When the pandemic struck, schools and universities around the world were thrust into a massive, unplanned experiment with remote and hybrid instruction. Surprisingly, the results weren’t all negative. Many students and educators found unexpected benefits, particularly in higher education, where flexibility became a game-changer.
For college students juggling academic commitments with work, family responsibilities, or personal interests, hybrid learning offered a way to stay on track without sacrificing other parts of their lives.
Hybrid Learning: A Lasting Shift
A growing number of universities are now expanding hybrid course offerings, blending asynchronous and synchronous components both online and in person. According to Government Technology, this shift is driven by student demand for more flexible, adaptable schedules in the post-pandemic world.
While some institutions are scaling back their hybrid programs, as noted in The Chronicle of Higher Education, student feedback suggests the model isn’t going away quietly. After experiencing more dynamic and flexible ways of learning and engaging with faculty and guest speakers, many students are asking for these options to stay.
Leaders at top institutions like the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Harvard Division of Continuing Education are taking note. Audrey Witters, managing director of online executive education at Stanford, and Adrienne Phelps-Coco, Ph.D., executive director of teaching and learning at Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education, shared how their programs are evolving to embrace hybrid delivery.
They also acknowledged that the terminology surrounding hybrid and remote learning is still evolving. As Phelps-Coco notes, “The terms are quite complicated,” explaining that “virtual” can encompass both synchronous and asynchronous formats, depending on the context.
Ultimately, as Danette Howard, senior vice president and chief policy officer at the Lumina Foundation, puts it: hybrid learning “allows students the flexibility to manage work and studies.” And for many educators and institutions, that flexibility is becoming a clear preference, and a permanent part of the future of higher education.
Students, Faculty, and IT Teams Embrace the Hybrid Future
The appetite for hybrid learning is growing across the board. Surveys conducted by Cengage and EDUCAUSE reveal that 68% of students prefer having hybrid options, and 70% of university administrators, IT teams, and other staff also support offering remote learning opportunities.
While hybrid formats existed before the pandemic, adoption had plateaued. The rapid shift to remote instruction changed that, unlocking new possibilities and revealing clear advantages for everyone involved. What began as a necessity quickly turned into a preferred path forward.
Audrey Witters also notes that the university had already been experimenting with blended learning before COVID-19. But the pandemic accelerated that innovation, encouraging broader experimentation and sparking strong demand for diverse delivery models.
Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education, for example, now offers a Hybrid-Flexible—or HyFlex—approach. This model allows students to seamlessly switch between in-person and online attendance, even from one class to the next. For faculty, it means delivering content in both modalities simultaneously. Though the pandemic amplified its relevance, Harvard began exploring HyFlex as early as 2015.
For adult learners in particular, this level of flexibility has been transformative. As Adrienne Phelps-Coco explains, HyFlex empowers students by putting decisions in their hands, enabling them to manage learning in a way that fits their personal and professional lives.
Innovation, Interaction, and Impact
One of the biggest takeaways from the past few years is that hybrid learning doesn’t have to feel flat or impersonal. In fact, when done right, it can be dynamic, engaging, and even fun. Instructors have learned that innovation and creativity are essential to capturing and maintaining student attention, especially in hybrid or online environments.
While training faculty and staff on the latest technologies is important, both Audrey Witters and Adrienne Phelps-Coco emphasize that tools alone aren’t what drive meaningful learning experiences. What matters most is how those tools are used to replicate the energy, connection, and spontaneity of in-person classrooms.
“Faculty come into hybrid environments with the same expectations as students,” says Witters. “They want to recreate the interaction and spark of a live classroom.” Over the past two years, she adds, one of the biggest wins has been uncovering what’s possible in virtual formats, beyond just translating in-person lessons to a screen.
At Harvard, Phelps-Coco and her team have focused on blending modalities to suit different types of learning. In some cases, that means combining live instruction with mailed lab kits so students can complete experiments at home. In others, it means creating state-of-the-art teaching studios that mimic broadcast environments, enhancing the quality of online instruction and allowing for richer engagement across locations.
But engagement isn’t just about making learning fun. It’s also about aligning the format with the desired outcomes. Witters outlines three distinct types of learning, each best suited to a specific approach:
- Foundational knowledge is often best delivered asynchronously, allowing students to pause, rewind, and review content at their own pace.
- Transformational thinking—those “aha” moments—are typically sparked through real-time dialogue, like case discussions or Socratic conversations, and require synchronous interaction.
- Practical application benefits from real-world immersion. As Witters notes, this kind of learning “can probably be done better back at my actual job than virtually.”
Phelps-Coco echoes this point: “One of the most powerful aspects of online learning is that it can extend beyond the screen—into students’ workplaces, communities, and everyday lives.”
Ultimately, what the pandemic revealed is not just what’s possible, but what’s effective. Educators and students alike have learned to combine synchronous and asynchronous formats, online tools and offline experiences, to create more flexible, intentional, and impactful learning pathways.
Ongoing Support and Training
In the early days of the shift to hybrid learning, many faculty members found themselves underprepared and under-supported. But that has changed. Educators have increasingly advocated for the training and resources they need. Institutions are stepping up, just as they do for students, by offering support through both in-person and online formats.
For Audrey Witters, continuous dialogue is key. At Stanford, she emphasizes the importance of involving everyone in the hybrid learning ecosystem: faculty, learners, program staff, and sponsors. “We need a range of voices at the table,” she says. “The people delivering the learning and those receiving it all need to listen to each other and collaborate.”
Adrienne Phelps-Coco agrees with this sentiment, adding that training shouldn’t just focus on tools, but also center on communication, collaboration, and intentional feedback. That means creating space for real conversations with students, not just during class, but through virtual office hours, informal chats, or follow-up discussions after sessions end.
“It’s about asking: How’s this working for you? Are you learning what you need to? Is this the experience you were hoping for?” she explains. Just as important is actually listening to that feedback and using it to evolve the learning experience.
The pandemic opened the door to innovation in hybrid education. But it’s ongoing collaboration, honest reflection, and thoughtful experimentation that will determine how far this innovation goes. As educators continue to adapt and learn from one another and their students, hybrid learning will become not just a reaction to disruption, but a purposeful, powerful part of the future of education.