ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES OF HYBRID COURSES

Advantages

• Faculty can better connect with their students than in a traditional or completely online environment.
• Discussions started in class are continued online and online interaction often carries over into the traditional face-to-face classes.
• Hybrid courses integrate of out-of-class activities with in-class activities. This offers a more effective use of traditional class time.
• According to the University of Central Florida, students learn more in the hybrid format than they do in traditional courses.
• Hybrids offer greater flexibility which in turn leads to new teaching opportunities
• Hybrids offer convenient scheduling options for students
• There is enhanced student interaction and engagement
• If space is at a premium, a greater number of class sections can be offered. 
• According to Garnham and Kaleta, fewer students withdraw from hybrids than from online courses. The rate of withdrawal is comparable to traditional courses.
• According to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, students in hybrid courses learn more in hybrid courses than from traditional courses.
• Garnham and Kaleta report that “students wrote better papers, performed better on exams, produced higher quality projects, and were capable of more meaningful discussions on course material"

Challenges

• Learning how to integrate online activities with the in-class meetings. It can be difficult moving from lectures to student-centered active learning.
• Ensuring that the students are not overloaded due to excessive work assigned in both the in-class and online environments. Instructors must also take care not to overload themselves and their students.  The University of Wisconsin refers to this as the “course and a half syndrome.”
• Additional preparation time is required to design interactive, online assignments.
• Students need to be responsible for their own learning.
• Students may believe that fewer classes equates to less work.
• Planning two learning environments can prove to be time consuming for faculty.
• Learning how to create a sense of community online.
• Accounting for multiple intelligences.
• Deciding which assignments should be given online and which should be given face-to-face
• Technical difficulties

Strategies for Success | Suitable Activities | Teaching Tips | Who Should Teach | Advantages/Disadvantages |
Dividing Work | Time Spent Online Vs. Time Spent In Class | References |Main Page |

Updated August 16, 2007 by Steve Schwarz