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Welcome to the June 2026 edition of the HyFlex Learning Community Update.
It's been a few months since our last newsletter in March, and the HyFlex community has remained active around the world. During that time, educators, instructional designers, researchers, and institutional leaders have continued exploring new approaches to flexible learning while navigating a rapidly evolving educational technology landscape.
As we move into the summer months, attention turns to two topics that are generating considerable interest across the community. First, we look ahead to the 4th Annual HyFlex Collaborative Conference (HCC 26), taking place on June 25, where participants from around the world will gather to explore how AI and other emerging technologies are influencing the future of HyFlex learning. Second, we highlight the AIMON (AI in the Moment of Learning Need) blog series, which has been exploring a learner-centered approach to AI support and will serve as the foundation for the conference keynote discussion.
Whether you are preparing to attend HCC 26, exploring new possibilities for AI-supported learning, or simply looking for ideas to strengthen your own HyFlex practice, we hope this issue provides useful resources and opportunities for reflection as we continue advancing flexible, equitable, and effective learning together.
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4th Annual HyFlex Collaborative Conference is coming June 25, 2026 - Registration Still 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.
To register (which includes post-conference recording access), and for more information, see: https://aatlased.org/hyflex-collaborative/hyflex-collaborative-conference-2026/
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AI in the Moment of Learning Need: Exploring the AIMON Blog Series on the HLC Blog
Generative AI has inspired an extraordinary number of conversations about tools: what they can produce, how quickly they can work, and which new capabilities have just appeared. The AIMON framework begins somewhere different... with the learner!
AI in the Moment of Learning Need (AIMON) asks a simple but important question:
What kind of support does this learner need at this particular moment in the learning process?
Drawing upon the Five Moments of Need framework, AIMON considers how thoughtfully designed AI support might help learners as they get started, develop understanding, apply what they know, work through challenges, adapt to change, and deepen their expertise. The goal is not to maximize the use of AI. It is to make appropriate support available when it can strengthen learning while preserving learner agency, meaningful struggle, human interaction, and sound judgment.
This learner-first perspective will provide the foundation for the opening keynote at the 2026 HyFlex Collaborative Conference on June 25. In preparation for that conversation, the HLC blog has been hosting a series of posts exploring how AIMON can be applied in practice. (Posts linked below.)
The series moves beyond general claims that AI can “personalize learning” or serve as a “24-hour tutor.” Each post examines a recognizable point in the learning process and asks more specific questions: What is the learner trying to accomplish? What kind of thinking is required? What form of support would help? What should remain the learner’s responsibility? When is human support especially important?
Along the way, the posts introduce practical examples from courses, learner stories, design principles, and AI-supported activities. They also explore some important cautions. AI that supplies answers too quickly can bypass the very thinking that produces learning. More content, more feedback, and more sophisticated technology do not necessarily create better learning experiences. The value of AI depends on how well its use fits the learner, the task, and the moment.
Members of the HLC may find the series useful whether they are already experimenting extensively with AI or are still deciding whether it belongs in their teaching. The framework offers a way to move beyond choosing tools and begin with familiar instructional questions:
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Where do learners commonly become uncertain, stuck, or ready for greater challenge?
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What support would help them move forward without taking over the learning?
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Which forms of support might AI provide effectively?
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What should remain distinctly human?
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How can comparable support remain available across participation modes?
The final post in the series will be released on June 23, two days before HCC. It will bring the learning arc together and consider how AI might support deliberate practice, adaptive expertise, and continued learning beyond initial competence.
The technologies will continue to change. The enduring question is how we use them to support people as they learn. That is the conversation AIMON, and this blog series, invites us to explore.
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