Sydney University pursues hybrid model of online and in-person classes

University of Sydney academics will have to teach students online and in-person simultaneously,as the institution tries to reinvigorate campus life while still catering to students stuck overseas due to travel bans.

So-called ‘hyflex mode’ teaching has received a lukewarm response from some lecturers and was described by a university how-to guide as “not without its challenges” and requiring “frequent troubleshooting”.

Large lectures for more than 120 students – about 10 per cent of classes – will mostly be held online next year,but students will be expected to attend smaller classes,such as tutorials,seminars and practical activities,in person.

Sydney Uni academics will have to run classes for local and overseas students.

Sydney Uni academics will have to run classes for local and overseas students.Peter Rae

Australia’s borders were due to open to international students from Wednesday,but the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 prompted authorities to delay the move until December 15 at this stage.

“Once borders open we expect more international students will arrive from January onwards as commercial flight operations ramp up,and we continue to plan for that,” Sydney University’s vice-chancellor,Professor Mark Scott,said in an email to staff.

As universities prepare to reopen campuses,most are planning to keep lectures largely online. Sydney University wants lecturers to incorporate activities into online delivery – such as polling,live chat and demonstrations – to engage with students.

Smaller classes will be delivered in-person. But if there are overseas students in the class,academics will have to do both. The university guide suggested academics run a group activity for on-campus students while teaching the offshore ones,then swap over.

Sociology Associate Professor Salvatore Babones said this format would be challenging.

“The goal that teachers should seamlessly integrate Zoom students into an in-person lecture without loss of quality is ambitious to say the least,” he said. “The idea that teachers can simultaneously run parallel in-person and online classes is flat-out ridiculous.”

Professor David Boud,an expert in tertiary education at the University of Technology Sydney,said teaching simultaneously online and in-person could only be a temporary measure.

“It’s the only way we can cope right now,” he said.

But Professor Boud also encouraged universities to think beyond the live online lecture,saying remote no longer had to mimic the traditional one-hour format dictated by timetable constraints.

“Sometimes synchronous[live] online lectures where you get a response from students could be good,but it’s not all you can do,” he said. “What we’ve learned in the pandemic is there’s all sorts of things you can do.

”You can prepare a presentation very well at whatever length is appropriate for what it needs to do. The buzz of performance is a good reason to have a synchronous event. But if you think of all the lectures we got in the past,most of them were not terribly interactive,they didn’t need to be synchronous at all.″⁣

Meanwhile,Professor Scott said domestic enrolments at Sydney University were almost 5 per cent stronger than expected this year,while international enrolments were more than 20 per cent higher than initially expected due mostly to a strong first semester.

“Student load for the year is 11.9 per cent above our original plan,resulting in an overall student revenue position for 2021 that is 14.6 per cent or $258 million higher than our original budget,” he said.

“Much of this increased revenue will go towards the associated teaching costs of the increased student load,such as staffing and infrastructure requirements,and supporting research disrupted by COVID.”

Jordan Baker is Chief Reporter of The Sydney Morning Herald. She was previously Education Editor.

Most Viewed in National