The quick pivot to online learning in spring 2020 brought with it a renewed interest in flexible course modalities. At many institutions, BlendFlex (we’ll define this later) has probably become synonymous with pandemic pedagogy. Ironically, as campuses now move to more normalized operations and face-to-face courses, BlendFlex may find itself once again beyond the scope of our university course offerings. Yet, as we consider moving forward in a post-pandemic world, it is appropriate to pause and reflect on the BlendFlex modality and analyze its strengths and weaknesses. For better or worse, some institutions, like ours, will continue to incorporate BlendFlex courses into the normal class rotation—albeit at a much smaller scale. This article serves as an overview of the BlendFlex model from a dual faculty–distance learning administrative perspective.
Connections Are Everything: Putting Relationships at the Heart of Higher Ed
As academic leaders, we are under so much pressure to deliver—enrollment targets, strategic plans, graduation rates, AI policies, and on and on—that we can lose sight of what our students