Online vs hybrid learning: which one is more applicable to your training?

Since the pandemic has not yet slowed in 2021 as expected, schools and other educational institutions are making new plans for the new year. Most institutes have been experimenting with both online and hybrid learning models to provide the best learning experience for students. 

During this process, most educators are seeking solutions and have high expectations of online platforms. Still the same, the question always arises: Online vs hybrid learning, which one should be preferred?

What Is Hybrid Learning?

The concept of hybrid learning is a relatively new term in our lives. It was basically introduced after the COVID-19 pandemic had made online learning an inevitable necessity. In most countries, schools had to be closed, and if the country’s infrastructure allowed, education continued online for a while.

However, especially for younger learners, online education was considered inadequate, and many countries subsequently began introducing new hybrid models. 

Hybrid learning is a combination of the conventional classroom experience with online lessons and experimental teaching and learning objectives. It is often asked online vs. hybrid learning: which modality yields better results in education?

Even though technological advances have improved the quality of education worldwide, some conventional concepts in the learning environment remain the same. That is also one of the reasons why online education was not enough; the hybrid learning concept had to be created.

Advantages of Hybrid Learning

For both students and teachers, there are many advantages of hybrid learning, from higher motivation among learners to fewer cases of teacher burnout. 

You may think that there are more advantages for the teachers. However, it has been realized that hybrid learning is mostly beneficial for learners. 

To give some examples of these advantages, we list them below.

Advantages for Teachers

Some advantages of hybrid learning for teachers that have been observed so far are that teachers

• feel more motivated to teach since they keep their human contact with the learners.
• can physically check the assignments and make sure students take them seriously.
• can plan their lessons better thanks to the hybrid model, avoiding dull lessons.
• can assign learners to do pair or group work and observe if they are really doing it.

Advantages for Students

Students also benefit significantly from such a learning modality. Some advantages of hybrid learning for students can be listed as:

• Learners are better motivated and focused on the learning process.
• They have fewer technical distractions, allowing them to concentrate more.
• They can have both physical contact and also communicate online.
• Competition arises, and students actually feel more motivated to understand the subject being taught.

Online Learning

Even though online learning is not a new concept for many institutions, especially higher education institutions and primary schools, over the last 10 years, teachers have been assigning students online homework.

Even though there are no restrictions on traditional classroom teaching, the new-age education system has already adapted to online learning.

During the pandemic, online education gained enormous popularity as schools had no other option but to continue education online. The pandemic was definitely a big turning point for the future of online education. 

Attention towards online education has increased, and a strong need for online learning platforms has arisen. Platforms offering online video conferencing or online classroom features have gained popularity. Improvements have continued from this moment on. We may be introduced to completely different and advanced levels of online learning in the near future.

Advantages of Online Learning

As many have noticed, especially in recent years, online learning is highly advantageous for both learners and teachers. Online learning removes all limitations related to location, distance, time differences, and other inequalities. 

No matter where you are, you are entitled to be in an online classroom as long as you have a stable internet connection. 

People have the extra time that they used to spend commuting to school. Plus, the comfort of attending a lesson where you feel safest and most comfortable supports the learning process. This is the case for both the students and teachers.

Online education has reshaped the concept of education, and it seems to be a significant positive evolution in the history of formal schooling.

Advantages for Teachers

The advantages of online learning are plenty. Teachers were never so happy, and it was never easy to make students focus on the material. Thanks to online learning, they can focus on their computer screens with a single click.

Some major advantages of online learning for teachers could be listed as:

• They don’t have to commute to school (more time for themselves)
• They can have their quiet time in between lessons (at school, it nearly never happens)
• It is easier for them to control their students without peer distractions
• They can engage unwilling students more easily using technology
• They can use student-focused teaching that is less tiring for teachers and more beneficial for students.

For online learners, many teachers feel that teaching is not as hard as they used to think, since students enter online classrooms with a mindset for the lesson.

Advantages for Students

As well as offering teachers significant advantages, online learning has many benefits for students. Especially for students, the pandemic has been a historical turning point. Students have realized that they are not as dependent on teachers to learn.

Some other advantages for students are:

• They could learn how to manage their time better.
• They could improve their virtual communication and technological literacy.
• Students could experience self-motivation.
• It enabled students to be more flexible and learn at their own pace.
• They could have better time management skills.

Online learning has definitely broadened students’ horizons. 

Online vs Hybrid Learning

The question is a hot one: online vs hybrid learning, which one is a better approach in education?

There is not a single answer to this question. It is not as simple as saying ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. There are plenty of factors that affect whether online or hybrid learning is best. 

There is one crucial issue, though: investing in the right technology to support them in both online and face-to-face learning.

Regarding homework, a reliable technological tool could be used to track each student’s progress. If a blended or hybrid method is being tested, an alternative could be printable homework. So, students could carry the hard copies with them when they are present in their classroom.

If hybrid learning is taking place, teachers can engage students in their online and offline classrooms. However, even in this case, teachers will still need a fully functional online platform to track their lessons. 

Vedubox is an online distance education system supporting Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Whether online or hybrid, teachers are better equipped with the best online features to perform better teaching. Vedubox is a brilliant online platform that can support teachers in both learning approaches.

How Can Online Platforms Help You?

Online platforms offer a lot to both teachers and students. Teachers can especially benefit from valuable features to achieve a better teaching and learning experience.

Thanks to an online platform, teachers can create interactive activities such as:

• Breakout rooms
• Online polls
• Team-based activities

All of the above help teachers use peer teaching, shifting the focus from the teacher to the learners themselves. 

Online platforms are becoming better at enabling student-centred learning. No matter whether the learning happens in an online or an offline classroom, teachers can shift from being the centre of the lesson to stepping back. And they can observe what students can achieve either alone or with the help of their peers.

Online platforms also allow teachers to present their material and for learners to contribute to it. To provide the most authentic learning experience, students can annotate either the material being presented or the whiteboard, as long as the teacher allows it.

Platforms for online and hybrid learning are doing their best to create an authentic classroom atmosphere for everyone. 

All in all, we have tried to elaborate on the topic of online vs hybrid learning. The concept of education is rapidly changing, and the expectations of online platforms are rising. Thanks to technology and, maybe, the recent pandemic, online platforms are updating and renewing themselves at a speed no one could have imagined.

Learn more about hybrid education: Hybrid Education Model: What is it, What are its Benefits?