What Is a Hybrid Course?

A hybrid course is a class that combines a traditional in-classroom experience with online learning.

The modern education system offers many more options to today’s students than in years past. Specifically, it’s sometimes possible to choose your preferred learning modality. The greater flexibility available to students today, including hybrid degree programs, may mean that higher education is more accessible — particularly for nontraditional students and those who plan on working their way through school.

Dive more into the answer to the question, What is hybrid learning? and reflect on how best to facilitate your intended academic pathway.

In This Article:

• Hybrid Class Meaning: What You Need To Know
• Why Organization Is Key to Results in Hybrid Learning
• How To Stay Organized in Hybrid College Classes
• Essential Tools for Hybrid Learning Organization
• Time Management Tips for Hybrid Students
• How To Stay Focused and Limit Distractions
• Balancing Flexibility and Structure in Hybrid Learning
• Mastering Organization for Better Results
• Attend Hybrid Courses at GCU

Hybrid Class Meaning: What You Need To Know

There are many ways to get an education, whether by physical or online instruction. Physical instruction may be any hands-on activity, such as a lab or lecture. In contrast, online instruction may be any activity mediated by a computer, such as a recorded lesson or student discussion forum. With such diverse learning methods, you may be asking, what type is most suited for me?

First, it’s helpful to have a good working knowledge of the different learning modalities.

• Traditional on-campus student: This student, typically an undergraduate, attends classes and other learning components entirely on campus and may either live on campus or nearby.
• 100% online student: An online student takes classes online. If a program is 100% online, it means that the student never needs to set foot on campus.
• Evening student: A member of an evening cohort will take classes on campus, but during the evenings. The exact structure can differ from school to school. For example, an evening cohort might take one class at a time and meet once per week for instruction.

Lastly, some students take hybrid classes, meaning they are on-campus students for part of their degree program and online students for the rest of it. One common example of a degree program that uses a hybrid learning approach is an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. In this program, students typically complete all of their nursing coursework online. Then, they’ll attend on-campus labs and in-hospital clinical rotations.

Why Organization Is Key to Results in Hybrid Learning

Hybrid learning can provide the best of both worlds in higher education: the convenience and flexibility of online components with the academic stimulation and networking opportunities that come from in-person, on-campus activities. Yet, this nontraditional approach to learning may be an adjustment for students who aren’t familiar with it.

Organization is critical — both in the sense of organizing your schedule as well as your physical space. Without a good organizational system in place, you might run the risk of forgetting when you're supposed to go to campus (since you probably won't be there every day) and when and how to turn in assignments. Organization can also help you optimize your time in school, helping you get the most out of the college experience.

How To Stay Organized in Hybrid College Classes

The best way to stay organized is to start out the semester with an organizational system already implemented. If you start the semester by tossing assignments haphazardly into your backpack and neglecting to make a note of deadlines and exams, you'll likely find it more difficult to get back on top of things. 

Essential Tools for Hybrid Learning Organization

Students in all college programs, including hybrid college classes, can benefit from using certain tools to stay better organized. What is hybrid learning’s most important tool? Your mindset! The first step to staying organized and working toward success is to maintain your motivated mindset.

With that in mind, consider the following:

Digital Planning Tools

Not every digital planning tool will work well for every student; it's a matter of preference. It's best to use the tools that you like and feel comfortable with because that means you're more likely to use them consistently.

Consider using:

• A calendar app to keep track of your online and in-person learning activities, as well as due dates (e.g., Google Calendar)
• Digital alerts on your phone to remind you a couple of days before an exam or assignment due date
• Task manager app (digital to-do list) (e.g., Todoist)
• Digital note-taking platform (e.g., Evernote)

Physical Organization Techniques

Hybrid college students might wish to take a hybrid approach to their organizational tools, as well. In addition to using digital tools, you might wish to use any of the following physical tools:

• A whiteboard for writing down your class schedule and important upcoming dates
• A day planner to carry around with you to each in-person activity and to keep on your desk during online courses
• Accordion files to organize physical learning materials for each class
• Three-ring binder with separate tabs for each class

As a hybrid student, your backpack is another important organizational tool. It’s ideal to pack it for the next day or the night before so that you’ll be less likely to forget something important.

Another organizational technique is to maintain a dedicated workspace in your home — ideally, a desk. Try to keep the clutter to a minimum, but stock the area with everything you need to attend classes online, study and work on your assignments.

Time Management Tips for Hybrid Students

Time management is essential to make the most of your college experience. This is particularly true if you're planning on working your way through college. Working students have less time for studying and assignments, so it's vital to make the most of every hour. Try these tips:

Prioritizing Tasks Between Online and In-Person Classes

Since you’ll be attending in-person and online learning components, you may find that you have shifting priorities — especially if you’re taking more than one class at a time. However, another required activity may pop up that throws your original schedule off track a bit. You’ll need to reprioritize your tasks as needed so nothing gets neglected and everything gets done on time.

Creating a Daily Routine

A consistent daily routine can be helpful for staying organized and practicing good time management. This might also help you stay on top of your various responsibilities. For instance, you may want to get into the habit of studying at a certain time of day or going to the gym at a certain time.

How To Stay Focused and Limit Distractions

Staying focused is crucial for optimizing your time. First, limit distractions, such as by asking others not to disturb you while you’re working on school activities at home. You might also wish to silence your smartphone and temporarily block social media sites on your web browser.

Try the Pomodoro technique to stay focused. Set a timer (digital or physical) for 25 minutes. Commit to working throughout each of those 25 minutes. Then, take a five-minute break to stretch. After every four 25-minute work sessions, give yourself a longer break of about 15 minutes.

Balancing Flexibility and Structure in Hybrid Learning

Hybrid programs offer more flexibility than 100% on-campus programs, yet you’ll have more structure than 100% online classes. It’s often possible to adapt your school schedule to meet your personal needs, yet you need to be sure that you still set aside sufficient time for school-related activities.

If you find that you need more structure in your day, you might try creating a consistent daily routine (see above) and perhaps finding a fellow hybrid learner to be your study buddy. The two of you could help hold each other accountable for the work.

Mastering Organization for Better Results

Staying organized isn’t always easy for every student. If you weren’t in the habit of using organizational tools and systems in high school, then you might struggle with it a bit in college.

The key is to be consistent — choose a routine, tool or technique and stick with it every day. If you happen to have a hectic day or week and let your organizational system slide a bit, do what you can to pick up the pieces and get back on track. The longer you use organizational tools and systems, the more they’ll seem like just another automatic habit.

Attend Hybrid Courses at GCU

Grand Canyon University welcomes traditional on-campus and non-traditional hybrid, online and evening learners. Explore your learning approach options and find a bachelor’s degree program that fits your career goals. Fill out the form on this page to speak with a university counselor about the application process to get started.