Hybrid - friend or foe?

Since Covid we have asked students what their first preference for teaching is – face to face, hybrid or online. We have continually heard that students prefer face to face classes, but we all know that on some campuses this doesn’t equate to seats being filled. Students say they want it, but aren’t necessarily showing up.  

They may intend to come to campus, but on the day face a long commute, need to fit in a work shift, only have 1 or 2 classes, have to go through rush hour traffic or other “micro-frustrations” that add up and sway their decision to not come. On a deeper level, they may feel anxious and not know anyone and find class intimidating. If they have the option, these nudge them towards joining online.

“For me the long commute is a cost-benefit of how much I feel like I will get done: I’m more efficient on campus but issues like crowding and lack of access to things like power points make the commute become more of an issue.”

“Not having fully recorded lectures helps my belonging! I find that subjects who have in person lectures create a far better sense of belonging (for me) and help create friendships. They are a great place to meet friends because the lecture content is already breaking the ice for you, and asking the lecturer questions has produced some of my favourite uni interactions. Also makes you really feel a part of the class, seeing all who are doing that subject."

Data shows 15-24 year olds to be the loneliest cohort in the population, a shift from the last decade when it was the elderly. 

Young people are having trouble making offline connections. We hear this all the time, students tell us how hard it is to make friends. University teams are feeling this with increasing pressure around student support and counselling.

What we have seen in our belonging data since Covid is a rebound, belonging levels went from quite low to high. On one campus we saw an increase of 22% in their sense of belonging score from pre-Covid to post-Covid.

Students told us how good it is to be back, to have conversations, to build their network, to debate and learn in a classroom. They find the quality of face to face learning exceeds being online. We also hear that increases to the number of classes online makes it even harder to meet people, so when they do come to campus they stay for less time and have fewer interactions.

Remember, this is not an argument against online education, it is incredibly important. But it is an argument for re-considering hybrid – the option for online. This does require a re-shaping of how education is delivered to still be equitable, such as changes to timetables which many universities are addressing.

Universities invest huge amounts in campuses, the second highest annual cost behind staff wages. We argue that behind every university strategy should be a core focus on human connection, and ways that campus attendance can help elevate this.

"I've had next to no opportunity to connect with peers, and despite my best efforts, I have not been able to form friendships with others in my classes because I've had so little time in person to get to know them. This has made university an incredibly isolating, lonely, and depressing experience, and I feel like I've been paying for an in-person degree whilst studying one that is mostly online."

“The University is the first place I felt a sense of belonging. I was too different from my peers in high school - Uni was the first time I felt surrounded by likeminded people who 'got' me and I 'got' them. I think its the passion for learning and teaching from all the people there, dedicated professors, a great university campus with various beautiful (and educational) buildings, and the dedication to diversity..."

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