A case study of HyFlex in GIS classes at the University of Illinois

This paper is a case study of two undergraduate geographic information systems (GIS) classes offered in hybrid flexible (HyFlex) mode at the University of Illinois (USA) in the Spring semester of 2022. A specific focus is placed on the relationship between student performance and the percentage of course time spent in in-person vs. online synchronous mode during semiweekly interactive sessions. Multiple regression analysis was performed using final semester course scores as the dependent variable and percentage of online interactive session participation, absenteeism, overall grade point average, and expressed gender as independent variables. The analysis results were consistent with existing research in finding no significant relationship between levels of online interactive session participation and final semester course scores. Although the results in this case study cannot and should not be generalized, the broader objective of this report is to share specific performance results that can inform future research on the effectiveness of HyFlex instruction in GIS.