Many educators nowadays implement blended learning designs in their courses. The development of technology has brought the possibility to use different digital platforms and tools for education that can aid teaching and learning and facilitate their processes. Blended learning is an educational approach that combines online educational materials and opportunities to interact online with traditional classroom methods. In contrast with online learning, blended learning requires the physical presence of students and teachers however; traditional classroom-based learning is combined with computer-mediated activities regarding the content (teaching & learning activities, instruction) and delivery (assessment and feedback) (1).
One important aspect in blended learning design in to personalize the online teaching & learning activities to meet the specific needs of each student. Teaching should be adapted to each student’s strengths and weaknesses in a dynamic way. Hence, the digital platform or tool that is selected for blended learning should be adaptive in terms of instruction and assessment. If the tool follows a traditional, linear, ‘one size fits all’ design, then many advanced students might become disengaged while in the same time students that struggle might get frustrated (2). Of course, disengagement and frustration might happen also in classroom, however in this case the face-to-face interaction with the teacher might prevent these phenomena, as the teacher can identify in situ difficulties, address questions and provide support. On the other hand, a digital tool, that is essentially a conveyor of content, should be designed in an adaptive fashion in order to support students, promote active learning and support engagement. A truly adaptive tool would be able to identify which students had not mastered yet a subject, and only those students would receive support on that particular skill.
Another aspect is that a digital tool should be designed in a way that can collect detailed information on student performance. The reason is that students will be able to self-assess their level of mastery during the course and be able to take action on it (i.e. study more or ask for additional support), and the teacher will able to identify the possible difficulty and provide additional support to the student during the classroom lectures and online. When the right tools are used, the student experience can be monitored in real-time. Teachers can access the data showing which students have completed each task, and which students have encountered difficulties and require individual or small group support. These data can help teachers to be targeted and time efficient and focus on the students that need help the most.
Using digital learning technologies that are personalized to each student would be highly beneficial for promoting deeper learning. However, it might create difficulties for the teachers as their role can get significantly more complicated (3). If the student’s online activities adapt to their needs, then the teacher instruction and support will get more individualized, too. But what happens if the teacher needs to support 100 or 200 students at the same time? Here is why design is very important. If the digital tool can measure student performance in each task, it could also provide appropriate instruction or support strategies for each student, thus supporting both students and teachers for more efficient and targeted activities.
Overall, blended learning can be an excellent balance between traditional and online learning. However, a blended course should be designed carefully taking into account the needs of the students, the teacher and the specific subject. To succeed in this, teachers will need support from their institutions while sustainable infrastructure should be created. Eventually, a course with 1:1 ratio between traditional and online learning can be created that will have a higher impact to students than a conventional and traditional classroom.
References:
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Graham, C.R. (2016) Blended learning systems: Definitions, Current Trends, and Future Directions. In: The Handbook of Blended Learning: Global Perspectives, Local Designs. Wiley.
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VanderArk, T., Schneider, C. How digital learning contributes to deeper learning. http://www.worldwideworkshop.com/pdfs/GettingSmart_DigitalLearningDeeperLearning.pdf
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The role of the teacher in a blended learning classroom. Edgenuity. https://www.edgenuity.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Role-of-the-Teacher.pdf
