  COVID-19 has significantly affected universities, forcing many courses to be
delivered entirely online. As countries bring the pandemic under control, a
potential way to safely resume some face-to-face teaching is the synchronous
hybrid classroom, in which physically and remotely attending students are
taught simultaneously. This comes with challenges, however, including the risk
that remotely attending students perceive a 'gap' between their engagement and
that of their physical peers. In this experience report, we describe how an
interactive programming course was adapted to hybrid delivery in a way that
mitigated this risk. Our solution centred on the use of a professional
communication platform - Slack - to equalise participation opportunities and to
facilitate peer learning. Furthermore, to mitigate 'Zoom fatigue', we
implemented a semi-flipped classroom, covering concepts in videos and using
shorter lessons to consolidate them. Finally, we critically reflect on the
results of a student survey and our own experiences of implementing the
solution.
