Distinguishing Distance and Hybrid Learning: An Investigation of Student Perceptions and Learning Preferences
Yuxi Vania Shi （ Sobey School of Business, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS, Canada ）
Sherrie Komiak （ Faculty of Business Administration, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St.John’s NL, Canada ）
Dharini Suresh Kumar （ Faculty of Business Administration, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St.John’s NL, Canada ）
https://doi.org/10.37155/2972-4856-0403-6Abstract
As flexible learning environments become increasingly common in higher education, understanding how students perceive different learning modes is essential for effective course design. Although hybrid learning has been widely adopted, limited research has examined whether students meaningfully distinguish hybrid learning from distance learning and how these perceptions influence student success. Drawing upon the HyFlex framework, this study investigates the effects of learning mode and experiential learning on learner choice, accessibility, equivalency, and reusability, and examines how these factors relate to student satisfaction and academic self-efficacy.
A scenario-based experiment employing a 2 × 2 factorial design was conducted with 222 university students. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the proposed conceptual framework and compare student perceptions across distance and hybrid learning environments.
The results indicate that experiential learning exerted a significant positive influence on learner choice, accessibility, equivalency, and reusability, whereas learning mode did not significantly influence these perceptions in the overall distance-versus-hybrid comparison. Additional analyses suggest that students may perceive hybrid online participation and distance learning as highly similar educational experiences. However, when hybrid in-classroom participation was examined separately, students reported higher levels of satisfaction and more positive learning experiences. Qualitative findings further revealed that interaction and engagement opportunities, rather than flexibility alone, distinguish hybrid learning from distance learning.
This study contributes to the flexible learning literature by demonstrating that students evaluate learning environments primarily through instructional design and opportunities for interaction rather than formal delivery-mode classifications. The findings provide practical guidance for educators and institutions seeking to design more engaging and effective flexible learning environments.
Keywords
Distance Learning; Hybrid Learning; Experiential Learning; Student Perceptions; Student Satisfaction; Academic Self-Efficacy; Higher EducationFull Text
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Copyright © 2026 Yuxi Vania Shi, Sherrie Komiak, Dharini Suresh Kumar
Publishing time:2026-07-09
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