Abstract:

Due to increases in enrollment, hybrid course delivery models, in which part of the instruction happens online, have become a popular solution to financial and space problems. Yet, little is known about the institutional preparedness for the implementation of hybrid language courses, especially the students’ computer literacy and access as well as the attitudes toward hybrid instruction among college students beyond the studies conducted by Barrette (2001), Winke and Goertler (2008) and Winke, Goertler and Amuzie (2010). This study compares the general student population reported in Winke and Goertler (2008) with traditional students in two hybrid first-year Spanish course and a non-traditional students in a non-credit bearing beginning German course. General literacy and access were found to be high in all three groups, however, specialized skills were lacking even in the hybrid group. Incidentally it was found that students select a hybrid course not for their own technological savvy or their belief in the delivery format, but rather for the same logistical reasons that often prompt an institution to hybridize the curriculum: the flexibility in space and time.

Author: Senta Goertler, Magelone Bollen, Joel Gaff