hy·brid - noun - something of mixed origin or composition; something, such as a computer or automobile plant, having two kinds of components that produce the same or similar results. WHAT ARE HYBRID COURSES? Hybrid courses (also known as blended or mixed mode courses) are courses in which a significant portion of the learning activities have been moved online and time traditionally spent in the classroom is reduced but not eliminated. The goal of hybrid courses is to pair the best features of face-to-face teaching with the best options of online learning to promote active and independent learning and reduce class seat time. Using instructional technologies, the hybrid model forces the redesign of some lecture or lab content into new online learning activities, such as case studies, tutorials, self-testing exercises, simulations, and online group collaborations. This site was created in support of NJIT's Pilot Program in Hybrid Learning and the Weekend University.   "Within five years, you'll see a very significant number of classes that are available in a hybrid fashion," says John R. Bourne, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering who is editor of the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks. "I would guess that somewhere in the 80- to 90-percent range of classes could sometime become hybrid." And he says he expects to see more students choose to take online courses even if they live on campus. "Hybrid Teaching Seeks to End the Divide Between Traditional and Online Instruction" by Jeffrey R. Young, March 22, 2002, Chronicle of Higher Education