Deﬁning Key Terms Related to Digital Learning - Survey of Higher Education Faculty & Administrators Summary Report

Oct 15, 2026

Survey summary report examining how higher education faculty and administrators interpret key digital learning terms, focusing on online learning, hybrid learning, hyflex learning, in-person learning, and the learning mode dimensions synchronous versus asynchronous. The report addresses ongoing confusion about terminology and lack of consensus, describes the survey’s participant base across institutions, and presents agreement levels with the provided definitions. Results show widespread alignment for core terms, with comparatively less agreement for hyflex learning due to familiarity and views on student-led modality selection.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

INTRODUCTION

AUTHORS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

KEY FINDINGS

METHODOLOGY

Deﬁning Key Terms Related to Digital Learning Survey of Higher Education Faculty & Administrators Summary Report Authors: Nicole Johnson, Executive Director, Canadian Digital Learning Research Association Jeff Seaman, Director, Bayview Analytics Russ Poulin, Executive Director, WCET & Vice President for Technology-Enhanced Education, WICHE With the assistance of: INTRODUCTION For years, there has been a sense of confusion and contention about the meanings of key terms such as online learning and hybrid learning. Additionally, there has been a lack of consensus on how to name different variations of online and hybrid learning (e.g., hyflex learning, synchronous online and hybrid elements, and asynchronous online and hybrid elements) . To address the ongoing debate about how terms related to online and hybrid learning should be defined, WCET (the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies) funded a survey to explore the meanings of these terms. Dr. Jeff Seaman from Bay View Analytics conducted the survey and worked with Dr. Nicole Johnson to analyze the data. WCET and the researchers worked in partnership with the following organizations: the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association (CDLRA), Online Learning Consortium (OLC), Quality Matters, and the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) . The purpose of this report is to provide a brief overview of the findings from this study, which are described in detail in the following article published in the Online Learning Journal. Johnson, N. , Seaman, J. , & Poulin, R. (2022) . Defining Different Modes of Learning: Resolving Confusion and Contention Through Consensus. Online Learning, 26(3) . doi: [http://dx.doi.org/10.24059/olj.v26i3.3565](http://dx.doi.org/10.24059/olj.v26i3.3565) Contents INTRODUCTION 1 AUTHORS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 2 COPYRIGHT AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 2 KEY FINDINGS 3 METHODOLOGY 6 AUTHORS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Nicole Johnson Executive Director, Canadian Digital Learning Research Association Jeff Seaman, Director, Bay View Analytics Russ Poulin, Executive Director, WCET & Vice President for Technology-Enhanced Education, WICHE The authors appreciate the leadership of the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), Quality Matters, and the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) for their assistance in encouraging their members to participate in the survey and in promoting the results. COPYRIGHT AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES For related resources, see [https://wcet.wiche.edu/practice/digital-learning-definitions/](https://wcet.wiche.edu/practice/digital-learning-definitions/)[ ](https://wcet.wiche.edu/practice/digital-learning-definitions/)For inquiries or more information [contact](contact wcetinfo@wiche.edu)[ ](contact wcetinfo@wiche.edu)[wcetinfo@wiche.edu](contact wcetinfo@wiche.edu). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike 4.0 International License. KEY FINDINGS The participants for this study consisted of 987 higher education faculty and 1,051 administrators (a total of 2,038 participants representing 870 different institutions from all fifty states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia) . The survey asked participants to indicate the extent to which they agreed with the following terms and their definitions: | TERM | DEFINITION | | --- | --- | | Online learning | All instruction and interaction is fully online (synchronous or asynchronous) . | | Hybrid learning | A blend of online and in-person instruction (online instruction is synchronous or asynchronous) . | | Hyflex learning | Students can move between online and in-person instruction as they see fit (also referred to as multi-access or co-modal learning) . | | In-person learning | All instruction takes place in an in-person setting. | | Synchronous learning | Instruction takes place in real-time and requires student presence (in-person or vi

FAQs

Why was this survey conducted?

To resolve confusion and contention about how key terms related to online and hybrid learning should be defined, and to explore meanings through consensus.

How many participants and institutions were included?

The survey included 987 faculty and 1,051 administrators, totaling 2,038 participants representing 870 institutions across all fifty states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.

What did participants most strongly agree with?

There was widespread agreement (over 90%) with the survey definitions for online learning and hybrid learning, and similarly strong agreement for in-person learning.

Oct 15, 2026

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