Definition
The format of course delivery—online, in-person, hybrid, or synchronous/asynchronous—determining how students will experience the content and where they'll attend class in their pajamas. The taxonomy of educational delivery systems.
Example Usage
This course modality is 'asynchronous online,' meaning you can ignore it on your own schedule from anywhere with WiFi.
Origin
Term gained prominence with online education expansion in the 2000s-2010s, exploded during COVID-19
Fun Fact
Institutions now offer courses in approximately 47 different modalities with increasingly creative names like 'hybrid-flex' and 'hyflex,' because simple was never academia's style.
Source: Distance education and instructional design literature
Related Terms
Translate This Term
See “course modality” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.
Try the Translator