.

Tools an Instructor Can Use

As an instructor tries to create a hybrid course that’s accessible to as many students as possible, they will utilize tools like artificial intelligence and machine learning. These technologies can identify trends and gather data.

For instance, the instructor might use such tools to gather information indicating whether their students are retaining and mastering offline lessons. If they’re not doing so well in that area, seminars or more experimental approaches might provide the answer.

Analytics is the key to hybrid course creation. The more student and learning methodology data an instructor can collect, the more they can discard what isn’t working and streamline a course. Later versions will do better if early ones don’t produce the intended results.

Why is Hybrid Learning Becoming So Popular?

Hybrid learning is all about trying to include as many students as possible. Since it uses analytics, it’s course creation that utilizes fact-based data. 

The teachers make no assumptions about a student body’s capabilities. Instead, they fashion courses based on observable trends rather than hypotheses.

The more data an instructor collects, the more they can refine a module, so it works for more students. The teacher can continually analyze delivery method effectiveness.

The teachers who champion this model don’t ever say that they have finished a course. They know they will keep changing each one as time passes because the market is always embracing new technology and tools.

Essentially, the reason hybrid learning works so well is that the teachers’ first priority is including as many students as they can. They try to take into account poverty, lack of technology access, or any other possible impediment.

It’s a learning process for both the students and instructors. What’s so vital, though, is the teachers’ willingness to learn. They don’t have a set idea in their heads about what works and what doesn’t. They use data for strict, fact-based course creation.

Hybrid courses allow flexibility that’s seldom present with other models. Students can often get the face time they need to master concepts that require some additional explanation and reinforcement. There’s often lab time as well for the hands-on experience they require.

It seems likely, based on its resounding success, that we will see hybrid learning more as time passes.

Categories: Tips

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