Distinguishing Distance and Hybrid Learning: An Investigation of Student Perceptions and Learning Preferences

Yuxi Vania Shi, Sherrie Komiak, Dharini Suresh Kumar

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.

Student Clubs or Resettlement Frontlines? Rethinking the Role of WUSC’s Local Committees: A Policy Critique

Hend Alqawasma

The combination of refugee sponsorship with access to higher education highlights World University Service of Canada’s unique resettlement pathway. Local Committees (LCs) of student volunteers are established on academic campuses to support the resettlement and integration of refugee youth arriving through the Student Refugee Program (SRP). Although praised for its innovation, limited available research evaluates the effectiveness of the program’s support model, nor its impact on the sponsored students. While LCs are delegated responsibilities typically reserved for resettlement organizations, student volunteers often lack the necessary training, experience, and institutional support to meet these tasks. This paper uses a phenomenological approach to examine how existing policy gaps shape the lived experiences of refugee students in terms of integration and education in Canada. Fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted with seven WUSC scholars. Grounded in critical theory, thematic analysis of the findings reveals inconsistencies in the quality and continuity of support across campuses as well as discrepancies between student volunteers’ capacities and refugee students’ expectations and needs. As concern is raised about the sustainability and equity of the current model, a policy revision is required to better structure the role of LCs. Future developments must include ensuring consistent standards of support to enhance the integration experience of refugee youth students in Canada.

Cultural Challenges and Adaptations of Overseas School Teachers in a Gulf Country: A Phenomenological Study

Sayed Mahmoud, Sharifa Soudan AlEnezi

Cultural differences between overseas teachers and the Arabian Gulf environment can significantly impact teaching and learning. Thus, a better understanding of the cultural differences is necessary and crucial. This study explores how overseas teachers become accustomed to one of the Arabian Gulf countries’ cultures in a school. A phenomenological approach was adopted using semi-structured interviews with ten teachers to identify the cultural challenges, how teachers adjusted to them, and what role technology plays. This research suggests that professional development programmes can prepare teachers to address cultural challenges. The findings have implications for the success of international teachers who want to work in international schools in one of the Arabian Gulf countries. Furthermore, the study reveals that overseas teachers face diverse cultural challenges, including language barriers, communication differences, religious differences, racism, and climate disparities. This study can help to explore how Gulf institutions recruit, integrate, and retain international faculty through strategic talent management and employer branding practices.

Post-Secondary Expansion and Quality in the Brazilian Federal University System

W. E. (Ted) Hewitt, Priscila Ribeiro Prado Barros

The expansion of tertiary education systems has assumed considerable importance worldwide, given the needs of underserviced populations and its contribution to national and regional development. At the same time, few studies have examined the relative impact of system expansion, particularly with respect to its effects on system quality and performance.  This paper examines the impact of post-secondary expansion within Brazil’s federally funded university sector, which has grown substantially during the past two decades. Using data from both official and non-government sources, the study reveals significant disparities between more established and newer federal universities suggesting that in its initial phases at least, system expansion may not always deliver the quality promised.

Enhancing Student Success in HyFlex Learning: Examining the Role of Experiential Learning and HyFlex Design Principles

Yuxi Vania Shi, Sherrie Komiak, Dharini Suresh Kumar

Purpose: This study examines how experiential learning and HyFlex design principles contribute to student success in higher education. Drawing upon Beatty’s HyFlex framework, the study investigates the relationships among experiential learning, learner choice, equivalency, accessibility, reusability, student satisfaction, and academic self-efficacy.

Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative survey-based experimental design was employed. University students were randomly assigned to evaluate either a traditional in-person learning environment or a HyFlex learning environment. Data from 223 valid responses were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine the proposed relationships among the study constructs.

Findings: The results indicate that experiential learning positively influences all four HyFlex design principles. Accessibility and reusability were found to be important predictors of student satisfaction, while accessibility demonstrated a strong positive relationship with academic self-efficacy. Contrary to expectations, learner choice did not significantly influence student satisfaction and exhibited a negative relationship with academic self-efficacy. Students in HyFlex environments reported higher levels of learner choice, accessibility, and reusability than students in traditional in-person learning environments.

Originality/value: This study extends the HyFlex literature by empirically validating Beatty’s design principles within a higher education context and identifying the mechanisms through which experiential learning contributes to student success. The findings highlight the importance of accessibility and reusability in HyFlex course design and suggest that flexibility alone may be insufficient to enhance student outcomes. The study provides practical guidance for educators seeking to develop more effective and engaging HyFlex learning environments.

Innovative Education in Russia: On the Path of Development and Transformation

Aleksandr V. Skazochkin, Nadezhda А. Skazochkina

The article presents the essence and characteristics of innovative education, and also highlights the main elements of the system of teaching innovation creation that has developed in countries leading in innovative education. It lists the reasons why the American innovative education system is difficult to implement in Russia. These include the lack of rights similar to those enjoyed by US universities, the rigid internal hierarchy at Russian universities, which precludes a high degree of organizational initiative by departments, and the weak connection between Russian businesses and the university environment. The integrative approach characteristic of US innovative education, which implies interdisciplinary education and the teaching of the fundamentals of innovative entrepreneurship management, is particularly emphasized. The article also lists elements of the American innovative education system that could be widely adopted, as they would improve the effectiveness of specialist training and would not conflict with the current Russian education system.