Introduction The aim of the project is to explore how hybrid learning experiences can be designed to be equally engaging for all students, whether they are attending a session virtually or face-toface. The project forms part of the Teaching Advancements at Universities (TAU) Fellowships Programme (Naidoo, 2022), established in 2016. The programme is funded by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and endorsed by the Higher Education Teaching & Learning Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA). As a TAU candidate, Prof Pritchard initiated an institutional project to bring about change for social justice. The aim of the project is to explore how hybrid learning experiences can be designed to be |equally engaging for all students Literature Listening to our students’ voices with an open heart and a flexible mind is the foundation for codesigning equitable hybrid learning experiences. It underpins an ethic of care (Corbera et al., 2020), a necessary requirement in the current South African higher education context. In the shadow of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, many students struggle to attend in-person lectures on campus. For postgraduate students, work commitments take preference in an economy with a 33,9% unemployment rate (Stats SA, 2022). Other obstacles to in-person attendance include the demands of having young children to parent, health challenges, lacking money for transport, or living far away from the city where accommodation is cheaper. Hybrid learning has the potential to enhance equitable access to learning by acknowledging that all students can learn (Department of Education, 2001: 6). However, a significant barrier to achieving equity is the fact that facilitators are naturally comfortable with traditional place-based classroom methods. In contrast, hybrid learning is defined as using electronic equipment in a physical classroom to facilitate effective streaming and interaction among in-person and online students attending the same class (CAT, 2022). For many, this remains unchartered territory. When facilitators are lacking the experience of live streaming technologies and are low on confidence when it comes to such technologies, it may be challenging to them to design learning experiences that provide remote students with the same engagement opportunities as their on-campus counterparts. Since engagement makes students feel motivated to learn, hybrid learning designs need to provide ample opportunities to interact with facilitators and peers, regardless of where students are located. Engagement is affected by the extent to which a learning experience effectively stimulates positive feelings, thoughts Teaching Innovation for the 21st Century | Showcasing UJ Teaching Innovation Projects 2022 63
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