In the quest for broader participation in higher education, blended synchronous courses are offered as a way to support nontraditional as well as traditional students. While students appreciate the option of participating either face-to-face (F2F) or remotely (RMT), questions remain whether RMT students are as engaged and learning at the same rate as students participating F2F. A survey course on extreme weather has been offered in a blended synchronous format for multiple semesters. The course was live-streamed, and students could freely decide whether to attend F2F or RMT on a class-by-class basis. Technology allowed all students to answer formative assessment questions and ask questions during class sessions. The pros for offering the blended synchronous environment were found to be: (1) it was very popular with students and (2) the rate of attendance (~85% daily) was considered significantly higher than the daily attendance rates in previous semesters. The cons for the blended synchronous environment were that students choosing the remote mode of participation did not appear to be as attentive and their exam grades were lower. More troubling, it appears that students who had lower incoming grade point averages (iGPA) tended to prefer participating remotely, which may represent that these students used the option to avoid a deeper commitment to engagement. Significantly, it was also found that students with lower iGPA who chose to participate in class activities at a higher frequency and choosing to more frequently attend class physically, received grades similar to higher iGPA students. While blended learning increases options for student participation it will be important to monitor how its availability affects student participation and learning and especially those students who have been previously less successful academically.