HyFlex on the Go: The Mobile HyFlex Project at TU Dublin

Background: Under Stream 3 of the N-TUTORR project and work package 3.2 Digital Campus, the Digital Education Team at TU Dublin worked closely with the N-TUTORR Digital Campus Lead to fund and establish a number of HyFlex related projects. The Mobile HyFlex Project was one of these and set out to explore and evaluate the provision of quality delivery in teaching spaces traditionally ill-equipped for such a flexible mode. The project attracted the attention of staff from across all three campuses with 90 applying to be involved. In May 2024, 50 staff were issued with a MS Surface Pro and a Panasonic IT360 360° camera and speaker device to bring with them from room to room. At TU Dublin, we are aware of the complexities involved in such a mode. Studies show that there is a higher cognitive load placed on a lecturer during the delivery of a HyFlex class and that student engagement can drop substantially when they are online, and so these project participants were provided with some training in the use of the equipment and group discussions were had about the pedagogical challenges associated with presenting content and engaging students in this flexible environment. By tracking the progress of these lecturers, the engagement levels of their students, trialling these technologies, and building a bank of case studies, TU Dublin will be better situated to design our university’s approach to HyFlex delivery into the longer term and offer valuable research informed support and guidance to lecturers who deliver in this way. Rationale: According to the European Commission in their Digital Education Action Plan (2020), recent global events have shown that “digital education is not a marginal issue but a central component of learning, teaching and assessment in the 21st century”. For TU Dublin, Digital Education is a key strategic focus that runs across all three pillars of our Strategic Intent 2030 and we are committed to providing the kinds of flexible, high-quality digitally-enhanced and inclusive educational opportunities that our students require to reach their full potential in our changing world, including our students that commute long distances, are dealing with illness, and/or are undertaking caring duties etc. Conclusion This presentation will explain the details of the project and set out why those mobile devices were chosen over alternative options. It will also describe and show the supports that are being provided for the staff involved in the project, discuss some of the issues that have arisen for them this semester and how we have been trying to address those. Presented also will be some interesting observations and unforeseen challenges that have arisen that will need further attention going forward if this flexible approach to delivery is to be successful.