Blended
learning is a term increasingly used to describe the way e-learning is being combined
with traditional classroom methods and independent study to create a new, hybrid teachingmethodology. It represents a much
greater change in basic technique than simply adding computers to classrooms;
it represents, in many cases, a fundamental change in the way teachers and
students approach the learning experience. It has already produced an offshoot
– the flipped classroom – that has quickly become a
distinct approach of its own.
No single, reliable definition of blended learning exists, or even a
universal agreement on the term itself. Many use terms like hybrid, mixed, orintegrative to describe the same trend. But the
trend is significant. In 2000 an estimated 45,000 K-12 students took an online
course, but almost a decade later more than 3 million took courses that way, many of
them using computers in the schools themselves.
There is a general consensus among education innovators that blended
learning has three primary components:
- In-person
classroom activities facilitated by a trained educator.
- Online
learning materials, often including pre-recorded lectures given by that
same instructor.
- Structured
independent study time guided by the material in the lectures and skills
developed during the classroom experience.
A course created in a blended learning model uses the classroom time for
activities that benefit the most from direct interaction. Traditional education
(especially at the college level) tends to place an emphasis on delivering
material by way of a lecture, while in a blended learning model lectures can be
videotaped ahead of time so the student can watch on their own time. The
classroom time is more likely to be for structured exercises that emphasize the
application of the curriculum to solve problems or work through tasks.
An individual semester of blended learning may emphasize classroom time at
the beginning, then gradually increase the amount of work that students do
online or during independent study. Many argue that class discussion boards,
for example, are far more useful if the participants have met face-to-face
first.
The “flipped” classroom, a more recent coinage, refers to
classes that are structured almost exclusively around a reversal of
expectations for lectures and homework. Students are expected to watch lectures
online at home, and do homework while they are in class.
Blended learning redefining teaching
roles
In some situations, the move to blended learning has inspired educators to
redefine traditional roles. The word “facilitator” has
emerged as an alternative to “teacher,” bringing with it a slightly different
focus. The facilitator places an emphasis on empowering students with the
skills and knowledge required to make the most of the online material and
independent study time, guiding students toward the most meaningful experience
possible. Facilitators focus on four key areas:
- Development of online and
offline course content.
- Facilitation of communication
with and among students, including the pedagogy of communicating content
online without the contextual clues students would get in person.
- Guiding the learning experience
of individual students, and customizing material wherever possible to
strengthen the learning experience.
- Assessment and grading, not
unlike the expectations for teachers within the traditional framework.