The Future and Performance of Hybrid Education Model
The hybrid education model involves combining various traditional and new methods, online and face-to-face learning, to create new learning dimensions. Technological innovations have been adopted in business and other sectors to improve the way of working. Education has not been left behind in adopting technology because innovations are integrated into classrooms to create hybrid solutions in education. The hybrid education model is facilitated by new technologies that merge contemporary and traditional teaching methods. The emerging technologies have focused on the future of the classroom because of the latest education models. The hybrid model ensures a sustained connection between the learners and their instructors and enhances completion of course work through attending classrooms or using online platforms. The hybrid model of education requires institutions to be internet ready to create complimentary traditional classrooms to improve learning effectiveness. The article will focus on evaluating the future and performance of the hybrid education model in the case of Qatar.
The hybrid learning model is entirely an interactional model that ensures that teaching and learning capture the learning process from the learner and the instructor’s perspective. There has been a rapid development of Qatar’s e-learning due to the implementation of ICT in education and the country (Weber, 2018). The education model creates the ability to reflect on teaching and learning practice and enlightens the participants about the future state of education. Qatar has implemented e-learning rapidly by rolling out the electronic resources in elementary and high schools (Weber, 2016). The national strategy is formulated to develop knowledge within society and integrating ICT into sectors to focus on e-learning, e-government, telecommunications, and e-business. Qatar’s traditional education system involved the use of informal classes held at mosques for children to learn about the Quran, basic writing, and arithmetic skills (Karkouti, 2016). The government fully funds modern education, and the reforms of the education system have contributed to the introduction of technology due to the changing needs and global trends (Karkouti, 2016). E-learning brings up the aspect of education “anywhere, anytime” ensures learners access materials when ready to learn from their locations and choose the best learning style. The technologically powered- hybrid model creates convenience for all the students with busy and inflexible work schedules, housebound learners, and others with personal issues.
Educational institutions in Qatar use online learning platforms, websites, social media, and mobile applications in the hybrid education model. Most academic institutions have implemented the eLearning to complement traditional classrooms, and the technological components are used effectively to facilitate transformation in education. The digital tools serve a similar purpose and can be used interchangeably to enhance their effectiveness. The effectiveness of the digital tools used in educational institutions in Qatar can be measured based on four factors:
Availability and Quality of Information:
ICT has positively impacted the learning outcomes with the digital tools being implemented in every educational institution. The digital technologies are integrated into the course designs, and their use is facilitated by the guidance of instructors to improve the learning outcomes. The past decade has witnessed the introduction of technological platforms that support teaching and learning to develop education in higher learning (Hussain et al., 2020). The e-learning tools adopted are integrated into classrooms to facilitate the teaching process and enhance active learning in the school. The learning institutions acquire enough technology applications to improve learners’ experience to create an online teaching strategy that prioritizes teamwork, active learning, and developing a student-centered learning experience. The hybrid model is sustained by technological tools that facilitate the provision of quality information through innovative teaching methods like flipped classrooms. Hussain et al. (2020) noted that online platforms and other technological applications support live teaching sessions, and lecture recording systems promote distance learning. Learning institutions in Qatar use online, and hybrid learning strategies have given the rapid growth in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) worldwide (Hussain et al., 2020). Institutions have enhanced the use of online education with the occurrence of the Covid19 that created the need for distance learning. Many institutions prefer technology tools because of their ability to deliver quality information and are financial and logistically friendly (Hussain et al., 2020). The digital tools ensure that constrained classroom space is substituted by the easily accessible online platforms that promote learning.
In the face of a global health emergency caused by Coronavirus, many countries laid out preventive measures included temporary closure of schools and universities (Hussain et al., 2020). In the fight against the pandemic, the presence of digital learning tools in educational institutions proved to be useful to adjust learning to digital education. According to Hussain et al. (2020), the availability of technological applications and prior exposure to hybrid education facilitated institutions to swiftly switch to online learning for continuity in offering quality education. Qatar educational institutions swiftly responded to the suspension of classes by adopting the technology tools used in the hybrid model to continue with learning and teaching. Hussain et al. (2020) noted, “To continue providing a high-quality learning experience to all pupils, several steps were taken by all private and public schools to continue educational activities using online tools and virtual learning environment (VLE) platforms” (p.5). The availability of e-tools was optimized by the majority of the institutions with the adoption of blackboard collaborate ultra (BCU) (online lecture delivery system) that is incorporated in the VLE system of institutions, and other conferencing tools like Zoom and Microsoft teams (Hussain et al., 2020). The technology tools are practical because they allow staff members, students, and instructors to host and join class forums, meetings, and interact with each other.
Ease of use
The use of technological tools in Qatari educational institutions, like many others, faces many challenges. Still, they do not affect the learning and teaching process because of the ease of using digital platforms. The use of technology in Qatar education system was adopted early enough to ensure proper technology transition into the learning and teaching process (Hussain et al., 2020). The social norms played a critical role in the acceptance, and use of technological tools in education hence improves the ease of use. The increased access to high-speed internet connectivity and high capacity technology infrastructure has been vital for the hybrid education model to succeed in Qatar due to increased awareness of online and classroom learning. The ease of use of technology tools and home-based learning and home-based instruction programs have significantly enhanced the continuity of the Hybrid learning model. The ease in using e-tools has been facilitated by the equity in access to online learning across the country.
Students’ preferences and satisfaction
The students have a preference for the adoption of technological tools in education due to the high satisfaction level and willingness to adopt online learning. Learner preference and satisfaction are critical indicators of success in a hybrid education and future migration into full-time online learning. Students’ satisfaction in the use of e-tools in education is high due to the flexibility effectiveness of the learning programs. The tools create consistency throughout the learning programs which the students prefer. Karkouti (2016) noted that learners positively adopt e-learning because the e-tools create high valued interactions with peers, instructors, and other staff members to create a collaborative experience to promote success in education. Suliman (2018) noted that the oriented problem-solving capabilities of e-tools toward better learning and the collaborative learning environment had created social satisfaction in a blended learning environment. The e-learning tools prioritize student participation and social interaction while giving them a leading and active role in their learning, which are considered to improve motivation during the educational process.
Efficiency
The online platforms used in the Qatar hybrid model have numerous advantages and benefits associated with providing enough time and flexibility for students and teachers. The e-tools create massive cost and time saving for educational institutions in promoting student-centered activities (Karkouti, 2016). The digital learning platforms create a collaborative learning environment characterized by linking learners with expert instructors and peers and ensuring that knowledge is maintained and updated continuously to improve their efficiency (Hussain et al., 2020).
Learners in Qatar institutions experience coherence in their education due to well-adopted technological tools that are efficiently used in the learning process (Suliman, 2018). The efficiency of online learning is attributed to the e-tools that promote learning by creating a collaborative approach for all students across the country (Suliman, 2018). The tools create learning resources with quality educational information that supports successful learning and teaching across all education levels. The integration of technology into education has efficiently transformed learning leading to the adoption of online learning. Teachers and students have effectively adopted the technologies to cope with the changing trends and realize positive learning and teaching outcomes.
The Future of Blended System in Educational Institutions in Qatar
A blended learning approach to education ensures a proper combination of online teaching and learning and interaction opportunities using traditional classroom-based learning. The use of technology has spread widely in Qatar due to the educational reforms that also see e-learning being integrated into workplaces for skills upgrading (Weber, 2017).
The Qatar national e-learning portal is a significant and successful e-learning project critical in providing standard business, nursing, IT, and management courses (Weber, 2017). The availability of such technological infrastructures ensures that the country’s future of education will be dominated by technological innovations that will be used together with traditional classroom settings.
Blended learning is a trending aspect of many educational institutions worldwide, and its increased popularity will lead to improved future online learning (Ibrahim & Nat, 2019). According to Suliman (2018), the blended system is associated with quality education and training programs that improve the learners’ knowledge and skills during the learning process. The future development in technology will contribute to creating a stable and well integrated blended system in the educational institution to the benefit of student and instructors. Suliman (2018) noted that by establishing coherence between the online learning and the classroom lessons and creating sustainable level of collaboration, there can be improvements in students’ knowledge and satisfaction in future learning programs. There is an increased desire to transform teaching and learning from the perspective of a teacher-centered model to a learner-centered model that can be achieved entirely in the near future through ICT empowerment and integration in all areas of teaching and learning (Ibrahim& Nat, 2019). ICT development is an important player in sustaining a balanced platform between class training and online systems to facilitate the effective educational process.
Future technological developments will lead to the rise in e-tools that will facilitate the delivery of educational resources, and other activities are done remotely (Hussain et al., 2020). Collaborative learning will incorporate the ability for students to access learning material to review while they are offline. Practical and group sessions can be powered by the technological advancements to promote the learning experience and improve the skills (Hussain et al., 2020). With the occurrence of COVID-19, the future of the blended learning system is bright because it created the need for educational institutions to adopt a balanced approach to learning to mitigate the urgent health requirement (Hussain et al., 2020). The educational institutions will benefit from the blended system because it will create cost savings associated with space and keeping students in classrooms. The institutions will enroll many students through the MOOCs due to the improved education system that creates flexibility among the teachers and students.
How can the Institutions provide added value (Benefits) to students by taking advantage of the online system (VL)?
Virtual learning systems comprise of the virtual classrooms and laboratory services that create a possibility for learners to access various educational resources at ago and learn as if they are at the same place. The institutions’ virtual classrooms can be used to create additional resources and sources in educational courses where students can easily retrieve for studying. The advent of technology created learning around students to complement the use of the traditional classroom. Educational institutions can use the internet to develop learner-centered education programs to complement classroom sessions (Hussain et al., 2020). The use of web-based education in the Hybrid model of education creates new dimensions in learning because of its ability to address students’ needs and make the learning and teaching process a practical reality. Institutions can explore the implementation of virtual learning as an aspect of an online system due to the student-centered pedagogy, which is sensitive to how learners learn and how resources are delivered.
Institutions have the capacity to diversify learning courses due to the flexibility of the online system. The flexibility ensures that individuals can attain course work certification immediately after undertaking an exam without minimal strain. The virtual systems’ collaborative outcomes ensure that institutions create the ability within their technology applications to develop a student-focused environment with many opportunities.
The online system creates flexibility in the choice of the environment, self-paced learning, and personalized learning experience that yields positive outcomes for the student (Ibrahim& Nat, 2019). the career advancement opportunity is another added value /benefit that institutions create from the online systems. Institutions can generate such benefits when they have better opportunities that guarantee collaboration and interaction with international experts and peers to strengthening learning outcomes and networking.
The courses in VL can be programmed in a manner that ensures there is flexibility, and students can continue working while pursuing their educational goals. The flexible student paced schedule ensures that massive opportunities are presented to students to complement those in a traditional classroom setting. The educational institutions have an obligation to deliver added value to education in the virtual learning environment using the online learning procedures that are goal-oriented and student-focused. The value-added benefits have to ensure that the online system provides psychosocial and emotional flexibility among learners. In doing so, the virtual learning compensates for the massive sensory and emotional loss of the classroom experience in education (Ibrahim& Nat, 2019). Therefore institutions have to ensure that there is active participation in learning among the students, proper design of teaching programs, creating student-focused programs, and setting time limits during learning processes. The learning institutions can create added value in lowering costs related to the online system’s use by training students to ensure there is an equal opportunity to access online learning resources.
How can HEM promote knowledge sharing between institutions and students?
Students select learning institutions of their choice with significant consideration of how good the blended learning system is integrated into the curriculum (Bai & Smith, 2010). The blended system can be used optimally by the institutions and learners through the knowledge sharing capabilities to achieve the primary educational objectives. Bai & Smith (2010) noted that with the costs of textbooks ever-increasing, the hybrid education model could be used to offer alternatives in knowledge sharing between the institution and students (Bai & Smith, 2010). Technological tools can be used as agents of collective intelligence, and availing knowledge through digital formats, enhancing the sharing of resources and expertise. The hybrid model ensures an ever-growing knowledge base within the online digital tools that students can access digital textbooks, resources, and knowledge from the institution’s portals. Bai & Smith (2010) indicated that e-books have developed to standout as alternatives to traditional books adopted in the hybrid model to enhance knowledge sharing between institutions and the students. Adopting online technologies ensure that there are adequate knowledge management and sharing between the learners and institutions. Technological tools create capacities for learners to search for educational content, share notes, collaborate, and interact with peers and experts (Bai & Smith, 2010). The hybrid tools selected should optimize the level of collaboration, standardize the digital agencies to ensure there are compatibility and scalability, and continuously adapt to future efforts in enhancing the blended system to realize the excellent knowledge management. Institutions have to invest in creating a centralized resource library where students can access quick learning information to expand their skills and knowledge (Bai & Smith, 2010). The Hybrid Education Model facilitates knowledge sharing by ensuring that the institution and learners engage in strong knowledge sharing through online group interactions, discussion, and resources from the technological platforms. Online and in-class communities allow learners to interact and collaborate with peers and experts, creating a platform to share knowledge. The institution can use established communities to enhance knowledge sharing providing information that can make learning and teaching successfully. Institutions can proactively adopt the technology-oriented knowledge transfer that forms a basis for developing the hybrid system where it combines the strengths of face to face classroom learning and eLearning (Charband & Navimipour, 2018). Face-to-face traditional classroom and e-learning have similar social activities and discussions that promote knowledge sharing due to learners’ active participation.
Conclusion
The hybrid system is highly integrated into the Qatari education system, and the occurrence of the Coronavirus disease justified the need to strengthen the education model in the future. The blended approach is a student-centered model that develops a flexible curriculum anchored on in-class training and online learning. The learning environment accommodates teachers’ and students’ needs and requirements who interact and collaborate to realize critical educational goals. The classroom setting and online environment ensure enough educational resources for participants to engage in vigorous knowledge sharing using face-to-face interaction and online tools. The model enriches the students learning experience and outcomes and enables institutions to have the capacity to respond to educational needs and emergencies that may limit the physical availability of participants. The presence of eLearning technologies across Qatar’s institutions has facilitated the success of the hybrid education model, and its future is bound to be improved into a high-quality education system.