Title: Blended Learning in more detail ...
Course: Stage 3: Online and Blended Teaching > Section: 3. Exploring Blended Learning and developing Activity Profiles

- Reminder of Blended Learning Definitions:

“The term blended learning is generally applied to the practice of using both online and in-person learning experiences when teaching students. In a blended-learning course, for example, students might attend a class taught by a teacher in a traditional classroom setting, while also independently completing online components of the course outside of the classroom.” (Glossary of Educational Reform, 2013)

“Previously defined by the proportions of face-to-face versus online coursework, blended learning is typified by the integration of those digital solutions most applicable for achieving the learning outcomes of the course. Media-rich digital learning platforms, personalized or adaptive courseware, and web conferencing tools capable of connecting students for synchronous distance activities are becoming common solutions for blended learning designs.” (Horizon Report, 2019) EDUCAUSE.

- Why adopt a Blended Learning Approach?

“Students report a preference for blended learning, citing flexibility, ease of access, and the integration of sophisticated multimedia. Although blended learning is becoming a common course design, the challenges of scaling this modality persist for some institutions. Supporting faculty to design learning experiences that take full advantage of digital platforms and to expand their pedagogical repertoire to include collaboration and student-centered learning design will support the growth of blended learning.” ( Horizon Report , 2019) EDUCAUSE.

Remember a blend can be between online and offline, and if fully online, then the blend can encompass synchronous and asynchronous methods such as we are employing in this course.

To do: For a simple explanation of what Blended Learning means, watch David Hilton's 2014 video ‘Blended Learning’ (2m 13s) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lEDjPMKtWk

- What are we Blending?

“With the increasing availability and adoption of ICT to support teaching and learning, the variety of modes of education provision has expanded rapidly. The move towards blended and online course delivery needs to be carefully considered in order to preserve the integrity of the teaching and learning environment. In particular, the factors influencing the choice and extent of the blend should be identified and explored in order to maximise the affordances while maintaining a pragmatic approach within a given context. We can make informed decisions when planning the mode of delivery for our courses by conceptualising the influencing factors in relation to each other.” (Mallinson, 2013)

Figure 3.3: Flexible Dimensions for Blending (Mallinson, 2013)on, 2013)

- Synchronous vs Asynchronous interaction

When we were teaching and learning face-to-face, we blended classroom interactions (synchronous) with guided independent work which generally had associated deadlines. Now that we are teaching and learning online, we can still organise these interactions into live meetings (synchronous) and guided independent activities and interactions. There are various elements influencing your blend - one of these is the temporality, namely (Original source: Google Course Builder; Mallinson, 2013:5):
  - Synchronous flow: participants do all of their work at the same time as everybody else.
  - Asynchronous flow: participants do everything at their own pace and have no deadlines to consider.
  - Semi-synchronous flow: participants do some parts of the course at their own pace and do other parts of the course on a fixed schedule.
    - Instructors release course materials, including assessments, on a fixed schedule, and participants can work on it anytime after
    - Live events, such as live Q&A sessions with facilitators, advisors, guest experts or panel of experts, happen at a fixed date and time. Participants can also watch archived versions.

Another influencing factor in determining your blend is the availability, stability and reliability of the internet in your teaching and learning context. See UCT (2020) Online Teaching - Low Tech Principles (Google doc)

Now complete Activity 3.5: Design the blend for your course (asynchronous)