Hybrid Classes at University: How to Teach On-Site and Remote Students Together

Hybrid classes work when on-site and remote participants take part in the same session on equal terms: one stream, shared materials, questions in one place. The problem is not a lack of cameras. The problem is that remote teaching still lives in a separate tool, disconnected from the rest of the learning environment.

This article explains why the existing hybrid model keeps breaking down — and how to organise classes in which the mode of participation no longer divides the group.

The Pandemic Legacy: Hybrid Stitched Together in a Hurry

The pandemic forced emergency remote teaching, and it was assembled accordingly — by bolting a video tool onto existing teaching practices. The consequences are still felt today. Some of the group sits in the room, some connect via a separate application. The lecturer effectively manages two parallel channels simultaneously, while materials and questions scatter between systems — and so does attendance tracking.

This creates an inequality that undermines the entire point of hybrid learning. The remote student sees less, hears with a delay, asks a question that disappears, and receives materials in a different place from their colleague in the room. Hybrid education, intended to broaden reach, in practice divides participants into two tiers.

Hybrid Is Not a Preference — It’s a Legally Mandated Model

It’s worth understanding the regulatory context here, because it raises the stakes. Polish law does not permit fully remote studies. Under the Higher Education and Science Act and the relevant regulations on degree programmes, in a general academic programme a maximum of 75% of ECTS credits may be earned through distance learning methods; in a practice-based programme — 50%; in medical fields the caps are often far stricter (medicine, for example, is around 20%). The remainder must take place in person. This means hybrid mode is the default state for most programmes, not a choice. The regulations also require infrastructure for synchronous and asynchronous interaction and ongoing institutional oversight of classes — precisely what a bolt-on video application typically does not provide.

What Distinguishes Real Hybrid from “A Camera in the Room”

The difference lies not in the hardware but in whether the session runs as one stream or two. Real hybrid has characteristics that video alone cannot deliver:

• One class stream for on-site and remote participants — a shared view, not two parallel meetings.
• Shared materials and whiteboard accessible to everyone, regardless of how they are attending.
• Live Q&A and polls equally open to the room and to those joining remotely.
• Recording and post-class materials in the same place where the class took place.
• Attendance and engagement in a single view, without merging data from two separate systems.

The common denominator is coherence: one place, one set of materials, one question channel.

The FORUM module in the MenToR platform delivers this model — one class stream for on-site and remote participants, shared materials and questions in a single place, with the recording attached to the course materials in the institution’s own environment.

Why a Separate Video Tool Is a Dead End

There is a temptation to think that a better video conferencing platform will solve the problem. But the hybrid problem is organisational, not technical. As long as video lives separately from materials, assignments and course management, the lecturer will keep copying content between systems, and the remote student will keep searching for where the slides landed this time.

A sensible solution works the other way around. Hybrid classes become part of the same environment in which materials are prepared and teaching takes place. Then a question asked remotely lands where the in-room question does; the recording appears alongside the course materials; and the lecturer runs one class, not two.

Quality and Accessibility on Equal Terms

Hybrid is also a test of accessibility. If a student with a disability is to participate in classes on equal terms with others, both the interface and the materials must be accessible (WCAG) — regardless of the mode of attendance. Accessibility is both a precondition for meaningful hybrid learning and a legal obligation for all public universities. Equal rights is also the answer to what students expect from a digital university: flexibility without the sense that remote mode means worse classes.

From Bolt-On Hybrid to Built-In Hybrid

Hybrid classes stop being a problem the moment they are not a separate tool but a function of the university’s learning environment. In the MenToR platform this is delivered by the FORUM module — on-site and remote participants in one stream, shared materials and whiteboard, live Q&A and polls, recording in one place after the class. Combined with the LUMEN teaching module, it allows classes to be prepared and delivered without copying content between systems.

If your hybrid setup is currently splitting between the room and a separate application, let’s start with a brief conversation — we’ll show you how to bring it together into one class for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can fully online degree programmes be offered in Poland? No. In a general academic programme, a maximum of 75% of ECTS credits may be earned through distance learning; in a practice-based programme — 50%; and in medical fields the caps are considerably lower. The rest must take place in person, which makes mixed-mode study the default state for most programmes.

What is the difference between real hybrid and a camera in the room? Real hybrid runs one class stream for on-site and remote participants, with shared materials, whiteboard and live Q&A in a single place. “A camera in the room” means two parallel channels where materials and questions scatter between systems.

What does the law require of remote classes at a university? Regulations require infrastructure enabling synchronous and asynchronous interaction, appropriate preparation of instructors and ongoing institutional oversight of classes. Final examinations are generally held in person unless a specific subject permits otherwise.

Do hybrid classes reduce teaching quality? They don’t have to, as long as the remote participant takes part in the same class on equal terms. Quality drops when hybrid is a bolt-on video setup and the remote student sees less, hears with a delay, and their questions go unanswered.