Story
Video 1.2
Source: eCampus Ontario
Length: 0:28
Course Delivery Models
In post-secondary education, you will probably experience a variety of course delivery models. Course delivery models are based on three key factors:
- Space: where you learn
- Time: when you learn
- People: who you learn with
The primary course delivery models in the post-secondary context are:
- in-person
- online
- hybrid
- HyFlex
It is important to understand the key features of each model so you can anticipate the digital skills and technologies you may need in the courses you take. The following graphic summarizes each course delivery model. Below the graphic, you will find more detailed descriptions of each model.
Image 1.8
Source: Adapted from eCampus Ontario. (2021). 2021 Foresight Report: The Hybrid Futures. https://www.ecampusontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/The-Hybrid-Futures-Tagged-20210915.pdf
Description: An infographic titled “Course Delivery Model”. There are four options. The first is in-person in a physical space with an instructor and learners with synchronous learning. The second is hybrid in a virtual space and a physical space in-person with an instructor and learners and learning can be synchronous or asynchronous. The first option is in-person in a virtual space with the instructor and learners and learning can be synchronous or asynchronous. The fourth option is called “hyflex”, a combination of hybrid and flexible, offered in virtual spaces (online) and in physical spaces. Learners choose how they will engage in the course each day.
In-Person Courses
Image 1.9
Source: eCampus Ontario
Description: An instructor at the front of a class in a lecture hall with several students shown in the rows of seats that are partially filled.
In-person courses take place in a physical space like a classroom, laboratory, library, gymnasium, studio, or shop. You meet with your instructor and classmates to learn together at the same time. Learning together at the same time is called synchronous learning (eCampus Ontario, 2021).
Most of you have experienced in-person courses in your K to 12 learning. Many post-secondary courses are also in-person. However, online, hybrid, and HyFlex learning models are becoming increasingly common in Ontario post-secondary institutions.
Online Courses
Image 1.10
Source: eCampus Ontario
Description: Shayan sitting at a table in the community centre using a laptop. Two other people, and man and a woman, each with medium-dark skin, are also using computers at their own tables in the background.
Online courses take place in a virtual space with your instructor and classmates. The virtual space is usually a learning management system (L.M.S.) like Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, or Brightspace/D2L.
Online learning can be synchronous or asynchronous (eCampus Ontario, 2021).
- In synchronous online learning, you meet online with your instructors and peers using virtual tools. Everyone learns together at the same time. You interact with your instructor and peers face-to-face. Examples of synchronous online learning include live-streaming lectures or participating in video-conference discussions.
- In asynchronous online learning, you learn individually by logging into the L.M.S. Your learning is self-directed, meaning you complete online coursework on your own schedule and at your own pace. You interact with your instructor and peers through the L.M.S. Examples of asynchronous learning include watching pre-recorded lectures, reading assigned materials, and participating in discussion boards.
- Synchronous online learning provides real-time connections with instructors and classmates. Asynchronous online learning provides greater flexibility for each learner.
What might online learning look like in post-secondary education?
Here are a few examples of online courses that our learners are enrolled in.
I had hoped my Automotive Mechanic and Repair program would be in-person for all the classes. Turns out, I have a Workplace Safety Course to complete that is entirely online. The good news is that this course is asynchronous, which means I can complete the course at my own pace as long as I meet the deadlines. I’ll have online material to read, videos to watch, virtual simulation activities to do, and graded assessments to take. Because I can work at my own pace and complete the work on my own schedule, I can ensure one of my kids is available to help me get online.
Image 1.11
Source: eCampus Ontario
Description: A woman with medium skin wearing work boots, work pants with large side pockets, a long-sleeved shirt with pockets, and safety glasses.
The Anatomy Course in my Life Sciences Program is an online course with several different requirements. There are lectures on Thursday afternoons that I must attend virtually at the scheduled time. This gives me a chance to interact with my instructor and see some of my peers. I also need to complete the modules on my own time, including the readings, virtual lab activities, and assessments. I’ll need to ask for additional student supports from the University before the lectures begin and ensure I have access to a computer with the assistive software that I need.
Image 1.12
Source: eCampus Ontario
Description: A man with medium-dark skin dressed in comfortable clothes for studying while wearing glasses.
One of the online courses in my program is the Innovative Curriculum Planning Course. There are no lectures, only online modules to complete on my own time. There will be online readings, videos to watch, and assessments to complete. I also need to participate in discussion boards to interact with my fellow learners. It will be up to me to finish my work by the deadlines and to arrange a time to use the community centre computer to get the work done.
Image 1.13
Source: eCampus Ontario
Description: An Indigenous man wearing pants and turtleneck shirt.
Hybrid Courses
Hybrid courses take place online (in virtual spaces) as well as in-person (in physical spaces)(eCampus Ontario, 2021):
- The online components of a hybrid course can be synchronous (the instructor and learners meet virtually at the same time) or asynchronous (each learner self-directs their virtual learning times and pace).
- The in-person components of a hybrid course are synchronous (instructors and learners meet together at the same time in the same physical space).
- Often, the online components of a hybrid course involve learning content, and the in-person components of a hybrid course provide opportunities to demonstrate or apply learning.
What might hybrid learning look like in post-secondary education?
Here are a few examples of hybrid courses that our learners are enrolled in.
My Workplace and Trade Practices course is a hybrid course. I can attend a portion of the course in person at weekly labs in the auto shop, where I’ll be able to meet and interact with my instructor and peers. In these labs, the instructor will demonstrate the practices and supervises our learning. We’ll also be able to ask questions in real time. There is also study material and readings that I can complete on my own time and schedule, and are entirely online. For this part, I’ll have one of my kids show me how to do it.
One of my biology courses is a hybrid course. The lectures are online and are scheduled for Mondays and Wednesdays. I’ll need to attend those lectures virtually at the scheduled time. I will also have monthly field trips to go on with my instructor and classmates. For the lectures, I’ll need to notify my instructor of the support I need for learning and arrange access to a computer with the tools I need for learning. I’ll also talk to the student support services to find out what resources are available to help me in my learning on the field trips.
I have a hybrid course in my program. It’s the Indigenous Leadership Course. I’ll have online readings, videos to watch, discussion boards to participate in, and assignments to complete on my own time. In addition to the online modules, there is a Sharing Circle on Zoom every Tuesday that I need to attend at the scheduled time. The in-person portion of the course includes activities, ceremonies, and speaker events during the first and last week of the course. I need to arrange computer time to attend the Zoom meetings on Tuesdays and be ready to travel at the start and finish of my course.
HyFlex Courses
HyFlex courses are hybrid courses that prioritize learner choice and autonomy. HyFlex stands for hybrid + flexible.
Like hybrid courses, HyFlex courses take place online (in virtual spaces) as well as in-person (in physical spaces). Instructors support learning in both spaces. HyFlex courses are unique because learners choose how they will engage in the course each day. For example, learners can choose to:
- attend an in-person classroom session in real-time (in-person synchronous);
- join a virtual class session in real-time (online synchronously);
- participate in a virtual class on demand (online asynchronously)(eCampus Ontario, 2021).
What might HyFlex learning look like in post-secondary education?
Let’s revisit our learners. Each of them enrolled in a hybrid course that was changed to a HyFlex course at the last minute. Have a look at how each course changed.
Video 1.3
Source: Adapted from eCampus Ontario. (2021). 2021 Foresight Report: The Hybrid Futures. https://www.ecampusontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/The-Hybrid-Futures-Tagged-20210915.pdf
Length: 1:48
Let’s pause and reflect!
Thinking about the learning deliver spectrum presented above…
- Have you ever participated in online, hybrid, or HyFlex courses?
- Which delivery model(s) to you think you will be participating in this term?
- How might you navigate potential challenges with online, hybrid, or HyFlex courses?
Learn more about online, hybrid, and HyFlex learning!
eCampus Ontario. (2021). 2021 Foresight Report: The Hybrid Futures. https://www.ecampusontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/The-Hybrid-Futures-Tagged-20210915.pdf
University of Waterloo. (n.d.). Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Learning. https://uwaterloo.ca/keep-learning/strategies-remote-teaching/synchronous-vs-asynchronous-online-learning
Digital Accessibility
When you are learning in online, hybrid, or HyFlex courses, digital accessibility is critical to your engagement and success.
Digital accessibility means that everyone can use the exact same technology as anyone else—regardless of whether they can manipulate a mouse, how much vision they have, how many colours they can see, how much they can hear, or how they process information (PEAT).
To support your engagement in online, hybrid, or HyFlex coursework, you may need to use accessible technology or assistive technology.
Accessible technology is technology with built-in customizable features designed to be inclusive of a broader range of abilities. You may hear various names for these technologies, including adaptive technology, access technology, or advanced technology. Fundamentally, they all refer to technologies that learners can interact with to best meet their unique needs within their environments. Computer and mobile technologies may have accessibility features built-in so the technology can be used without additional software or hardware. For example, many browsers and operating systems have accessibility features such as screen contrast choices, text size choices, and screen reader capabilities (SNOW).
Assistive technology “is usually a piece of technology (software or hardware) designed to perform a specific task. For example, a braille keyboard to support a learner who reads braille, screen reader software that reads content out loud from digital text … or speech-to-text software that enables people to use their voices to enter text into a word processing document” are assistive technologies (SNOW).
AODA
In Ontario, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (A.O.D.A.) is a law that requires organizations – including post-secondary institutions and workplaces – to be more accessible to people with disabilities. Disabilities can be physical, intellectual, learning, mental health-related, and more.
Post-secondary institutions are required to ensure all digital content is accessible to learners. If you need accessible or assistive technology, contact your instructor or your institution’s learning support department for help and guidance.
Let’s revisit Jai who has an identified learning disability that affects their written expression, visual processing, and concentration. How does Jai use accessible and assistive technology to support their learning in their online Anatomy course?
Video 1.4
Source: eCampus Ontario
Video Length: 0:52
Let’s pause and reflect!
Thinking about your experiences as a learner or a professional…
- Have you ever used accessible or assistive technology?
- Can you think of times that accessible or assistive technology might support you as a learner or in a future workplace?
- In your post-secondary context, where might you get the support you need?
Learn more about digital accessibility in post-secondary education!
Accessible Campus. (n.d.). Understanding Barriers to Accessibility. https://accessiblecampus.ca/understanding-accessibility/what-are-the-barriers/
SNOW. (n.d.). Assistive & Accessible Technology. https://snow.idrc.ocadu.ca/assistive-technology-2/
Activity
Instructions
Let’s revisit Lise who is reading a list of course descriptions for her Automotive Mechanic and Repair Program. Help Lise decide whether each course is in-person, online, hybrid, or HyFlex. Press the correct Delivery model for each course description.
Which of the following are barriers to digital accessibility that might prevent learners' success in online, hybrid, and HyFlex courses? (Check all that apply.) Select each correct answer using the checkboxes. Then submit with the checkmark in the bottom right.