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As we move through the spring term, the HyFlex Learning Community continues its work with a steady focus on design, teaching, and improvement in practice. Many of us are refining courses, supporting colleagues, and exploring how flexible participation can better serve students across diverse contexts.
Looking ahead, we are also preparing for the 4th Annual HyFlex Collaborative Conference in June 2026. With the Call for Proposals now extended to April 3, there is still time to share your work and contribute to the growing body of HyFlex practice and research. We have received many excellent proposals, but have room for a few more. We have an outstanding faculty panel formed to discuss aspects of AI use within HyFlex courses, and we have another panel of students who will be talking about their own uses of GenAI within their HyFlex courses.
At the same time, our personal professional exploration of how GenAI can support learning and teaching continues to evolve. This moment offers an opportunity to think carefully about how these tools can be used to scaffold learning, support instructors, and enhance, not replace, sound pedagogical design. Our next webinar (HLC Gathering) focuses on this concept.
In this issue, you’ll also find recent HyFlex news and research highlights, along with updates, events, and resources to support your ongoing work.
Upcoming Events:
1. Next Community Gathering – April 9, 2026
Topic: Deploying customized AI tools in Support of Student Learning (and Faculty Teaching)
April 9, 2026 | 1:00 pm PT · 4:00 pm ET
Our next HyFlex Learning Community gathering will focus on the use of customized GenAI tools to support both student learning and faculty teaching. Several community members will share examples of tools they have built or adopted, illustrating how these resources are being used in real courses and programs. We expect 4–5 short presentations, along with time for additional sharing and discussion from those who join us live.
This focus is especially timely as more instructors explore how GenAI can provide targeted, just-in-time support for learners, aligned with the idea of supporting students in the moment of learning need, while also helping faculty design more responsive and flexible learning experiences.
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hyflex-learning-community-gathering-april-2026-registration-1986263538713
You can review this webinar after our gathering on April 9, 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 Call for Proposals for the HyFlex Collaborative Conference has been extended to April 3. There is still time to share your work with the community. If you have been considering submitting, now is the moment to finalize your proposal and contribute to the conversation on HyFlex and emerging practices.
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 April 3, 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.
Explore the collection at https://hyflex.pressbooks.sunycreate.cloud/.
New HyFlex Research
Recent research continues to deepen our understanding of how HyFlex design shapes student engagement, teaching practice, and institutional strategy across diverse contexts.
Nonverbal Communication and Social Presence in HyFlex Courses
A February 2026 study of 350 community college students examined how learners use (and perceive) nonverbal communication, such as gestures, eye contact, and reactions, during Zoom-based HyFlex sessions. The findings show that while many students are aware of nonverbal behaviors, they use them far less frequently without instructor prompting, and overall satisfaction with their own nonverbal engagement is low. Post-traditional students demonstrated higher self-awareness, but not necessarily greater satisfaction.
HyFlex takeaway: Social presence in HyFlex environments does not happen automatically. Students may need explicit guidance and structured opportunities to use nonverbal and interaction cues effectively.
Read more: https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2026.2637927
Czuprynski, A. (2026). Examining community college students’ nonverbal behaviors on a Zoom platform. Community College Journal of Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2026.2637927
Using HyFlex Principles to Reform Teacher Education
This action research study (published January 2026) explores how HyFlex design principles, especially mode neutrality and flexible participation, can help address persistent gaps in teacher preparation for online and hybrid instruction. By redesigning a graduate instructional technology course, the researchers show how future teachers can develop skills across modalities without requiring entirely separate coursework for online teaching.
HyFlex takeaway: HyFlex is not just a delivery model; it can serve as a powerful framework for preparing educators to teach effectively across modalities.
Read more: https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2026.2622768
Siko, J. P., & Barbour, M. K. (2026). An action research approach to addressing the online teaching gap: HyFlex principles as a framework for teacher education reform. American Journal of Distance Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2026.2622768
HyFlex Learning in the Global South and Asia: A Systematic Review
This large-scale systematic review synthesizes research on HyFlex implementation across higher education institutions in the Global South and Asia. The findings highlight both the promise of HyFlex: flexibility, access, and student-centered learning, and the persistent challenges of infrastructure, digital equity, and institutional support. Notably, the review finds that students often achieve comparable outcomes across modalities when HyFlex is well implemented.
HyFlex takeaway: HyFlex can support equitable learning outcomes, but only when institutions intentionally address infrastructure, access, and support; otherwise it risks widening existing gaps.
Read more: https://doi.org/10.55982/openpraxis.18.1.969
Modise, M.-E. P., & Dlamini, N. P. (2026). HyFlex learning in higher education across the Global South and Asia: A systematic review. Open Praxis, 18(1), 86–103. https://doi.org/10.55982/openpraxis.18.1.969
Simulation-Based Learning in Hybrid-Flexible Teacher Education
This study explores the use of simulation-based learning within HyFlex environments to support teacher professionalization. Using video-based micro-teaching simulations, the approach integrates synchronous, asynchronous, and in-person participation with structured reflection cycles. Early findings suggest strong potential for connecting theory and practice while supporting collaborative and reflective learning.
HyFlex takeaway: HyFlex environments can enable rich, practice-based learning experiences, especially when combined with structured reflection and multimodal participation.
(pre-publication manuscript / no DOI available)
Riegger, M., Geier, C., & Negele, M. (n.d.). Professionalization of teacher education through hybrid-flexible learning? Simulation-based learning with video in hybrid spaces.
HyFlex in the News
Across higher education and beyond, HyFlex and hybrid-flexible learning continue to gain traction, not only as a response to changing student needs, but as a strategic approach to teaching, learning, and workforce preparation. We are also seeing how the move toward flexibility is crossing over the lines of traditional participation modes towards “learning everywhere and all the time” design concepts. The blurring of traditional modes of learning is an interesting development we hope to learn more about in our upcoming HyFlex Collaborative Conference in June 2026. Here are a few recent examples from the newsline highlighting how HyFlex is being implemented, studied, and scaled.
Hybrid Learning Builds Skills for the Modern Workplace
A recent post from Penn State highlights how hybrid learning environments are doing more than delivering content; they are actively preparing students for the realities of today’s hybrid workforce. The article points to skills such as digital fluency, self-management, multi-channel communication, and adaptability as direct outcomes of well-designed hybrid courses.
What’s notable from a HyFlex perspective is the alignment between learning design and workplace expectations. When students move across modalities (synchronous, asynchronous, and in-person) they are not just learning differently; they are practicing how modern work actually happens. This reinforces a core HyFlex principle: flexibility is not just access, it is preparation for real-world participation.
Read more: https://sites.psu.edu/hybridlearning/2026/03/27/skills-hybrid-learning-builds-for-the-modern-workplace/
HyFlex Success: Practical Lessons from Six Courses
This Faculty Focus article shares lessons learned from a multi-year HyFlex implementation supporting deaf and hard-of-hearing learners in technical certification courses. The instructors emphasize that successful HyFlex design requires intentional planning for access, interaction, and engagement across all participation modes, not simply adding technology to an existing course.
Particularly compelling, I think, is the use of redundant communication systems (interpreters, captions, microphones), carefully designed classroom layouts, and structured interactive activities that work for both in-person and remote students. The result is a genuinely inclusive learning environment where diverse learners can fully participate.
This example underscores a key HyFlex insight: designing for the most diverse learners leads to better learning experiences for everyone.
Read more: https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/hyflex-success-practical-lessons-from-six-courses/
Canisius University Expands HyFlex Classrooms with $1.15M Investment
Canisius University recently received federal funding to expand its HyFlex and technology-enhanced classroom infrastructure, including upgrades to 26 classrooms with advanced audiovisual systems, flexible furniture, and connectivity improvements.
The investment reflects a strategic commitment to increasing access for adult learners, working professionals, and others who need flexible participation options. By enabling students to attend in person, online, or asynchronously, the university is building capacity for multiple pathways through higher education.
This story highlights an important trend: HyFlex is no longer just a pedagogical experiment, it is becoming a core part of institutional infrastructure and long-term strategy. We’ve seen this trend developing at different paces in many places that have moved beyond course-level HyFlex to program or curriculum-level implementation. It takes clear strategic direction and long-term support to achieve these outcomes.
Read more: https://www.canisius.edu/news/canisius-awarded-115m-flexible-learning-classrooms
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