Faculty Of Arts And Sciences Subcommittee Explores Long-Term Hybrid Learning Options

Upper West Side NY

20 November, 2021

7:13 AM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY BENJAMIN STEIN NOVEMBER 18, 2021 Following a successful transition back to in-person instruction from pandemic-era distance learning, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences is exploring long-term hybrid learning options to make classes more accessible. An Arts and Sciences subcommittee chaired by philosophy professor Katja Vogt is looking into long-term expansion of hybrid learning. The subcommittee, charged with investigating the requirements and benefits of multimodal teaching, found that time and support will be necessary to implement any comprehensive hybrid-learning programs. If hybrid-learning classes are successfully run, the subcommittee hopes students will reap the benefits of greater accessibility and additional opportunities only available online, such as remote visits from experts. As colleges and universities around the country bring students back to campuses, some elements of distance learning remain in place. While Zoom meetings still serve an important role as an alternative to in-person office hours or club meetings, institutions nationwide are attempting to eliminate them entirely in order to flaunt a complete return to pre-pandemic operations. Faculty opinion varies greatly depending on experience with hybrid and distance learning. Prajit Dutta, a professor in the economics department, did not offer any hybrid options for his Principles of Economics course because he believes in-person learning offers a more seamless teaching and learning experience. "I find [hybrid learning] puts quite severe constraints on the instructor because, obviously, you've got to stay in the line of vision of the cameras all the time," Dutta said. "I don't think I'd be able to engage with the class quite as fully as I would otherwise." Oliver McClellan, a postdoctoral fellow in the political science department, does not see the hybrid option as a constraint on his own teaching, but noted that, based on his experiences with distance learning, students tend to disengage when required to learn remotely. "I thought there was a notable decrease in the amount of interaction and attention," McClellan said. "[Online learning] makes it hard to be fully immersed in the classroom." Dutta echoed this concern, noting that students often put off learning for later when they are not present in a physical classroom. "I fear that what happens with students when they are on Zoom because they don't have to be perfectly engaged. … There is a natural tendency for students to say, 'I'll look at this later,'" Dutta said. "In many instances, I think you never really get the students to engage subsequently." Although some professors offer Zoom meetings for students to use when they become sick, some students still feel uneasy choosing to attend class virtually. Khymani James, CC '25, a student in McClellan's Introduction to American Politics course, said he has never used the Zoom link but would feel "a little uncomfortable" requesting it because of uncertainty over "when and when not to use a Zoom link for class and for what purposes." James advocated for the hybrid option as a way of prioritizing one's health. "I do think that Columbia University should offer a hybrid option, just because if a person is not feeling good, they should not have to jump through several hoops just to obtain a Zoom link not to attend class," James said. "I think that we need to be able to normalize people staying home and/or working from home whenever they don't feel good." In McClellan's experience, remote learning is certainly possible but is not as focused or effective as in-person discussion. Ultimately, the issues surrounding the virtual side of hybrid learning are a natural tradeoff for the additional flexibility it provides. "Hybrid learning is spectacular for flexibility and for being able to accommodate people with obligations outside the classroom and nontraditional students," McClellan said. "I think that's been a huge improvement overall—just being able to relax the criteria from, '100 percent, you must be in class at this time every single day or else you have missed class and don't get this content,' to being able to attend occasionally via Zoom, especially when there are emergency situations." At the end of the day, McClellan believes the benefits provided by hybrid learning to students who truly cannot attend class in person far outweigh the costs in quality of learning. "This really opens the door for a lot of nontraditional students to get a lot more learning than they got a few years ago, when this just wasn't an option," McClellan said. As the Arts and Sciences subcommittee deliberates on ways to incorporate hybrid learning into classes long-term, McClellan hopes it becomes a permanent fixture in education. "Exams are more complicated virtually. … That's probably one aspect that still needs to be thought out a little bit," McClellan said. "But I think the flexibility and improved accessibility of classes … is going to be here to stay, and I think that's great for what it means for who's able to access these classes." Staff writer Benjamin Stein can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow them on Twitter @benjaminpstein. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.