This paper describes a small-scale hybrid learning pilot conducted in the context of distance education at the Open University of the Netherlands (OU). OU students are adult learners who combine study with work and other commitments. Therefore, flexibly supported self-study at one’s own pace, place, and time is the preferred study format for most students. The OU strives to meet the flexibility demands while offering active and interactive academic-level programs with some in-person activities and intensive use of technologies for asynchronous and synchronous online teaching and communication. In the pilot presented in this paper, a hybrid learning approach was applied to optimize learning design in a course with a 4-hour-long synchronous online learning activity consisting of a lecture and a hands-on group task. A total of 154 students, divided into nine classes, took part in the pilot. Five classes (N = 90) participated in hybrid sessions, with in-person participants present in a study centre of the Open University and online participants joining the sessions from elsewhere through MS Teams. The remaining four classes (N = 64) met online for the lecture and the hands-on group task in the course’s regular virtual classroom. Based on course assessment and student evaluations, this pilot can be seen as a successful implementation of hybrid learning. Students in the hybrid learning condition performed better on the final assessment and needed fewer assessment rounds to complete the final assignment successfully. The pilot generated valuable insights into the organizational aspects of designing a hybrid session in the context of distance education.