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Delivery Modalities of Access Courses in Higher Education in Ireland

June 04, 2024
N-TUTORR scoping green paper on access course delivery modes:

Exploring HyFlex and hybrid modes of delivery

Dr Sarah Carroll, with Dr Carina Ginty and Dr Moira Maguire

Foundational Access Courses (FACs) are designed to prepare learners to commence in a course of further study in Higher Education (HE). This report presents a scoping snapshot of how content is delivered in foundational access courses in higher education institutions in Ireland and explores opportunities for HyFlex and hybrid modes of delivery.

‍This green paper, which has been designed to prompt discussion and facilitate sector-wide discussion and collaboration, is published under the Student Empowerment stream (Stream 1) of the N-TUTORR programme.

‍Summary of Key Findings:

Current studies investigating HyFlex delivery in HE examine its effect on student-related constructs, and obtain staff/students perceptions on its delivery,

Most studies framed their work around the Beatty (2014) definition of HyFlex, however upon further examination, few of the investigated delivery modalities offered a high level of student choice,

HyFlex delivery has no significant impact on student academic performance,

Students appreciate the flexibility HyFlex provides but ideally would prefer to be able to attend face-to-face,

Staff training and reliable technology are key for the successful implementation of HyFlex,

None of the included studies featured HyFlex being implemented in Access courses; the majority pertained to undergraduate courses,

There is a current research gap on the effectiveness of HyFlex delivery to address barriers Access students may face in engaging in courses face-to-face.

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