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Hybrid courses are growing in popularity because of the flexibility they afford to both students and faculty. They are sometimes called blended learning courses, because they blend the practices of traditional face-to-face teaching with fully-online teaching.
The number of class meetings varies among courses, but UVM broadly defines a hybrid course as one in which 25-75% of the class time is conducted online, with the remainder taking place face-to-face in class or in the field. Hybrid models vary depending on instructor goals, but they typically allow for more flexible scheduling for students, faculty, and classroom resources. Research demonstrates that hybrid course design can increase flexibility for students and can make class time more engaging for both faculty and students.
Some techniques employed in a hybrid classroom can also be adapted to the “flipped classroom” teaching method. A flipped classroom strategy can be employed in a fully face-to-face class, which students' “homework” focuses on learning facts and principles, while in-class time is devoted to working problems and exploring the application of this knowledge.
UVM's Hybrid Course Initiative was launched in Spring 2013. One of its primary goals is to provide faculty with the knowledge and skills particular to this model of teaching. Read more about the program and the history of the initiative here..