Course Design Rationale: Addressing the Needs of Student-Athletes Student-athletes at Notre Dame face a unique challenge: frequent travel for games, tournaments, and training often leads to inconsistent classroom attendance. As a result, students struggle to keep up with coursework, leading to learning gaps, stress, and catch-up work. Traditional learning structures do not accommodate their demanding schedules, making it difficult for them to balance academics and athletics effectively. To address this, the Workplace 20 course has been designed as a flexible, blended-learning model that allows students to engage asynchronously with their coursework. This approach ensures that all students—whether at home or on the road—can stay on track with their learning while…

Picture this: a classroom where students can decide—day by day—whether to attend in person, join a live online session, or engage asynchronously on their schedule. Sounds like a logistical nightmare, right? Well, enter HyFlex learning, the “choose-your-own-adventure” of education, pioneered by Brian Beatty at San Francisco State University. It’s the ultimate multitasking mode that feels like a tech-savvy teacher’s dream… or a meticulous planner’s worst nightmare. As a high school math teacher armed with an iPad, Vivi, and a tech-heavy classroom, I can’t help but be intrigued by the HyFlex model. Let’s dig into the pros and cons, and whether this is the shiny future of education—or just another buzzword…