Online Learning Glossary

Understanding the Five Types of Education Modalities

In Person – Classes will be taught in-person, on-campus on the days and hours listed in the Class Schedule.

Hybrid/Blended – Classes will be a mixture of in-person classroom instruction and online components. Students should be available on the days and hours listed in the schedule of class meetings.

Distance Synchronous – Classes will be conducted entirely in LIVE (synchronous), online sessions (using Zoom or similar tools) on the days and hours listed in the Class Schedule. Students will not attend class on campus.

Online – Classes will be conducted entirely online through Brightspace (asynchronous) and digital course materials, such as video lectures, readings, discussion boards, etc. Students will not attend a scheduled class session at a UMA location or through Zoom.

HyFlex – A single course is designed so you can choose the instruction mode that fits your needs. Courses designated HyFlex shall be offered both in-person and online synchronously. There shall be no requirement to record classes or to provide copies of such recordings to anyone.

1. In Person scheduled class meetings at a UMA location.
2. Distance Synchronous (live in real-time) through Zoom meetings that are scheduled at the same time and connect with in-person class meetings from a receive location (e.g., center), or student’s home and
3. Online (asynchronous) interactive lessons, assessments, and recordings of in-person class meetings. (This is up to each instructor, and not all Hyflex classes will have an asynchronous option).

Students can choose to experience the course flexibly through any one of the two (possibly three) modes interchangeably during the semester. You still need to keep pace with the Course Schedule.

Center –  a location where a UMA delivers courses and full degree programs from UMA so that students can get a university education without having to move away from home. There are UMA Centers located throughout the state of Maine.