The Case for Blended Learning

The Case for Blended

Learning

Iris K. Stovall

Illinois Virtual Campus

American University of Beirut December 1, 2005

Introduction

  “Hybridity is the order of the day, as

teachers combine the distributed teaching and learning of distance education with the comfortable interaction of the classroom in an effort to achieve a synthesis of the

two.”

What is a Blended Course?

  “Blended learning combines multiple delivery

media that are designed to complement each

other and promote learning…” (Singh, 2003)

  “Hybrid courses are courses in which a

significant portion of the learning activities have been moved online, and time traditionally spent in the classroom is reduced but not

eliminated” (Garham and Kaleta, 2002)

What is NOT a Blended Course?

  A traditional “Distance Education” course with no face-to-face components

  A traditional face-to-face course that simply uses a Web site or other Web

technologies without reducing seat time (Web-enhanced learning)

Goals of Blended Courses

  An attempt to combine the best elements of traditional face-to-face instruction with the best aspects of distance education.

(Preparing to Teach Hybrid Courses, 2003)

  Promote independent learning

  Alleviate a shortage of classrooms

  Improve retention

What Curricula Are Appropriate?

  Small or large classes

  Wide variety of disciplines

  Secondary school through graduate school

  Traditional age college students and older adults students

What Does a Blended Course Look

Like?

  Reduction of class time

  Eliminate one class meeting a week

  Shorten class time

  Meet for several weeks, don’t meet for

several weeks (Spilka, 2002)

  90% - 10% rule (Brown, 2001)

  Every other week (Dzubian, 2004)

  Arrange face-to-face whenever difficult topics

What Does a Blended Course Look

Like?

  Wide variety of technologies used

  e-mail

  cd-roms

  Webliographies

  Internet resources

  Chats and bulletin boards

  File sharing

  Simulations

  Self-tests and automatically graded quizzes

Examples of Blended Courses

  Course samples at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/LTC/hybrid-course-samples.html

Designing Blended Courses

  At Wisconsin Milwaukee “the faculty

adopted very different approaches to the hybrid model, based on their instructional styles, course content, and course

goals.” (Garnham and Kaleta, 2002)

  “It is likely not the ‘blendedness’ that makes the difference, but rather the

fundamental reconsideration of the content in light of new instructional and media

Designing Blended Courses

  “Instructors must re-examine their course goals

and objectives, design online learning activities to meet those objectives, and effectively

integrate the online activities with face-to-face meetings.” (Garham and Kaleta, 2002)

  “A shift from lecture to student-centered

instruction in which students become active and interactive learners applies to the entire course,

Designing Blended Courses

What You Need to Know to Design

a Blended Course

  How to facilitate and manage online interaction

  How to assess students’ online work

  How to integrate online and face-to-face teaching

  How to use the technology

  Course redesign takes more time than you think it will!

Advantages of Blended Courses

  Increased learning

  Fosters independent learning

  Interaction

  Flexibility

  Convenience

Caveats of Blended Courses

  Requires more time and resources to develop than traditional courses

  Both traditional and online components must be redesigned

  Requires specific technology skills, both of student and instructor

  Require self-motivation of students

Key Factors That Lead to Success

  Faculty development for design of blended programs

– Both technology and instructional support

  Student preparation for success in learning in blended programs

The Future

  “Within five years, you’ll see a very significant number of classes that are

available in a hybrid fashion,” says John Bourne, a professor of electrical and

computer engineering at Olin College, who is the editor of the Journal of

Asynchronous Learning Networks. “I

would guess that somewhere in the 80 – 90 percent range of classes could

The Future

  “It seems to have been an all or nothing at many schools – all online or all in

person”, says Mr. Cummins, who helped design and teach an online course. “I

think we’re in a transition in trying to

redefine the delivery of courses.” (Young, 2002)

Resources

•  Center for Distributed Learning of the University of Central Florida

http://distrib.ucf.edu/dlucf/home.html

•  University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/LTC/hybrid.html

•  Iris Stovall’s Blended Course Resources

Bibliography

Bleed, R. (2001). A Hybrid Campus for a New Millennium. EDUCAUSE Review, 36(1), 5.

Brown, D. G. (2001). Hybrid Courses are Best. Syllabus: New Dimensions in Education Technology, 15(1), 1.

Garnham, C., & Kaleta, R. (2002). Introduction to Hybrid Courses. Teaching with Technology Today, 8(6), 5.

Johnson, J. J. (2002). Reflections on Teaching a Large Enrollment Course Using a Hybrid Format. Teaching with Technology Today, 8(9), 9.

Lago, M. E. (2000). The Hybrid Experience: How Sweet It Is! Retrieved 04/23/03, 2003, from the World Wide Web: http://www.convergemag.com/Publications/CNVGNov00/hybrid/index.shtm Preparing to Teach Hybrid Courses (2003). [PowerPoint Presentation]. Learning Technology Center:

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Retrieved 04/21/2003, 2003, from the World Wide Web: http:// www.uwm.edu/Dept/LTC/UW-CollegesHybridFoxValley.ppt

Sands, P. (2002). Inside Outside, Upside Downside: Strategies for Connecting Online and Face-to-Face Instruction in Hybrid Courses. Teaching with Technology Today,, 8(6), 6.

Singh, H. (2003). Building Effective Blended Learning Programs. Educational Technology, 43(6), 51-54.

Spilka, R. (2002). Approximately "Real World" Learning with the Hybrid Model. Teaching with Technology Today, 8(6), 4.

Voos, R. (2003). Blended Learning - What is it and where might it take us? Sloan-C View, 2(1), 3. Young, J. R. (2002, March 22, 2002). 'Hybrid' Teaching Seeks to End the Divide Between Traditional

and Online Instruction. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved April 14, 2003, 2003, from the World Wide Web: http://chronicle.com/cgi2-bin/printable.cgi?article=http://chronicle.com/free/ v48/i28/28a03301.htm