Hybrid Teaching and Learning

In this post I am reflecting on my hybrid teaching-learning experiences. This is also an Education Policy issue as most developed countries have a policy on digitalization and digitalization of education. The hybrid mode can also be seen as part of the neo-liberal emphasis on individual choice: attending classes f2f or online. 

But it's challenging and often unfair to the online attendees. In an ideal case,  we should be able to create a whole-class experience. This experience is hampered if the online attendees cannot see the students in the classroom. Also, communication and interaction suffer as getting the attention of the teacher is often difficult for online attendees.  They may also have difficulties hearing the f2f students. 

Of course, much depends on the technology and the layout of the room. If the camera and microphone areattached to the teacher's desk, the teacher is practically forced to stay close by. However, it is also a pedagogical challenge. Hybrid teaching requires multitasking from the teacher and that is exhausting. Teachers have to facilitate, moderate, speak ( Ziafa & Manoloudi 2022, 263 citing Szeto, 2015), support, engage and troubleshoot at the same time , and act as a cameraman and director, I might add. In fact, in Finland, the Teachers' Union, OAJ, does not recommend hybrid teaching as it lowers the quality of teaching, and a teacher shouldn't be required to plan two different modes of teaching at the same time, not without extra compensation (translation mine).

In my experience, neither group of students can get the teacher's full attention. In order to be really present to the online attendees, the teacher should look at the camera lens. But the pull of the physical presence is so strong that even while standing in front of the camera, your eyes tend to seek those present in the classroom. 

Of course, the hybrid mode has its benefits, especially when you can avoid travelling long distances and can join lectures online. Joining, however, is different from participating. The right layout of the classroom and the right equipment go a long way to make the lesson more inclusive. Below, you can see a picture of an ideal hybrid class layout created by Jori Leskelä. Unfortunately, the text is in Finnish. This layout shows the camera in front of the screen where online attendees are projected. All the materials are shared via a videoconferencing programme and are visible to both f2f and online attendees at the same time. This imitates a whole class situation where all participants can see each other. The students present in the room sit in a V-shape plan and the teacher takes the middle position so that when they are looking at the screen they are also looking at all the students. The conference microphone is placed in the middle so that it catches both the teacher’s and the f2f students’ voices. You can watch Jori’s video on Hybrid teach8ng and learning athttps://youtu.be/Vn9y-v8kpjw