Re-imagining hybrid pedagogies: lessons from the pandemic using the Diffusion of Innovation Model

Abstract

Covid-19, indefinitely, altered the Higher Education (HE) landscape, both casting questions on as well as opening new doors for the future of HE curricula. This chapter draws on the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) model, which is used to explore academic experiences in two UK HE institutions in relation to hybrid pedagogies before and during the pandemic.The chapter considers the evolution of hybrid learning and teaching over the pandemic and how it might be re-imagined in a post-pandemic era by offering an account of the online pivot and how it has impacted progress towards technological change in teaching and learning. We find that Innovators and Early Adopters play a crucial role in generating and promoting hybrid pedagogies, and will be central to helping universities redress outdated pedagogical approaches. Through investigating the consequences of the online pivot the chapter considers how HE can remain relevant and impactful, as well as where the sector might be heading in the post-pandemic era. To do this a Hybrid Learning Vision is presented, based on lessons learned during the online pivot, which we hope will help educators re-imagine traditional approaches and work towards making pedagogies relevant in the post-pandemic university.