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Jadaeja Brown
UWRT-1102-41
Inquiry Proposal
Ropko
23 February 2016
Are hybrid class effective in higher education?

Here at the University of Charlotte in North Carolina, there are a variety of classes
offered as hybrid. Hybrid classes are described as courses in which some traditional face-to-face
"seat time" has been replaced by online learning activities. The question we should be asking is
are hybrid classes effective in higher education? Typically, students in hybrid courses will spend
50% of their time doing online exercises. Though there are pros and cons to this matter most
students do not have a problem with taking hybrid classes. In May of 2015, studies showed that
only 31% of students felt that the hybrid classes would take up too much time. The students
reported that the level of difficulty was the same as it would be in a face-to-face experience.
I am currently taking a hybrid class this semester. Spanish 2 is only offered as a hybrid
class here at UNCC so I felt like I didnt have a choice. In my opinion, hybrid classes are a little
more difficult because we have to complete the homework assignment first before we have class
time to discuss the new subjects. I am interested in learning more about hybrid classes because of
my personal experiences. With barely making a passing B in the class, I felt like I was robbed of
learning that I could have acquired. Students have to learn how to teach themselves to a certain
extent.

Students ability to learn often varies so we cannot base our research off of only one
group of students. Some people would rather learn in a face-to-face environment while others
prefer online. I know that hybrid classes are a choice for most students, however for me it was
not. These classes can be more effective if the student can make the decision for themselves
based on their learning style. Hybrid classes require more effort from the student because there is
a lot of self-teaching done.
In Spanish, the online work is to be completed before we meet in class; I want to know
why this is the case. There are times where students fail to do well on the online portion because
they have yet to receive the proper tools to know how to complete the assignment. Also why do
the hybrid classes only meet once a week face-to-face? It is understandable for classes to only
meet once because of the amount of time it takes outside of class to complete the work but what
could be some other factors influencing this? The work load could balance itself out.
Hybrid classes are effective only based on the students learning preference. If someone
requires more of a hands-on experience, hybrid is not the path to take. As we can see, there are
plenty of reasons why a student could not be successful but if hybrid classes are taken by choice,
we can eliminate this issue.

"Hybrid Courses: About Hybrid." Hybrid Courses: About Hybrid. Learning Technology Center,
2016. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
"Student Expectations & Experiences in Hybrid/Online Classes." On Hybridization Spring 2015.
N.p., 23 June 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.