Higher education has experienced changes in recent years, characterized by a shift towards digitalization and online learning existing simultaneously alongside a synchronous in-person form of studies. This change was influenced by the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic that have led to the discussion about the future of educational models in a post-pandemic world. The rapid adoption of various online learning approaches raised questions among academia regarding the most effective and applicable forms of education, especially in the context of international students in a university setting.

The present research focuses on the changes in educational strategies from face-to-face (F2F) or in-person style of learning to a hybrid study approach (Munday, 2022) that combines both F2F and online forms in a post-pandemic era. It investigates the benefits and challenges of hybrid English language learning at Turiba University in Latvia, which has been a globally-focused institution for over fifteen years with 43% international students (Turiba University Handbook, 2022).

Students, as observed by Gu and Huang (2022), have had to adjust to the new modes of education which include not only adapting to Webex, Zoom, or other online teaching platforms but also engaging in digitally realized collaborative learning approaches.

The theoretical framework of the research is based on the theories about different forms of online teaching and learning (OTL), in particular a hybrid style.

The objective of the present study was to conduct a typological examination of the extensive terminology used to describe different methods of online learning styles, specifically focusing on the hybrid style of education. The study looks at the hybrid form of education from an interdisciplinary point of view, integrating such fields as language study, pedagogy, communication studies, and intercultural communication.

Increased empirical attention was paid to the study of different forms of education and approaches used during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2021 to 2023. Such concepts as online teaching, online education (Shrestha et al., 2021; Zhao and Xue, 2023), online learning (Gu and Huang, 2021), e-learning education (Bi et al., 2023), eLearning (Matete et al., 2023), online teaching and learning (OTL) (Scherer, et al., 2021, 2023), blended learning (Ashraf et al., 2022(a), Yu et al., 2022; Huang et al., 2022; Luka, 2022, 2023; Tonbuloğlu and Tonbuloğlu, 2023), bLearning (blended learning) (Galvi and Carvajal, 2022), hybrid coaching (Fidan et al., 2022), hybrid learning (Wang, 2023; Kortemeyer et al., 2023; Munday, 2022), hyflex instruction (Lohmann, et al., 2021), flipped learning (van Alten et al., 2021; Chen and Hsu, 2022), flipped classroom (FC) (Divjak, 2022), dual-mode teaching (Olsen-Reeder, 2021), remote teaching (Moser et al., 2021), and emergency remote teaching (ERT) (Yang, 2023; Sum et al., 2022), among others, were encountered and were often used to denote similar things. Although there was a rich study of education realized with the help of technological devices, there is a lack of one clear source where all definitions are provided. This terminological diversity may cause misunderstandings, so the author attempted to make the classification of them.

Academic personnel in the context of hybrid style are information curators and facilitators who must be trusted, prepared, present online, and accessible to students, whereas the role of a student is to be open, self-directed, community-oriented, and prepared (Carrasco, 2015:22-23).

The main benefits of this approach for students are that it “opens the doors to disconnected, less-privileged students who lack connectivity and financing to engage”; and gives “educational opportunity to those who would otherwise be excluded from traditional higher education system” (Gamage, 2022), as well as “helps to practice internationalization at home” (Gu and Huang 2022:2) and thus allows students to “effectively end their education” (Gamage, 2022).

The theoretical framework was designed based on the systematic analysis of over 50 sources of information published from 2020 to 2023. Qualitative research included the observation of English for Special Purposes (ESP) lectures for the course "English for Business Studies" during the second semester of the academic year 2022/2023 with students from the Faculty of Business Administration. It involved semi-structured interviews with both online and in-class students enrolled in the course. The experience described in this article spans from the last phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic (starting from September 2022) to the beginning of the post-pandemic era in June 2023, focusing on the hybrid style learning of ESP by international students. The research period was from January to June 2023. The plan and procedure included the collection of theoretical data, observation and analysis of lectures by the author, and the development of a questionnaire. Participants were 35 students from such countries as India, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Some students were physically located in Latvia, attending classes F2F on-campus (Munday, 2022), while others studied online from their home country for various reasons. Some students arrived in Latvia later and joined F2F classes, and occasionally, F2F students attended lectures online due to personal reasons, e.g., sickness. All teaching was conducted synchronously. Online students attended lectures using the Cisco Webex platform, which was Turiba University's official teaching platform. Communication also occurred through email, WhatsApp, and BATIS (Turiba University's internal information system). The research questions guiding this study stem from a need to clarify the confusion surrounding the variety of terminology used in online education. A key task was to differentiate and compile a comprehensive table of methods, their descriptions, respective authors, and years of implementation. This compilation serves as a foundation for understanding the evolution and nuances of online learning methodologies, particularly the hybrid style, in the globalized context of higher education. The aim of the study was to develop a taxonomy of the vast terminology used to denote similar concepts in online teaching and learning; to study the theoretical background of hybrid learning; and to distinguish the advantages and drawbacks of the hybrid approach used for teaching ESP, looking at it from an interdisciplinary perspective. The major limitation of the research was the small sample size – a limited number of students participated in the interviews.

The hybrid style proved to be a viable approach in post-pandemic realities in the internationalized context of tertiary education when there is high student e-readiness, including self-motivation and self-control. The major challenge that the researcher encountered in hybrid-style lectures was the heterogeneous, multi-layered form of communication among all stakeholders that requires careful management and observation on behalf of a lecturer; a necessity to introduce instructions and rules of behavior for unexpected situations (for example, loss of internet connection, sound deficiencies, misunderstandings on behalf of online students). Interview results showed that students perceive benefits in a hybrid approach, while also facing distinct challenges. The majority considered that a hybrid style is time-saving; benefits from an increase in access to learning and flexibility of studies; and allows some students from underprivileged regions to have access to a safer learning environment, simultaneously having communication with groupmates and academic personnel online. The following challenges in the process of interacting online were indicated: the lack of eye contact and reduced participation in group discussions; occasional difficulty in sharing work between F2F and online students; and occasional loss of concentration. The challenges noted from the intercultural perspective included diverse teaching and learning styles; pronunciation; understanding different accents of students from various cultural groups and time zone differences; and the digital divide. Difficulties noted in learning foreign languages via the hybrid teaching approach included differences in students’ language knowledge and the inability to build perfect synergy between students. Technical difficulties experienced by students included connectivity and infrastructure problems, such as lack of electricity, disconnection of the Internet, and the digital divide. Respondents noted that the hybrid approach allowed them to develop self-confidence, communicative and cooperation skills; improved their active listening, making them more culturally aware, and breaking cultural barriers.

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