With the role of media increasing in education, Biola has added more partially in-class and partially online courses, according to Patricia Pike, vice provost of academic administration.

These classes, known as hybrid classes, meet both in person and online and can be taught in many different ways, whether they meet once a week or once for the whole semester, according to Pike. Because students will most likely be using online learning resources in their futures, whether in graduate school or their careers, they are beneficial in the proper context.

“Both for the power of the medium for communication and education, and because it really sets a learning style that you will use all of your life, it will behoove Biola to incorporate it more,” she said.

ONLINE CLASSES MAKE MORE SPACE ON CAMPUS

Another consideration in the gradual shift to hybrid classes is the reduction of classroom use. Ken Gilson, dean of academic records and institutional research, feels that the hybrid classes help with the lack of classroom space that Biola has been experiencing, but that the main motivation is primarily for academic purposes.

“Academic space, which is tight, is not driving the creation of hybrid classes, but when faculty choose to do some of their classes online, it can have a benefit for reducing some of the space need,” he said. 

Carolyn Kim, a journalism professor, teaches social media, search engine optimization and digital analysis, as well as media relations. Both are new hybrid classes. Kim explained that her classes meet on Mondays to discuss content. She then gives the students information to discuss and engage with later in the week, requiring them to respond to their peers online before the next class session. So far, Kim has seen mainly positive results from the new structure of the classes.

“For me, hybrid is the best of both worlds because I get to do the online and the technology, which I love and I think has an incredible value, but I also get the face-to-face time,” she said. “I don’t want people to feel like it’s too mechanized or that they are just lost in a sea of technology, because that’s not the intention.”

Kim believes that hybrid classes will become more common because of their benefits.

“I think this is the way of future education because it enhances the ability to make education more holistic,” she said.

Danny Pinnell, a senior journalism major, is currently in Kim’s hybrid media relations class. Although Pinnell admits the model makes it difficult to keep up, he prefers it overall.

“If I had the choice between a hybrid class and a three-hour class, I would choose the hybrid class, because a lot of three-hour classes feel like they could end within the first hour-and-a-half,” Pinnell said.

The visible benefits are such that Biola will continue to add hybrid classes where applicable, according to Gilson.

“I think its safe to say that the number of those will grow. It will be interesting to see how much and how quickly,” he said.