Post by Rachel Schultz, OLC, and Elan Paulson, Teaching & Learning
Explore the benefits of hybrid learning, and reflect on how a hybrid model could apply to your courses.
While the pandemic has brought many challenges, it is also a time where instructors have been able to explore various pedagogical approaches using technology. It has allowed instructors to consider how course design can be enhanced by reimagining what activities can be done online more effectively, thus freeing up face-to-face time to promote deeper learning experiences.”
Quote by higher education senior administrator, Canadian Digital Learning Research Association (2020)
What is Hybrid Learning?
In the literature, the terms hybrid and blended have varied definitions, or may be used interchangeably, but we refer to the mode of delivery discussed below only as hybrid. Defining modalities are challenging and changing as the Ontario education system seeks to understand them. Hybrid learning involves the strategic design and purposeful connection of both face-to-face/synchronous and online/asynchronous components (Martin, Polly, & Ritzaupt, 2020).
What is Hybrid Learning at Conestoga?
Hybrid delivery is instruction that includes a combination of online delivery, and some classroom activities.
Elan Paulson, PhD, has been an educator in Ontario's higher education system since 2004. Before joining Conestoga as a Teaching and Learning Consultant, Elan was on the executive team at eCampusOntario. She previously served as Program Director and as an instructor in professional education programs at Western University's Faculty of Education. With a Master's in Educational Technology, Elan specializes in technology-enabled and collaborative learning to support diverse learners. She has also conducted research on faculty participation in communities of practice for professional learning and self-care.
