As the academic year draws to a close, it's a wonderful opportunity for higher education institutions to draw conclusions and start thinking about their plans for the next one; with hybrid learning being one of the most important aspects to consider. While universities and colleges were forced to adopt hybrid learning strategies due to the pandemic, most of them have come to realize how powerful it is and continue to use it out of sheer choice. From significantly increasing student intake (now that so many can join remotely) to easily bringing in professional lecturers from around the globe (saving the cost of flying them in) – the benefits are numerous. Like so many other fields at the moment, hybrid learning, too, is already starting to benefit from AI-based features. I spoke with Andrew Bissett, Country Manager for UK&I, Nordics, and Africa at DTEN, to get the hardware technology provider's take on current hybrid learning challenges, how they can be met using AI, and the most prominent new features institutions should look out for.
Needs and Challenges
There are several key challenges and needs most academic institutions face when it comes to adjusting to hybrid learning and making the most of it. First, there's the natural aspiration to ensure students can achieve good outcomes, whether they join remotely or are physically present; and that professors and teachers can get their messages across clearly and compellingly. Of course, institutions need to have technology in place to support that. "When thinking of 'the right technology' in terms of hybrid education, three important words come to mind: flexible, empowering, and inclusive," says Bissett.
"There's such a big variety of hybrid learning spaces, so the technology has to be flexible in that it can be moved around the classroom to adapt to the educator's or the student's needs."
So, what does 'empowering' mean in the context of hybrid learning? Simply put, it means that it needs to provide educators with the tools to deliver learning as effectively as possible. "These tools should enable them to get the message across, and most importantly, to have students absorb it properly," Bissett says. Finally, hybrid learning should be inclusive – which is also one of the most challenging things to maintain. "Inclusive means a lot of things to different people. In a hybrid learning space, this will be making sure that you're giving an even experience to those students that are physically present in the classroom and those that are joined remotely," Bissett explains. "According to feedback received from students and academics alike, that even experience is incredibly important," he notes.
