BLENDED LEARNING

The blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace; at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home; and the modalities along each student’s learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience. On the other hand, 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 teaching methodology. 

Blended Learning Models

1)    Face-to-Face driver

Teachers deliver most of the curriculum in face-to-face classes. However, they also produce online resources to supplement or revise course material, which students can study at home, in the classroom or in the lab.

2)      Rotation

The students rotate between a period of face-to-face tuition and a period of online study. In some case, online study may be done remotely (at home, for example).

3)      Flex

In this model, most learning is done in the online environment. Face-to-face teaching is still available, but for small groups or individuals on an as-needed basis.

4)      Online lab

All course material and teaching is done online, but in a physical classroom on computer lab. Teachers interact with students online (through pre-recorded videos, audio and video conferences or discussion forums and email.

5)      Self-blend

A fully individualized approach, in this model the students takes online classes a la carte. Much of the learning is done online, but the student will still attend face-to-face classes.

6)      Online driver

Students work mainly online in a remote location and come into school for optional or required face-to-face classes.

A Learning Model

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.