What happens when higher education is designed around the realities of students’ lives rather than the assumptions of traditional teaching?
In a recent conversation for the HyFlex Learning and Teaching (HyLT) project, we spoke with Dr. Janie Leary, Professor of Community Health Promotion at Fairmont State University in West Virginia. Drawing on more than a decade of teaching experience, Janie shared how HyFlex learning has transformed access to higher education for students balancing work, family responsibilities, caregiving, and other life commitments.
Starting with Student Needs
Long before the term ‘Hyflex’ became widely known during the COVID-19 pandemic, Janie recognized a challenge facing many of her students. The majority of students in her public health and community health promotion programs were not traditional full-time students. They worked, cared for children, supported elderly relatives, and managed complex personal responsibilities alongside their studies. Many students struggled to attend classes consistently, not because of a lack of motivation, but because life got in the way. Childcare could be difficult to find and afford. Work schedules changed unexpectedly. Family caregiving responsibilities demanded flexibility. Janie explained.
‘I just knew that my students needed more options than strictly online or strictly in the classroom’
When she later discovered the HyFlex model, she realized it would accommodate what her students needed.
What HyFlex Means in Practice
At Fairmont State University, HyFlex courses offer students three participation options:
- attend class in person
- participate synchronously online
- engage asynchronously through recordings and online activities
Students can choose the mode that best fits their circumstances without sacrificing learning opportunities. For Janie, consistency is essential. Students across all participation modes should have access to equivalent learning experiences and opportunities to engage. This principle became especially important during the pandemic, when technology limitations, unstable internet connections, and varying home situations created additional barriers for many learners.
Rather than viewing these challenges as reasons to abandon HyFlex, Janie and her students worked together to find solutions.
Building Equivalency across Learning Modes
One of the common criticisms of HyFlex learning is the concern that students may receive unequal learning experiences depending on how they participate. Janie addressed this challenge by redesigning learning activities to ensure all students could contribute, regardless of attendance mode. Class activities are completed digitally, allowing both synchronous and asynchronous students to participate. Contributions made while watching recordings are revisited in later classes, helping maintain a sense of continuity and community. This approach creates an important message which is participation matters, regardless of when or where it occurs. An unexpected benefit emerged from recording classes. Janie recalled a student whose computer crashed after presenting a class project. Because the presentation had been captured in the class recording, the student was able to recover much of their work instead of starting over. What initially seemed like a simple accommodation became a valuable learning resource for everyone.
Preparing Students for the Modern Workplace
HyFlex learning has also changed the nature of teaching itself. According to Janie, today’s workplaces increasingly rely on virtual collaboration, online meetings, and distributed teams. By participating in HyFlex courses, students gain experience navigating the same kinds of environments they are likely to encounter professionally. In this way, HyFlex is not only a delivery model. It is also preparation for today’s working life. Students learn how to communicate across modalities, collaborate digitally, and participate effectively in hybrid environments. These skills are becoming increasingly valuable across sectors, including healthcare, public service, non-profit organizations, and industry.
Does HyFlex Increase Workload?
One of the most frequent questions about HyFlex concerns workload. Janie’s answer is nuanced. The initial transition requires effort, particularly when designing activities that work across participation modes and identifying technology that supports all learners. However, she argues that much of the challenge is a shift in mindset rather than a permanent increase in workload. Because she had already designed her courses with online accessibility in mind, much of the foundation was already in place. Today, maintaining her HyFlex courses often requires only a few additional hours per week, primarily related to managing recordings and minor adjustments. For her, the additional effort is worthwhile because she has witnessed the impact firsthand. Over the years, numerous students have told her that they would not have completed their degree without the flexibility HyFlex provided.
Advice for Teachers Considering HyFlex
For teachers interested in adopting HyFlex learning, Janie’s first recommendation is simple:
Start by listening to your students.
Understanding learners’ circumstances, challenges, and needs should guide any redesign effort. She also encourages educators to:
- gather student feedback regularly.
- engage institutional leaders in conversations about flexibility.
- begin with a single course rather than redesigning an entire program at once.
- experiment with different technologies and tools.
- be patient during implementation.
- accept that the first iteration will not be perfect.
One practical lesson she learned early on was the importance of ensuring that all students can hear classroom discussions. Before obtaining a dedicated room microphone, she frequently repeated questions and comments for online participants and recording viewers. Small adjustments like these can significantly improve the student experience.
Flexibility as Inclusion
Perhaps the most powerful insight from our conversation was that HyFlex is fundamentally about inclusion. For Janie, flexibility is not merely a convenience. It is a way of ensuring that higher education remains accessible to students whose lives do not fit neatly into traditional schedules and expectations. When thoughtfully designed, HyFlex learning acknowledges the realities students face and creates pathways for success without lowering academic standards. As institutions continue exploring flexible approaches to teaching and learning, Janie’s experience reminds us that effective educational innovation begins with a simple question:
What do our students need in order to succeed?
Dr. Janie M. Leary, Ph.D., MPH, BSW, CHES is Professor of Community Health Promotion and Assurance of Learning Director at Fairmont State University, West Virginia, USA. She has extensive experience teaching in HyFlex environments and is a strong advocate for flexible learning opportunities that support student success and inclusion.