Experiences from Hybrid Learning

This presentation rests on experiences from 13 years of hybrid teaching in a master programme in digital learning design. We ask in what ways hybrid learning spaces can be designed to support student active learning and engagement, when teaching classes with both physical present students and distance students attending at the same time. Theoretical framework In this study the concept of hybrid learning refers to teaching and learning activities where some students are physically located on campus and some are online at the same time, emphasising the constant movement between spaces in a learning environment and students taking part in the online community (Hilli et al., 2019; Salmon 2011). To support student active learning and engagement arrangement for social presence is necessary (Johannesen et al. 2018). Methodology/research design Each year, 20 students are accepted for the programme, which offers both online and hybrid courses. A LMS with an integrated video conferencing system, is used for time schedules, delivery of work tasks, streaming teaching and learning sessions and communication with and between the students. Although some of the courses are designed primarily for physical presence, some students attend online. The data analysed in this study is based on student evaluation forms. Expected results/findings For the online students to hear what is said in the classroom and be able to take part in the professional discussions, the quality of the audio equipment is imperative. Therefore, the classroom is equipped with multiple microphones capturing sound from both physical present students and teachers. In that way the online students experience that they can engage in the ongoing formal and informal conversations. To support the feeling of social presence, the video quality is of importance. This became clear to most teachers during the pandemic, when the trend arose to turn off the screen during video sessions. It is more difficult to give lectures in front of black screens, rather than video pictures of living people. The students also report that it is more difficult to uphold attention to the lecture when the screen is turned off. To withhold a relation to the online students when teaching in class, co-students in the classroom are asked to follow up on the video conferencing. Experiences show that it is difficult for one teacher to manage a hybrid classroom, having to split the attention between the students in the classroom and the online students. Our data show that hybrid learning fits well in small groups – up to 30 students. In order to succeed, it requires a strong physical presence in the classroom, which in turn supports a feeling of social presence for the online students.