Flexible Learning Environments: Minoritized College Students’ Experiences in HyFlex

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listen to it after class if you need to . . . if you’re like an hour late. Or, if you are sick or 
something you know what I mean? . . . Like you can just . . . there’s so many possibilities 
it really broadens what original online classes used to be, or even face to face to now it 
makes it like way easier and way bigger and the possibilities are larger. 
Although Josephine pointed out the obvious convenience of being able to watch videos to catch 
up asynchronously, she also pointed out the synchronous interactions that were made possible 
when a HyFlex course was designed according to the guiding principles of the model. The 
instructor’s planning for equivalency between the learning paths required a UDL approach to 
create congruency between the paths. This appeared to have been the case in Josephine’s 
experience as she described an experience that integrated the online and in-person paths in 
manner that was conducive to interaction and came across as cohesive and authentic to the 
students. She said: 
I don’t think necessarily like as . . . I don’t think it makes a difference as a woman. I think 
if anything, there’s an advantage to it. Because if you’re like a nervous person, or if you 
were taught not to speak up, you can type it instead. And have that be in like a chat rather 
than like in a physical like being uncomfortable in a physical setting to speak to your 
classmates or to your teacher . . . and I like that the people who are learning from home 
can actually be on the class from at home, I like being able to still see them . . . like 
interacting like you would in a regular classroom on even if they’re on the screen like in 
bed . . . because the way he [the instructor] does it, it’s really nice so like the when he 
puts it up on the big screen like helping on a big whiteboard behind them, and you can 
see everyone’s like web camera and like chat messages in with the class which is nice . . . 

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he records himself and like I tuned in last week’s my kids were sick and like you’re on 
the screen with them, and when I type things into the chat he acknowledges them [her 
comments in the chat] in class . . . it’s, it’s like being in class but also not having to 
physically there. 
Through application of UDL, principles instructors and course designers can embed create 
access and equivalency throughout the HyFlex learning environment. UDL entails creating 
multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression (CAST, 2018; Davis et 
al., 2021; Hromalik et al., 2019). The interplay of those UDL principles results in access and 
equivalency because of the multiple means available to students. Naturally, students perceive 
these affordances in a positive manner as Isabel explained: 
The best thing about HyFlex? I think one of the best things about HyFlex is that 
information is presented in many ways. So I am . . . so I can see it in all the ways, and 
then I can choose how to repeat the same way over and over again. Right? It’s I can 
choose to see my class debate over you know, certain parts like . . . I will . . . for 
example, having a discussion [at some point during] in a 2-hour class, and I really like 
when we talk and I want to know more I will be like, okay, we are at 1 hour and a half 
into the class. I put… Okay, we watch 1 hour and a half and then I got to the record and I 
watch those 10 minutes. I was like okay, I’ll do it. Again. Did I miss something? Oh, 
okay. You know, because I like that. 
Isabel was referring specifically to the ability write down the time and use those notes as a time 
stamp to come back to later and play the recording to review or to catch up on anything she may 
have missed online or in-person. Vasiliki also had a good experience in her HyFlex courses due 

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to the multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression her courses 
afforded her. She said: 
Other than that, I it’s convenient. Yeah! I would say that the, the good . . . the balance of 
providing all the content in digital form and you know, the presentations from the 
instructors and the live communication, the synchronous communications that we have, 
that’s the best . . . this is, it’s a great balance, I wouldn’t feel that it’s very effective to 
be . . . you know, in front of an instructor and listen to a lecture and that’s it. So we 
have . . . we have many resources that we can access online . . . either print them out . . . 
so we have all the options. So that’s good!
HyFlex learning does offer benefits for students who are mothers. Among these three 
participants, the most popular feature was flexibility to choose their mode of attendance and 
participation. The second most important feature they discussed was the use of UDL principles 
in the course design. Participants did have some thoughts about how to improve the HyFlex 
experience. Those insights are presented in the next subsection. 

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