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As we begin a new calendar year, the HyFlex Learning Community enters 2026 with both momentum and purpose. Many of us are launching new courses, refining existing designs, or expanding institutional support for HyFlex teaching and learning. Others are continuing the slower, equally important work of reflection: examining what has worked, what has not, and how flexible participation can better serve both students and instructors in diverse contexts.
The questions that surfaced so clearly at the close of 2025 remain central as we move forward: how to design HyFlex learning experiences that are not only flexible, but also coherent, equitable, and pedagogically sound; how to support instructors as they balance modality choice with workload and instructional clarity; and how to ensure that students experience HyFlex not as a compromise, but as a meaningful opportunity to engage and succeed.
Over the coming months, the community will be sharing events, resources, and examples of practice that build toward the 4th Annual HyFlex Collaborative Conference in June 2026. These winter and spring activities are intended to support ongoing inquiry into HyFlex design, teaching, and evaluation, creating space to surface questions, test ideas, and learn from one another before gathering together later in the year. The Call for Proposals is active until March 20, 2026 (link below), and the HyFlex Anthology (HCC proceedings) has just been released (also linked below).
As HyFlex practice continues to intersect with broader developments in educational technology, including the growing presence of AI-enabled tools, this work feels especially timely. Rather than signaling a departure from core HyFlex principles, this moment invites deeper examination of how emerging tools can support flexible learning when guided by sound pedagogy, ethical consideration, and evidence-informed decision making.
In this January issue, you’ll find opportunities to continue that work through upcoming events, shared resources, and community contributions drawn from a range of contexts. Whether you are new to HyFlex or building on several years of experience, we hope this update offers encouragement and practical direction as you support learners and instructors in flexible learning environments.
Upcoming Events:
1. Next Community Gathering – February 6, 2026
Topic: HyFlex Research in 2026
February 6, 2026 | 10:00 am PT · 1:00 pm ET · 6:00 pm GMT · 3:00 am (Feb 7) JST
This community gathering will focus on the evolving landscape of HyFlex research as we move into 2026. After several years of pandemic-driven study, HyFlex scholarship is increasingly returning to and expanding upon long-standing questions of design, teaching practice, student experience, and institutional support, now informed by a much deeper base of sustained implementation.
We’ll review recent research trends, emerging questions, and areas where further inquiry is especially needed, including connections to equity, participation choice, evaluation methods, and the growing influence of AI-enabled tools. During the session, we’ll also introduce and showcase the HyFlex Anthology, a curated collection of HyFlex Collaborative Conference proceedings from 2023–2025, highlighting how this growing body of work can inform both research and practice.
The session will provide space for participants to share current projects, questions, and ideas as we collectively build toward the 4th Annual HyFlex Collaborative Conference later this year.
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1981809565760
You can review this webinar after our gathering on February 6, along with all the other Gatherings on the Gathering Archives page.
2. 4th Annual HyFlex Collaborative Conference is coming June 25, 2026 - Call for Proposals and Registration Available
The HyFlex Collaborative is pleased to welcome educators, researchers, and learning professionals from around the world to the 4th Annual HyFlex Collaborative Conference (HCC 26)! This year’s theme, “Reenvisioning HyFlex through AI and Other Emerging Technologies,” invites us to look ahead at how tools such as artificial intelligence, extended reality, and adaptive learning systems are reshaping the future of hybrid-flexible education.
Throughout the program, participants will explore practical ways emerging technologies are enhancing HyFlex teaching and learning, from AI-driven feedback and adaptive assessment systems to immersive XR environments and GenAI-powered course design. These innovations reflect the enduring HyFlex values of student choice, equivalency, and accessibility, helping educators connect in-person, online, and asynchronous learners more effectively than ever.
The HyFlex Collaborative community remains dedicated to expanding access to high-quality, equitable learning for all. HCC 26 continues that mission by creating space for collaboration, reflection, and shared discovery, whether you’re an experienced HyFlex practitioner or just beginning your journey. Together, we’re exploring how technology can extend the reach and impact of HyFlex design across disciplines, institutions, and borders.
The Call for Proposals is available until March 20, 2026: https://aatlased.org/hyflex-collaborative/hyflex-call-for-proposals/
To register, and for more information, see: https://aatlased.org/hyflex-collaborative/hyflex-collaborative-conference-2026/
HyFlex Anthology Now Available:
HyFlex Anthology: 2023–2025, a scholarly compendium of past, present, and future HyFlex Collaborative Conference Proceedings, is now available online. This open-access anthology brings together peer-reviewed papers and practitioner scholarship from the 2023, 2024, and 2025 HyFlex Collaborative Conferences and is hosted through SUNY Pressbooks.
The anthology highlights innovative research, instructional practice, and emerging perspectives in HyFlex learning and teaching. Educators, researchers, and practitioners are encouraged to explore the collection at https://hyflex.pressbooks.sunycreate.cloud/.
We encourage educators, researchers, and practitioners interested in contributing to future proceedings to consider presenting at upcoming HyFlex Collaborative Conferences. Accepted presentations offer the opportunity for inclusion in future published conference proceedings and contribute to advancing the growing body of HyFlex scholarship.
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