University student and instructor experiences with HyFlex learning: A scoping review

The global pandemic precipitated the movement of higher education course delivery from face-to-face to teaching online. During the post-pandemic period, some universities adopted the HyFlex model, which involves teaching students on-campus and online simultaneously. Widespread use of this model is in its infancy, therefore little is known about the experiences of university students and instructors using HyFlex mode. This knowledge is essential to the consideration of whether to continue, modify, or cease this form of course delivery. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review was to fill this gap in the literature by exploring the experiences of university instructors and students with the HyFlex model via a scoping review that followed Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review framework. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data from each study reviewed. Four key themes emerged from the analysis: (a) learning satisfaction, (b) benefits of the HyFlex mode, (c) barriers and challenges related to the HyFlex mode, and (d) external factors that influence the quality of teaching and learning in the HyFlex mode. Each of these is discussed in detail and implications for future practice and further research directions are considered. The review also uncovered that there is a dearth of studies that included the voice of instructors, hence highlighting an underresearched area regarding the HyFlex mode of instruction.