What is the Blended Learning Approach?

Dziuban, Hartman and Moskal, 2004, stated that “Blended learning should be viewed as a pedagogical approach that combines the effectiveness and socialization opportunities of the classroom with the technologically enhanced active learning possibilities of the online environment, rather than a ratio of delivery modalities.” Simply put, blended learning approach is an integrated instructional approach that combines face to face interactions within the classroom and online activities.

Why blend?

Incorporating the blended learning approach allows and stimulates students to be active, bringing about a shift from lecture to student-centered learning. It encourages interactions between students, student-teachers, and the various resources used for instructions.

The approach enables teachers to plan a lecture that will be interesting, engaging and fun for the students. Topics are prepared using creative multimedia tools and presented through the online medium and classroom sessions to engage students in interactive activities like discussions, debates, oral presentations and the clarification of queries. Schedules are flexible and convenient as students can access the online content any time.

Designing a blended course

Creating a blended course may require preparation by the teacher. Prior to framing the course, teachers need to bear in mind the content being taught, the needs of the students and the methods of instruction that best suits the content.

Teachers should then decide and allot the content that has to be taught in class and through the online medium. For example, components like introduction to a class, presentations, question and answer sessions, etc. are better presented face-to-face whereas components like course information, quizzing, etc. may be presented online. Thus, they need to follow the standards of online courses that includes formulation of course objectives, content outline and inclusion of appropriate instructional techniques. Schedule of classes and content for each class should also be planned in advance.

It is important to structure and integrate the two modes effectively as students should feel that the course is a unified blend instead of a collection of techniques from both the modes.

Practical difficulties

Students may not always know the process of blended learning approach. Hence, it is crucial that teachers provide specific instructions and feedback on navigating through the online activities.

Create an online attendance roster that the student needs to check through which teachers can ensure that all students have viewed the online activities.

Ensure that there is a match between the classroom content and online activities. They should complement each other and students should find it easier to relate and link the content to each mode.

The blended learning approach advances student performance as it allows for thoughtful reflection and enhances personalized learning.

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