Why hybrid teaching does not work in Clinical Psychology and Psychological Therapies training: A post-pandemic retrospective

Purpose: In the post-pandemic context, there is increasing choice for how higher education institutions deliver teaching and training, in particular the extent to which teaching is delivered using “online” methods. Such choice has also opened the door to the possibility of a “hybrid” approach where some trainees attend synchronous teaching online and others in person. The purpose of this review is to summarise the collective experiences of the authors in adopting such approaches in the delivery of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Therapies teaching and training. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is a collective review of the authors’ experiences in delivering teaching in this context. Findings: The review considers some of the key pedagogical arguments against the adoption of a hybrid approach to teaching and concludes that whilst in-person, online, synchronous and asynchronous approaches all have potential value within this context, it is hard to see how a hybrid teaching offer can be successfully delivered in a way that does not impair learning outcomes. Originality/value: There is very limited research on the use of hybrid teaching approaches (delivering teaching simultaneously via a mixed online and in-person approach) in mental health training. Skills training in psychological professions may provide a particular context that is hard to deliver outside of an exclusive in-person environment. Hybrid teaching may, more generally, provide a context that impairs learning outcomes for all learners. The authors hope that the analysis within this study supports other academic colleagues weighing up similar decisions about their teaching offer.