Increasing Access with Intensive Hybridized Course Formats in a Community College Setting

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study compared the effectiveness of courses taught in a five-week intensive hybrid format with courses taught in an 11-week traditional classroom format in order to explore options for expanding access to higher education in a community college setting. Course effectiveness was measured quantitatively with student academic performance indicators, such as grades, pass rates, pretest/posttest results, and student perceptions of academic rigor. The study is unique in that it investigated course effectiveness when intensive and hybrid instructional delivery methods were combined into one format. Additionally, the study compared matched pair courses with the same instructors and coursework who taught each course in both the five-week intensive hybrid format and the 11-week traditional format, which controlled for instructor influence on student learning. The historical rationale behind community colleges and contemporary initiatives to expand them have underscored the need to increase access by providing a range of options to higher education that meet the varying needs of students. The comparison found that the five-week hybrid course format was academically equivalent to the 11-week traditional format. The study indicates that course delivery combining hybrid and intensive instructional delivery can be academically effective and, therefore, has the potential to improve access in a community college setting.