Teaching in a HyFlex room

This article discusses teaching and facilitation in Brock's new HyFlex rooms, and is intended for instructors that are new to these spaces. The steps below cover the basics of teaching in a HyFlex room but we strongly recommend scheduling a one-on-one training session through our colleagues in Brock's AV Services to get hands-on experience in the room before teaching.

Before the first day of class

A few steps are needed before first meeting with Hyflex students:

1. Activate your Brightspace site to serve as a general hub for your course
2. Create a Teams site to host class meetings online.
3. Optionally, add a link to your Teams site in your Brightspace course site to make navigation easier for students.
4. Create a recurring meeting in Teams. This will serve to connect your online students with your on-campus class.

How does it work?

The HyFlex classroom hardware consists of a few important components which are already configured for instructors to use:

1. A high-quality video camera and speaker, usually in the back of the room. Students that join your class remotely (normally via Teams) can participate via this speaker. The camera is positioned to record the instructor as well as presentation content that's displayed at the front of the room. If you've used Teams in the past with a laptop, consider that this camera is taking on the role of your laptop camera.
2. A directional microphone hung above the classroom podium. The microphone is able to record the instructor as well as most questions that in-class participants ask during class meetings.
3. A large video display near the back of the room. This display is paired with the podium computer. The conference platform in use (often Teams) will be shown within this display and will include remote participants that have joined the class meeting. While teaching, instructors will be able to view the video display to engage with remote learners.
4. A podium computer. This continues to be the technology hub of the classroom. Conference platforms such as Teams or Lifesize will be available from the podium computer and can be started before the Hyflex class meeting begins. This computer's display, including activities within Teams, will be shared with the video display in the back of the room.

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  1. Video camera and speaker

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  2. Microphone above podium

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  3. Large video display

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  4. Podium computer

When it's time to teach

1. Log into the podium computer using your Brock credentials
2. Open the conference platform that you've used to schedule the recurring Hyflex class meeting. Programs should be available to you after clicking the Windows icon in the lower left of the display
3. Ensure that the correct video and audio input are selected within your conference platform. If using Teams, device configuration is available from the client software after clicking the icon in the upper right of the screen, then Settings, and then Devices
4. Launch your class meeting within your conference platform. The meeting will display from the podium computer and in the large display in the back of the room
5. Optionally choose to record your class meeting for post-class review by your students
6. During class, make a purposeful point to stop and review comments and questions your virtual class may have. Their feedback is just as important as the feedback of your in-class students
7. For the benefit of students in either format, repeat both in-class questions and online questions before responding to ensure both groups hear the question