HyFlex and HyFlip are the two hybrid teaching options Olin faculty can choose from for Fall 2020. The information on this page is meant to help you understand which model will best fit your teaching style and content.


Which model suits your class?

Depending on your teaching style, class type, and time availability you might lean towards one model or the other. Consider the information below as you decide. 

If your teaching philosophy, style, and values align with these principles, then consider HyFlex:

  • You value sharing course concepts and skills in-person in interactive in-person lecture versus having to prepare educational media in advance of the semester. 
  • You want in-person and online students to be focused on gaining knowledge primarily through instructor-to-student interaction, most likely mediated via a combination of Zoom, Canvas, Teams chat, Google Docs, Poll Everywhere, etc. 
  • You are committed and organized enough to share presentation materials in advance (via Canvas, for example) so all students have access to foundational learning materials before a class session. 
  • You have thought out or are willing to think through how to best answer live student questions in the hybrid classroom (both f2f and online students). 
  • You have ideas or are eager to learn ideas on how to visually present ideas via docucams, iPads, and other accessible visual learning technologies that allow both in-person and online students to see how a concept, computation, or skill comes to life. 
  • You are open to using asynchronous (Canvas, Google Docs, pre-class surveys) and synchronous (Poll Everywhere, Google Docs) tools to help you assess what students already know prior to in-class discussion (prior knowledge and classroom assessment techniques). 
  • You are open to using asynchronous (Canvas, Google Docs, pre-class surveys) and synchronous (Poll Everywhere, Google Docs) tools to help you assess what students understand during in-class presentations and lectures (checks for understanding). 
  • You are adept at bringing concepts and skills to life during a shared lecture and/or simulation/presentation so as to help students gain knowledge regardless of the learning environment.
  • You recognize the live moderator’s importance in ensuring all students’ questions and comments are heard in a HyFlex classroom.

If your teaching philosophy, style, and values align with these principles, then consider HyFlip:

  • You’re interested in creating and curating educational media in advance of a course launch so all students have access to course concepts and skills asynchronously. 
  • You want in-person and online students to be focused on structured student-to-student interaction during class, most likely mediated via a combination of Zoom, Canvas, Teams chat, Google Docs, Poll Everywhere, etc. 
  • You value student-to-student interactions over lecture during whole class meetings, including facilitated discussions, labs, problem-based or case-based learning, small group and collaborative learning projects, etc.
  • You feel comfortable and/or open to the challenges of navigating multiple learning technologies to facilitate student-to-student interaction. 
  • You are open to using asynchronous tools (Canvas, Google Docs, pre-class surveys) to help you “prime the pump” for in-class discussion preparation so students can actively prepare their contributions during synchronous class sessions. 
  • You understand that grouping students in both online and in-person class settings requires planning and testing for what works best for you, your students, and the hybrid learning environment. Activities like this also require additional hardware like headphones and laptops that students will need to bring to class. 
  • You are adept at managing and/or learning how to manage the workload involved with a more active teaching presence online so as to help students facilitate group and collaborative learning.

Preparing to Teach a HyFlex Course

Watch the video below on tips for preparing a HyFlex course:

Preparing to Teach a HyFlip Course

Watch the video below on tips for preparing a HyFlip course:

Not sure which model is best for your course?

The CDE will be available for consultations if you would like to talk with someone about the opportunities and challenges of each model. Please email at olin-cde@wustl.edu to set up a time. Additionally, experiencing the HyFlex classroom through training will be a great way to figure out which model works best for you. You can sign-up for trainings on the CDE Training Opportunities page.