Establishing the relationship between online and HyFlex teaching modalities and students’ learning engagement at University X

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the education sector, and many Universities around the world have been forced to implement online and HyFlex instructional approaches to keep education continuing. Although these are ubiquitous, there is a dearth of studies on their impact on student engagement in Kenya's universities, which have different ICT infrastructures. This study seeks to examine the effect of online teaching and HyFlex teaching modalities on the learning engagement of students in a leading public university in Kenya. The research uses a correlational research design, based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), to examine the effect of online and HyFlex teaching methods on students' behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social involvement. The study was conducted on undergraduate students, lecturers, and academic administrators of University X with a sample size of 312 students, 31 lecturers, and 10 academic administrators. The methods of selecting participants were purposive sampling and Slovin's formula. Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions were used to gather data, which were analyzed using descriptive statistics for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative data. The results show that HyFlex teaching (a combination of in-person and online delivery) and online teaching are both associated with higher levels of engagement in students, but that HyFlex teaching is associated with higher levels of engagement in all four domains. Technical infrastructure, devices, internet access, and training were identified as having a significant impact on the effectiveness of both teaching modalities. HyFlex teaching, with proper support from ICT equipment and training of the lecturers, is more effective in improving student engagement than online-only teaching, the study findings show. It calls for continued investment in ICT infrastructure and ongoing professional development for lecturers to maximize the effectiveness of online and HyFlex teaching approaches on student engagement and learning outcomes.