Practical Tips for HyFlex Undergraduate Teaching During a Pandemic

摘要

Many universities in the United States have resumed campus-based learning during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Under these special circumstances, many instructors have considered the HyFlex approach to redesign their undergraduate courses. However, a HyFlex teaching model that one adopts in reaction to a global pandemic significantly differs from HyFlex teaching that one adopts under normal conditions. In this paper, we provide actionable practical tips that will allow fellow instructors to better prepare themselves for running a COVID-19 HyFlex classroom. First, we explain how the COVID-19 HyFlex model has some key distinctions from the regular HyFlex teaching model. Then, in the COVID-19 HyFlex classroom, we focus specifically on how to effectively use group work as the learning instrument in these types of classrooms. We consciously seek to go narrow and deep on the dimension of group work as it has the most potential to yield beneficial outcomes while also being fraught with logistical challenges in the COVID-19 HyFlex context. Our collective success with undergraduate HyFlex teaching in future academic terms during COVID-19 will determine our universities’ economic success and our jobs’ security.