Students’ Instructional Delivery Approach Preference for Sustainable Learning Amidst the Emergence of Hybrid Teaching Post-Pandemic

Abstract

Upon return to campus after the pandemic, students were subjected to receiving lectures online, in class, or by the emerging hybrid approaches. This study reports students’ preference over the three approaches based on the experience gained during the 2022/23 academic session. The study aimed to understand the post-pandemic considerations/factors likely to influence students’ preferences for or against any of the three modes (based on their experiences with each), and implications for developing university sustainability frameworks in the post-pandemic era. One hundred and twenty-seven (127) on-campus Education students in one public university in Malaysia participated in the study. Data were collected through an online forum and interviews with the participants. The data collected were analyzed using content and thematic analysis. Preference for the hybrid approach emerged as a key finding for this study. Additionally, a perceived lack of Faculty engagement and support in the online learning environment, and on-campus learner-environment challenges were identified as factors contributing to the decreased popularity of the online-only class option in the post-pandemic era. Conversely, students’ engagement through faculty presence and technology innovation in class and online emerged as factors that made the hybrid approach the most popular. What the students valued the most in the hybrid approach is the face-to-face interaction that is retained, and the in-class faculty’s innovative use of technology in content delivery, which they believed made learning more effective and interesting in class than online. These findings imply that institutions should prioritize technology integration into face-to-face instruction, leveraging innovative approaches to enhance student engagement and sustainable learning outcomes.