University Students’ Experiences and Reflection on Their Transition to HyFlex Learning During Post-COVID Times

Abstract

The complexities involved in HyFlex teaching and learning prompt us to consider what we know about university students’ experiences as they transition into this new pedagogical approach post-pandemic. As part of a larger mixed-methods study, this paper focuses on the qualitative phase, which investigated HyFlex learning (HL) experiences of 17 students from six higher education institutions to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how HL is viewed, the challenges faced and what competencies shaped their engagement with HL. The results show that students’ experience is influenced by instructors’ HL competence in synchronous and asynchronous aspects of the classroom and students’ e-learning self-efficacy. Students’ agentic competence, developed and augmented during the pandemic, was illustrated in their reported strategies (i.e., problem-solving, decision-making, self-regulation, and adaptability) engaging within the HL environment. The findings lead to practical implications and identify the need to improve HL delivery. Suggestions for future research are also provided.