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THE HYBRID LEARNING MODEL – A FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING PRACTICE
The Hybrid Learning Model – A Framework for
Teaching and Learning Practice
A. Masson, Á. MacNeill, C. Murphy and V. Ross
University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, BT37 0QB, United Kingdom
Abstract—The Hybrid Learning Model is an interactional
model that encapsulates teaching and learning in a plain
English format and captures the processes from the learner
and the teacher perspective. The Model and its capabilities
in addressing the challenges associated with capturing and
describing teaching and learning practice for dissemination
and redesign are examined. The effectiveness of this Model
in articulating, reflecting on, designing, evaluating and
sharing academic practice is investigated. This draws on
studies involving academic practitioners and students.
Findings on the Model’s suitability in influencing learner
centred practice, enhancing the learning and teaching
experience and assisting students to adapt to new learning
situations are reported. Finally, the potential to develop the
Model to provide teachers and learners with a simple,
standards based framework to traverse the continuum of
learning design is discussed.
Index Terms—Learning, Learning Design, Teaching,
Reflective Practice
I. INTRODUCTION
“Many teachers do not possess a vocabulary for
articulating and sharing their pedagogical strategies and
designs with others, particularly beyond their cognate
discipline areas. [1]”
There are many benefits in sharing innovative learning
designs for reuse and reapplication within and across
varying contexts and disciplines [2] [3]. However,
lecturers can find it difficult to share effective practice as
many come from a noneducational background and
traditionally find it challenging to articulate their learning
designs in a precise and disseminable manner [4][5].
Practitioners commonly create learning activities based on
common sense, rather than theoretical frameworks [6],
hence it is difficult for them to describe their practice to
peers for reapplication.
This paper reports the development of a Hybrid
Learning Model (HLM) [7] which enables practitioners to
define and record their teaching and learning practices in a
generic and comprehendible manner. The strength of the
HLM in its ability to spark reflection regarding teaching
and learning practice and the ability to enlighten
practitioners to design from the perspective of the learner
[8] is investigated. A number of teacher and learner
perspective HLM use cases will be examined.
II. O
VERVIEW OF THE HYBRID LEARNING MODEL (HLM)
The Hybrid Learning Model is based around
straightforward concepts and uses simple language to
allow practitioners to easily communicate and share
teaching and learning practice in a generic and formalised
structure.
The HLM is based on and adapts the University of
Liège, LabSet project’s ‘8 Learning Events Model’
(8LEM) [9][10] and is enriched with a vocabulary of
generic ‘learning activity’ verbs derived and adapted from
Bennett [11], University of Wollongong.
The 8 Learning Events Model provides a pedagogically
sound framework for standardising teaching and learning
activities in a streamlined structure. The 8LEM proposes
that there are eight specific ways referred to as ‘Learning
Events’ of learning/teaching that the teacher or learning
designer can choose from at any point in the development
of learning activities [9].
Each of the eight learning events (Fig. 1) is expressed in
iconographic terms that depict the basic teacher - learner
interaction and each event is complemented by a closed
list of associated verbs for typical teacher and learner
activities.
The Model is supported by a set of prompt cards that
provide a tactile environment to aid reflection and design.
To facilitate the modelling process, these simple two-
sided flash cards each display the learning event on one
side (Fig. 2) and associated relevant teacher/learner verbs
on the other (Fig. 3). A number of visual aids were
incorporated into these flash cards to provide
reinforcement of the interaction type and the distinct
learner and teacher roles.
The resulting enriched 8LEM sequences, depicting
learning events and teacher and learner specific verbs are
further annotated with appropriate contextual information
including objectives, resources, environments and other
relevant prompts and recorded in a mapping grid template.
Figure 1. The 8 Learning Events
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THE HYBRID LEARNING MODEL – A FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING PRACTICE
Figure 2. Example of flash card (front)
Figure 3. Example of flash card (back)
Figure 4. Mapping grid
In order to share practice it is important that the output
from the capturing process is visual, concise and
transparent without the practitioner requiring a
background in educational design to interpret [12].
The mapping grid provides a rich visual reference
framework that is concise and structured and depicts the
process in terms of roles and expectations from the teacher
and learner perspective.
Fig. 4 shows a learning activity that was captured with
the mapping grid during the pilot of the HLM.
III. T
HE MODEL IN ACTION
In the initial development stages of the Model, a
facilitation approach was used and was carried out in a
variety of settings. This involved practitioners describing a
teaching activity using the HLM as a guide. Following a
brief overview to the modelling process and the HLM,
practitioners were provided with a set of flash cards.
Using a lesson plan as a reference point, the teacher
selected appropriate learning events to describe their
practice.
Once an overall sequence of learning events had been
chosen, the practitioner then turned over the flash cards
one by one and selected the verbs that accurately
conveyed both their own activities and that of their
learners within each individual learning event.
When more than one verb per role was selected, the
practitioner was encouraged to consider if these activities
formed an asynchronous sequence or an overall
synchronous interaction. This additional annotation
provided a useful granular interaction sequence within the
learning event. At the end of this process, the facilitator
transcribed the model onto a mapping grid template, along
with relevant contextual information, for review and
reflection (Fig. 4).
The use of the cards in an informal setting, e.g., over
coffee in the staff common room, allowed practitioners to
choose specific learning events and verbs in a relaxed
manner. This usually resulted in further experimentation
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THE HYBRID LEARNING MODEL – A FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING PRACTICE
and reconsideration of both the sequence of events and
their choice of verbs to describe learner and teacher roles.
Observations of practitioners using the cards suggest that
the overall process and the physical cue cards promote
reflection and ongoing questioning when considering and
articulating teaching practice.
Practitioners were able to personalise the process and
use the cards to express their practice in terms of actual
processes and interactions whilst clarifying expectations.
IV. U
SE CASES
The Model has provided a common design language for
face to face and online activities. The initial development
and evaluation stages highlighted the simplicity and
universality of the concepts and language used. This
resulted in the identification of a number of added value
use cases.
These include:
• Raising awareness of teaching and learning
processes and in particular the learner perspective.
• Reflecting on, evaluating and reviewing current
practice.
• Planning and designing course materials/learning
activities.
• Assisting students to adapt to new learning
situations by clarifying expectations and
processes.
V. P
RACTITIONER EVALUATION OF THE HYBRID
LEARNING MODEL
The Model and its use in the above scenarios has been
evaluated by a sample (n=51) of teaching staff, teaching
support staff and staff developers in both Higher and
Further Education Institutions. A number of
complementary research tools and measures were used to
evaluate the use of the Model including interviews, closed
and open response questions, and participation in focus
groups and workshop settings. The findings from the
initial evaluation of the HLM with practitioners are
outlined in Table 1.
A. Articulation of Practice
In order to share teaching and learning practice it was
essential to develop an effective mechanism to allow
academics to articulate their existing practice, in particular
their interaction with learners. Evaluation to date indicates
that the HLM enables practitioners to verbalise their
practice and analyse their role and that of the learners in
an explicit and efficient manner.
Over 80% of users stated that they found the model
useful/very useful as a method of recording practice
(82%). One member of staff commented that the Model
was:
“Useful to help us explore applications of technology to
our teaching in meaningful ways and to help us share that
with the other staff.”
Just under 80% stated that the Learning Events used to
articulate the learning activity that they were describing
provided a ‘very accurate/accurate description’ of the
teaching and learning process (79%).
TABLE 1:
OVERALL PERCENTAGE USER EVALUATION RESPONSES
FROM THE PRACTITIONER PERSPECTIVE (N=51)
Recording Practice
How useful did you find the model as a method of recording
practice?
Very Useful
35% (n=18)
Useful
47% (n=24)
Quite Useful
6% (n=3)
Not Useful
-
Unsure 10% (n=5), Missing 2% (n=1)
Ease of Use by Others
How easy do you think your colleagues would find using the model to
describe their learning activities?
Very Easy
14% (n=7)
Easy
41% (n=21)
Quite Easy
14% (n=7)
Not Easy
2% (n=1)
Unsure 29% (n=15)
Describing Teaching and Learning Processes
How well do you feel the learning events that you have chosen
provide an accurate description of the teaching and learning
processes within the learning activity?
A Very
Accurate
Description
18% (n=9)
An Accurate
Description
61% (n=31)
Quite an
Accurate
Description
14% (n=7)
Not an
Accurate
Description
-
Unsure 4% (n=2), Missing 4% (n=2)
How well do you feel the verbs used to explain the learners’ role
provide a good description of the teaching and learning processes
within the learning activity?
Very Good
Description
37% (n=19)
Good
Description
51% (n=26)
Quite a Good
Description
8% (n=4)
Poor
Description
-
Unsure 2% (n=1), Missing 2%(n=1)
How well do you feel the verbs used to explain the teachers’ role
provide a good description of the teaching and learning processes
within the learning activity?
Very Good
Description
31% (n=16)
Good
Description
53% (n=27)
Quite a Good
Description
10% (n=5)
Poor
Description
-
Unsure 4% (n=2), Missing 2% (n=1)
Reflection on Practice
How useful did you find the model to reflect upon your chosen
activity?
Very Useful
31% (n=16)
Useful
47% (n=24)
Quite Useful
6% (n=3)
Not Useful
-
Unsure 14% (n=7), Missing 2%, (n=1)
As a result of using this model, do
you feel it has helped you to think
any differently about the learning
activity that was used?
Yes
71%
(n=36)
No
29%
(n=15)
Another benefit identified was the ability to break a
complicated concept down into usable basics and create a
visual timeline of tasks within the learning design. As one
practitioner described:
“It helped break things down into a sequence – [it]
makes lesson planning more fluid.”
The use of the universal concepts and language adopted
by the model was a further benefit identified in workshop
scenarios. Session observers noted that staff were often
much more open and relaxed articulating their practice
when using the model as a reference point. It was also
noted that discussions around the precision in the
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THE HYBRID LEARNING MODEL – A FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING PRACTICE
meanings of verbs prompted open sharing of practices and
debates about aspects of students’ experience.
The developed Model has added value, in that, in
addition to capturing and recording teaching and learning
processes it also explores and makes explicit both the
learner and teacher role within those processes. This has
provided a simple and effective framework for
practitioners to refer against. Investigations to date
indicate that the concepts used and the modelling
processes developed are transparent, universal and widely
understandable, providing a means to capture rich details
of effective practices.
B. Reflection Impacting Re/Design
Early investigations of the HLM identified that users
found the concepts and approach undertaken facilitated
self reflection on the practices that they were modelling.
The simplicity and nonjudgmental nature of the Model
encouraged the team to develop the use of it as a means of
assisting the reflection and design of learning activities.
Evaluation of the Model indicated that it provides a safe
environment for the practitioner to analyse, reflect and
evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching:
“It is helpful to be more aware of what I do and in what
order. Reflection!”
The majority (78%) of staff across institutions stated
the model was ‘useful’/‘very useful’ for reflecting on their
chosen activity and 71% agreed the modelling process
encouraged them to think differently about the learning
activity, stimulating pedagogic creativity:
“Yes - it has shown me learning events/verbs which
maybe I am not using as much as I could/should be. It's
made me think more of varying activities in the lab.”
It is envisaged that the Hybrid Learning Model will
provide practitioners with a pedagogical framework that
encourages teachers to incorporate a variety of tasks
within their learning designs and encourage them to take
calculated risks in introducing multifaceted learning
experiences to the learner.
C. Design Aid
Although the Model was initially developed for
analysing and deconstructing learning activities, many
users have recognised the potential of the model for
designing/constructing learning activities. Suggested
applications for the curricula design aspect of the model
included; an aid for lesson planning, a
reflective/evaluation tool and a design aid for new
teaching staff and teacher training:
• “Prior, my design process was more ad hoc. This
is more structured.”
• “It creates a logic in planning teaching…. It
provides a framework for evaluation.”
• “I believe it can be developed into a useful tool
for people new to teaching and explaining
what…they are or should be doing.”
The Model is a discreet change agent for enhancing the
students' experience by inadvertently prompting reflection
and improving teaching practice.
“Yes, I will look to include more opportunities for debate
and learner interpretation and reflection in elements of
my lectures and seminars.”
Practitioners’ response to the model has been very
positive with 72% indicating that they would use the
model again with the remainder, 28%, indicating that
they would consider using it again.
D. Awareness of the Learners’ Role
Usage and evaluation of the Model also clearly focused
attention on the learner role, not just that of the
teacher/academic practitioner. Users felt that engagement
with the Model made them more aware of the learners’
role and efforts, or as one commented it made them “look
at the learner perspective with fresh eyes”.
Table 2 highlights practitioners’ percentage responses
to a series of closed set evaluation questions. Eighty per
cent and over of those who used the Model were in
agreement that the learners’ role was made more explicit,
and that it provided them with a greater understanding of
bot
h the learner and the interaction between the teacher
and learner.
These findings were strongly supported by open
responses made by staff including:
• “Made me think of just how many different
aspects there are to the learner’s role.”
• “Helped me focus attention on what we do and
reason why we do it… focus on what exactly we
are wanting the learner to do.”
• “Made me think about balance of expectations
versus balance of activities.”
• “Encouraged me to think more clearly about what
is expected of the learner.”
• “It clearly outlines the various steps involved in
the learners’ role – thus indicating the amount of
time/effort on the learners’ parts.”
VI. L
EARNER EVALUATION OF THE HYBRID LEARNING
MODEL
Focus groups with students allowed a comparison of
student and teacher developed models of the same
learning activity to be considered. The results from these
sessions confirmed that learners understood the
terminology and concepts of the learning events and
activity verbs (Table 3). They found the Model easy to use
and expressed their experiences in a consistent manner to
that of the teacher/academic practitioner.
An initial study has been undertaken into how teacher
developed HLM models can be used to support students
participating in defined learning situations, such as
seminars, case studies, group work and practicals for the
first time.
TABLE 2:
PERCENTAGE USER RESPONSES (FROM PRACTITIONER
PERSPECTIVE) RELATING TO ASPECTS OF THE LEARNERS’
ROLE (N=51)
Use of the model has made the learners’ role more
explicit to me
85% (n=43)
The use of the model provides me with a greater
awareness and understanding of the learners’ role
87% (n=44)
Use of the model has provided me with a greater
awareness of the nature of the interaction between
the teacher and the learner
80% (n=41)
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TABLE 3:
STUDENTS’ INITIAL REACTION TO INTRODUCTION OF
MODELLED ACTIVITY (N=66)
How easy was it to understand the concepts presented in the
modelled activity?
Very Easy
32% (n=21)
Easy
38% (n=25)
Quite Easy
20% (n=13)
Not Easy
6% (n=4)
Missing 4% (n=3)
How useful will the modelled activity be in preparing for your
seminar sessions and compiling your final portfolio?
Very Useful
6% (n=4)
Useful
30% (n=20)
Quite Useful
46% (n=30)
Not Useful
2% (n=1)
Too early to say 12% (n=8), Missing 4% (n=3)
TABLE 4:
POST ACTIVITY FEEDBACK FROM YEAR 1 BSC MARKETING
STUDENTS UNDERTAKING A REFLECTIVE PORTFOLIO
ASSESSMENT (N=50)
The modelled activity helped me to adapt to completing my
portfolio
Strongly Agree
8% (n=4)
Agree
84% (n=42%)
Disagree
8% (n=4)
I would like other modules / learning activities to be modelled in
this way to help me to adapt to new learning situations
Strongly
Agree
22% (n=11)
Agree
44% (n=22)
Disagree
26% (n=13)
Strongly
Disagree
4% (n=2)
Don’t Know 4% (n=2)
After seeing the modelled activity I needed to contact my lecturer to
find out more about compiling my portfolio
Strongly
Agree
-
Agree
10% (n=5)
Disagree
68% (n=34)
Strongly
Disagree
14% (n=7)
Don’t Know 8% (n=4)
Are you using (intend to use)
the modelled activity in
preparing your portfolio?
Yes
78% (n=39)
No
22% (n=11)
For this study, an HLM developed model to describe a
specific learning and assessment activity (a reflective
portfolio) was presented to a class of BSc Marketing
(Year One) students as a walkthrough animation and as a
summary text grid. The students were asked to evaluate
the usefulness of the presented model immediately after
its introduction and again at the completion of the
portfolio task. A set of research questions were developed
and were used to capture this information and learner
feedback from these evaluations is presented in Tables 3
and 4.
The following five statements were ranked highest by
learners from a list of ten to describe the usefulness of the
model:
1. It provided an awareness of what is expected of me.
2. It provided a clear outline of what was expected.
3. It defined the role of us (the learners).
4. It broke down the activity into understandable
parts.
5. It simplified what we had to do.
VII. C
ONCLUSIONS
The developed HLM provides practitioners and learners
with a simple to use and universally understandable
method to articulate the human aspect and social
interactions involved in the teaching and learning process
from both the teacher and learner perspective.
The use of the HLM offers the opportunity for
academics to reflect on their current practice and can
assist in responding to changing learner contexts. The
Model can also be utilised in a learning design context as
a common design language that is suitable for
practitioners and learners in both a traditional and online
context. It has also proved valuable in providing modelled
activities that can be used to help students to adapt to new
learning situations and to clarify expectations that teachers
have of them.
The modelled activities produced through the use of the
HLM can be viewed as artefacts that formalise and
provide a reference point from which to reflect upon
academic practice. They provide a straightforward
communication channel of teaching and learning
processes, to include normally tacit/unspoken interactions
in the form of learning design process models.
The Model, in itself, does not transform teaching
practice but provides a framework for academic
practitioners and students to examine teaching and
learning scenarios in a novel way. HLM mapping grids
allow for clarification and consideration of processes,
roles, expectations, values and assumptions [13] in
academic practice.
In this way the HLM is a potential change agent, in that
it enables the creation of simple, yet effective artefacts for
teaching and learning that are understandable across the
various stakeholders in Higher Education. These simple
aids prompt interrogation and a deeper reflection and
consideration of processes, interactions, roles and
expectations involved in teaching and learning. They can
also be the catalyst for identifying opportunities, resources
and technologies for transforming and improving practice,
e.g., formalisation of learning design practice,
revision/modifications to enhance current practice and
provision of artefacts to promote discussions among
course teams and with students.
VIII. F
UTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The development of an electronic version of the HLM
modelling process will provide a more automated,
independent method of user reflection and articulation and
an automated generation of relevant outputs.
The design of such a user interface is a creative
challenge however, as some of the key benefits of the
flash cards relate to the inherent flexibility of use and
implicit self reflection that the informal and hands-on
nature of the cards promote. The use of an electronic
modelling process will permit more complex learning
scenarios, including parallel learning events to be
described and represented.
An added benefit of an on-line data capture process will
be the simple incorporation of rich profile information
such as Laurillard’s Media Types [14] to resources used
within the Model.
A review process of the pilot implementations of the
HLM in the use cases described above will allow a formal
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THE HYBRID LEARNING MODEL – A FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING PRACTICE
data model to be articulated. The formalisation of the
underlying data schemas will provide the necessary
foundation for the Model to act as a transition tool across
the learning design continuum. This approach will permit
the HLM to formally interact with other learning design
tools and schemas to, for example:
• Import an IMS learning design artefact [15] and
articulate it with a social context to assist teachers
and learners in its use.
• Allow a practitioner to formalise and structure
their practice in readiness to develop a defined
learning resource within a learning design tool
such as LAMS [16].
Finally, the exploration of additional use cases of the
HLM will be investigated. The potential for the Model to
be used as a research tool to capture both learner and
teacher perspectives of the learning process, in particular
is an opportunity to exploit the inherent ease of use and
conversational nature of the Model reported by both
learners and teachers.
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AUTHORS
Alan Masson, Áine MacNeill, Colette Murphy and
Vilinda Ross are with the Centre for Institutional E-
Learning Services, University of Ulster, Jordanstown, Co
Antrim, BT37 0QB UK (e-mail: aj.masson@ulster.ac.uk,
ab.macneill@ulster.ac.uk, c.murphy1@ulster.ac.uk,
v.ross@ulster.ac.uk ).
This work was supported by the Department for Employment and
Learning (Northern Ireland) through the Centres of Excellence in
Teaching and Learning initiative.
This article was modified from a presentation at the 4th Competence
Open Workshop in Madrid, Spain, April 2008. Manuscript received 12
June 2008. Published as submitted by the authors.
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