In recent years, the blended learning approach has gained significant popularity as a pioneering educational method that combines the strengths of technology and in-person interactions. This approach seamlessly integrates online and face-to-face training.
A Center for Digital Education study revealed that 73% of educators who leverage a blended learning model perceived an upsurge in student engagement.
This form of training addresses many of the drawbacks of a purely in-person or a purely online strategy. A blended learning course contains in-person sessions followed by online resources and tasks.
Let’s understand the characteristics of the blended learning approach and then dive into more details on its implementation.
Key Characteristics of a Blended Learning Approach
- Adopts learner-centred teaching that actively involves every learner in the content
- Growing opportunities for interaction between student-faculty, content-student, student-student, and student-additional learning material
- Enables collecting formative and summative assessments to enhance course offerings
- Encompasses a broad spectrum of content formats, including text, audio, video, presentations, and bite-sized content, offering students a versatile learning experience.
- Enables students to make a choice regarding what content to learn fully online, what to learn fully in person, when to switch to in-person classes, and when to complete assignments online, watch videos, and download readings.
Advantages of Blended Learning
Blended learning provides a plethora of benefits that lead to an effective and holistic learning experience. Here are its advantages:
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Flexibility
This learning approach lets students flexibly access content and complete assignments at their convenience and pace. It lets students customise their learning journey based on their needs, preferences, and schedules.
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Saves money and time
It eliminates the need for instructors and students to travel to a study venue. Thus, it decreases transportation costs and time spent on commuting. It saves money spent on utilities, facility maintenance, and classroom space because it needs fewer physical classrooms or can even optimise existing spaces.
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Customisable
In the blended learning approach, students can obtain personal attention and support from their instructors while accessing online resources personalised to their explicit learning needs.
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Active Learning
It fosters active learning strategies by integrating interactive online activities. It allows students to engage in problem-solving exercises, simulations, and collaborative discussions. Thus, it promotes hands-on learning and critical thinking.
Ways to implement blended learning approach
1) Face-to-face driver
The face-to-face driver lets the trainer drive the instruction. Most content is delivered in-person. The learning is enhanced with digital tools.
2) Flex
In a flex learning environment, most of the curriculum is covered digitally through either static or pre-recorded online materials. So, students can learn at their preference. They need not be available at stipulated training dates.
3) Rotation
In this model, students can choose from standalone online study and face-to-face classroom schedules.
4) Labs
The curriculum is digitally delivered in labs but in a consistently managed physical location. All learners would amass in a room on a scheduled day and time. However, the training is digitally delivered either to a shared screen or their independent computers.
5) Online driver
In this method, students complete the entire learning course through digital tools; no in-person learning is involved. The online driver can be a combination of on-demand e-learning and live virtual training.
Factors to consider when implementing blended learning strategies
Here are the details of key factors educators can consider to effectively implement blended learning strategies.
1) Assessment
Before implementing blended learning into the curriculum, educators should assess their students’ needs and determine the learning objectives. Based on the assessment, they can determine the appropriate combination of in-person and online learning activities and choose relevant technology tools.
2) Choice of tools and platforms
The success of the blended learning approach depends on the choice of the right platforms and tools. Educators can consider several aspects to align with the set learning objectives and requirements. These aspects are interactive multimedia tools, eLearning Management System (LMS), collaboration software, and video conferencing platforms.
3) Inclusion of in-person instruction
In-person instruction performs a key role in the blended learning approach. Educators can include group discussions, classroom activities, experiments, and project-based learning in the curriculum. These in-person aspects complement the online learning components.
4) Development of online modules
Creating engaging and interactive online modules is crucial to captivate students’ interest and foster active learning. Educators can integrate multimedia elements, quizzes, discussion forums, and multimedia presentations to make the online learning modules engaging.
5) Evaluation of student progress
To ensure learning is effectively conveyed, educators must regularly track students’ progress. They can evaluate students’ performance using online quizzes, discussions, and assignments.
6) Management of blended learning program:
It is crucial to monitor and manage the implemented blended learning program. This process involves aspects like tracking attendance, course completion, and learning satisfaction. Moreover, educators must troubleshoot any logistical or technical issues that may happen. Subsequently, they can offer timely feedback and assistance to instructors and learners.
Conclusion
Blended learning presents an effective approach to education by combining in-person and online instruction. It leverages technology’s benefits and emphasises the significance of face-to-face interactions. With this approach, we can have a transformative educational experience that trains students for success in this cutting-edge digital age.
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