Teacher Communication Competence and Knowledge in Hybrid Learning Environments

Abstract

Hybrid learning environments (HLEs), combining in-person and online participation, create dual-layered complexity that challenges teachers’ communication practices. This study examines the essential knowledge and skills required for effective communication in HLEs within a Swedish higher education context. Drawing on the extended TPACK framework (XTPACK), emphasising immediate contextual knowledge, and integrating Jakobson’s communication model, the research analyses how teachers mobilise technological, pedagogical, content, and dual contextual knowledge to bridge room and screen participation. An ethnographic study of an eight-week hybrid pedagogy course across four semesters combined teacher field notes, participant evaluations, and iterative AI-assisted and researcher-led analysis. Findings show that while participants emphasise technological aspects, communication emerges as core teacher competence. Effective hybrid teaching requires simultaneous management of parallel contexts, strategic channels and code usage, and adaptive stress regulation. The study conceptualises hybrid teaching as communication-based XTPACK in action, contributing to a deeper understanding of teacher expertise in hybrid higher education.