Education Post COVID-19 | Blended Learning: Readiness and Engagement | WeCanEduTech
- Jason Matthew
- Jan 12, 2021
- 28 min read
Table of Contents
Introduction
There has always been a call for us to improve our education system. Unfortunately, significant change, especially on a broad scale, occurs typically very, very slowly. However, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to rapidly change from our brick-and-mortar ways to teaching and learning remotely.
As COVID-19 vaccination becomes more widespread in 2021, we can expect an eventual reopening of schools globally. What will this new or next normal in education look like? Do we revert to what we were doing pre-COVID, or do we use this opportunity to build on what we learned and the resources we have created and collected during the pandemic to optimize our systems for our learners to thrive in a post-COVID world?
While not new on the education scene, blended learning has, for good reason, been promoted as an effective educational approach moving forward.
In this article, we will focus on answering the following:
Why blended learning?
How do we implement a blended learning program?
How do we facilitate student engagement in a blended learning program?
But before we start to address those questions, we need to make sure that we are on the same page of what blended learning is and what it is not.
What is blended learning?
The definition of blended learning is ever-evolving, but there are some central themes that we can draw from.
It is the thoughtful [1] integration between (face-to-face) F2F and online learning. A high-quality blended approach integrates the best qualities of F2F with the best qualities of online learning. Whatever is done in the F2F setting feeds into and complements what happens in the online environment.
The blended approach gives students opportunities to learn at their own pace.
Is this blended learning?
1. A teacher projects her PowerPoint presentation on a screen in front of the class and
goes through the slide deck. Students were given printouts of the slides at the
beginning of the class, which they can use to follow the lecture and take notes.
The example above is a familiar scene in many classrooms today. It is not a form of blended learning but instead an example of a technology supported course. A common misconception that some have about blended learning is that simply adding technology or changing course formats constitutes blended learning.
2. A teacher assigns homework consisting of online videos that cover the topic for the
next day in class. The next day in class, the teacher does activities based on what was
covered in the video and reading.
This is an example of the flipped classroom model and the most common example of blended learning. In the flipped classroom, you have the student covering the content online at home on their own and to some extent at their own pace. Then, when the student comes to class, the teacher will not cover the content as a lecture in front of the class but instead facilitates activities with the students that would identify gaps in their understanding and address them. When you think about it, it makes sense to do the homework in the class where the teacher can give guidance instead of relying on parents who are often not equipped to help.
The flipped classroom model works, and I have enjoyed fantastic results in my teaching over the years. While it might be the best-known model of blended learning, it is worth exploring different ways in which a blended approach can manifest itself.
What are the other blended learning models?
The Christensen Institute have been pioneers in the field of blended learning, and they have proposed four blended learning models [2]:
Rotation model which includes four sub-models - Station Rotation, Lab Rotation, Flipped Classroom and Individual Rotation
Flex model
A La Carte model
Enriched virtual model
The rotation models follow a fixed schedule determined by the teacher. Learners alternate between different learning modalities such as online learning, teacher-led instruction, and small group activities. This might sound very similar to what is already done at the early primary education level. The key difference here is that blended learning rotation models must have an online learning component.
The Station Rotation model is contained within the classroom space. In contrast, in the Lab Rotation model, the online component is conducted in a dedicated computer lab located at a different location from the classroom in the school.
The final rotation model is the Individual Rotation model. In this model, students are given a personalized learning agenda called a playlist based on data collected on the learner's performance from the previous day. The teacher or software can create this playlist. Depending on the playlist, the student may not have to go through all the stations on a given day. You might think of the Individual Rotation model as a hybrid between the Station Rotation model and the Flex model. It is also possible for a Station Rotation model to evolve into an Individual Rotation model over time.
In the Flex model, students are self-directed learners. This model will be best suited for learners in secondary, tertiary education, and homeschooling. The bulk of instruction takes place online. The teacher's role is that of facilitator and is there to give face-to-face, as-needed support to learners through small group or individual intervention. The Flex and Individual Rotation models are very similar in terms of classroom dynamics and the type of software used and that learners have personalized lesson plans. The two models differ mainly in the level of autonomy the student has. In the Individual Rotation model, the playlist is created by the teacher or software, while in the Flex model, the student will discuss their learning goals with their teacher but decide on how to achieve them on a flexible schedule.
Learners in the A La Carte Model do a mixture of fully online courses and face to face courses. The online courses can be done anywhere at any time, and the teacher for the course is online. This model may apply to medical schools or science institutions where the theory can be taught online and the practical and hands-on components be done at the brick-and-mortar institution. At the secondary school level, this type of model could offer flexibility for students to overcome timetabling clashes or even access courses from other schools that their school does not offer.
The bulk of instruction occurs online in the Enriched Virtual model. However, it is different from the Flex model in that the online learning takes place outside of the brick-and-mortar institution, and students are only required to attend school on designated days. When learners attend school, the face-to-face time is used for social collaborative activities, teacher-led instruction and for the students to give progress updates to their teachers and advisors.
Real-world examples of blended learning models:
More real-world examples in the 'Resources' section below.
Ok, so now we know what blended learning is; we know the major models of blended learning. It is time to discuss why blended learning is the way forward.
Why blended learning?
Our students have been learning remotely from home for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As educators, we understand the standard of remote learning has not been the same for all our students. Unfortunately, many of our students were disadvantaged due to socioeconomic status, resource availability, domestic situation, etc. So, when schools fully reopen, our students will vary in how much they have progressed since the last time they were physically in class. In fact, there is a strong possibility that some of our learners may have regressed. How do we successfully get all our students to the same level of competency? The traditional classroom, one size fits all approach will not be able to help, but a high-quality blended learning approach, which provides personalized learning, will allow students to learn at their own pace and teachers to work in small groups with students to address their challenges.
Blended learning allows us to go big but feel small. Because there are different learning modalities incorporated in blending learning models, the class can be divided into smaller groups of learners simultaneously working on the different modalities. For example, in the Station Rotation model some students are working online, while some are with the teacher and others are working collaboratively or on their own. Blended learning also adds a layer of social distancing.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to transition online rapidly. Understandably, this was accomplished with varying success. A significant component of blended learning is online learning. In the blended learning environment, students and teachers become familiar and comfortable working online. Blended learning online resources would have been thoughtfully created, implemented, and optimized. Educational institutions using a blended approach will have a smoother transition to completely learning online (remote learning) should a next public health crisis presents itself.
During my tenure as a university instructor, it was very common to see students struggle with transitioning from secondary school to first-year university. There is no one there to tell you to go to class or what to study at university, and students find adapting to that level of student autonomy and self-directed learning to be very challenging. Secondary schools adopting a blended approach can give students the experience they will need to be successful learners at the tertiary level.
The learners today are the leaders and workers of tomorrow. They will be tasked with solving complex problems that will require creative and innovative ways of thinking and doing. Technology is advancing exponentially, and the imperative is on educators to ensure that their learners are digitally literate and responsible digital citizens. A blended learning approach that embraces technology and promotes a community of inquiry will help produce the leadership and workforce we need tomorrow.
High-quality blending learning:
Data-Driven learning
Student agency
Increased student success
Increased student engagement
Personalized learning
Differentiated instruction
Personalized feedback
Immediate feedback
Student ownership/ownership of their learning
Individualized learning plans
Small group instruction
Move at their own pace
Adaptive learning
Mastery based education
Learning is dictated by mastery instead of time
Guide on the side
Team teaching
Motivation
Challenging
Authentic student engagement
Stronger academic outcomes
Higher-quality digital curriculum
Anytime anywhere learning
Confidence building
Increased teacher productivity
Blended learning offers the best of what online and face to face learning has to offer. Learners can learn at their own pace, and teachers can facilitate as needed, making blended learning a viable educational approach for the future.
And blended learning works!!!
The U.S. Department of Education: Blended learning increases participation and performance [3].
Blended learning increases academic performance and attendance [4].
The flipped classroom approach achieves higher levels of student achievement than traditional teaching [5].
How do we implement a blended learning program?
In this article, we will be discussing implementing a blended learning program at the following levels:
National/district
Education institution/School
Teachers
Students
Parents
National/District Level
COVID-19 is forcing us to change how we do things at a pace we have not experienced before. While the pandemic has brought us all to the table, we need buy-in from all stakeholders to successfully implement and execute the changes proposed.
Educational administrators will need to know that they have the support of their government regarding finances, infrastructure, and training. But at the same time, we have to be realistic considering the global economic situation we are in and expect that the government will not be able to provide all the resources we will need. This is where educational administrators will have to develop innovative solutions on how to acquire the required resources. Fortunately, we see that the corporate sector and NGOs are willing to assist. Educational institutions will have to reach out to their communities for help and explore what international grants may be available.
If we are changing the educational model at the national level, we should consider ourselves consumers at the national level. The government can negotiate with international companies for software and hardware that all schools can benefit from, such as Microsoft suite, Google Education Suite, Zoom etc. A better price plan can be negotiated from a government level than at a school level with these companies.
Governments will also need to give education leaders flexibility in how they implement their school's blended learning. There is no one size fits all when it comes to blended learning, and there should be flexibility for schools to try different things while at the same time, the schools remain transparent and accountable.
And while we are rethinking the educational model, why not put on our disruptive hats and discuss:
How can we improve assessment? Should a student advance to another level based on seat time or knowing a certain percentage of the work or having the right age, or should it be mastery-based?
Is there a way that personalized learning can take place in large class sizes?
Should a student spend the same amount of time in every subject?
Should there be only one teacher in a classroom?
Do all teachers have the same general role, or do teachers take on specific roles?
Why do we close the school term around June - August? Is that reasoning applicable today?
When should a school day start and end? When do students learn best?
Education institution/School level
It is easy to start focusing on constraints such as budget, digital infrastructure, resources, I.T. expertise, etc. when thinking about going blended. These are very important concerns.
But, if we focus on the constraints at the start, it limits the brainstorming phase, and we will most likely not achieve the blended learning approach we want for our learners.
The first thing schools should do is build consensus with their faculty, staff, and students. They need to understand why the transition to blended learning is necessary and how it will enhance their teaching and learning. Their fears and concerns should be addressed, and reassurances given by the administration that they are willing to work with all stakeholders to produce a product that will benefit all. Allow everyone an opportunity to provide input. More points of view will lead to a richer, transparent, and inclusive design. Consensus building gives people a feeling of ownership, and when you feel invested in something, you are intrinsically motivated to see it succeed.
Now that we have everyone excited and thinking about blended learning, we would want to think more about what kind of learning experience we want to achieve. How do learners navigate and use the blended approach to achieve the desired learning outcomes? Create profiles of the typical groups of learners at your institutions - academically strong, academically weak, special needs, first language is not the language spoken at the school, age, gender, ethnicity etc and think what they would need if they are all going to successfully reach the finish line.
Next, you will need to figure out which blended learning model best aligns with the learning experience you are trying to create. You will also have to consider additional factors when choosing your model. Younger children would require more guidance and social interaction and probably less screen time. The Rotation models may better suit the primary school level. If your learners have internet-ready devices and reliable internet connections at home, you might be considering the flipped classroom or the Enriched Virtual model. For Flex models to work, your learners have to be self-directed learners. Flex models tend to be used at the secondary level or higher. Homeschoolers gravitate towards a Flex model as well. Remember, every academic institution is unique - student needs, stakeholder expectations, available resources, etc. And when you start exploring what others are doing as blended learning, you will quickly realize that no one size fits all. Therefore, it is best to keep an open mind and explore many blended models and see what can work for your institution.
The next step will be one that will test the resilience and innovation of your institution. This step involves taking an inventory of the infrastructure and resources that you have, need updating, and still need for your blended learning approach to take life. This step will most likely send you back to the drawing board a few times to tweak your design.
Software
In this section, I will not be talking about specific examples of software that you could use. Instead, we will look at the holistic approach of choosing the right software for your blended learning program – the dos and don'ts and what to look out for. I give specific examples of software you can use in your blended learning approach in the 'Resources' section at the end of this article.
As I discussed earlier, the more users you have, the better the price plan you can negotiate with companies. So, see what your country/district is using. It might be a case that the software has already been purchased, and your school just needs to be added to the plan. If the software has not already been purchased, then advocate the benefits of using the software to other schools, get buy-in, and make a case to your district to get it.
Here are some things to consider when acquiring new software:
Try out the software before you commit. Good software will come with a free trial. Let your staff and learners try it out. Just because it does wonders for another school does not mean it is a good fit for yours.
Don't base your decision on just what the company claims about their software. Try it out for yourself and get feedback from others who have used it. Only consider what is in front of you. Some companies may try to sell you on updates coming in the future, but the truth is that most of these companies that offer blended learning software are small start-ups, and their timeline for rolling out new updates can be unpredictable.
Create a rubric for the software you want. This is a good way to compare competitors and choose the right software for you.
Be aware of software that does or promises too much. Remember 'Jack of all trades, master of none'. It is better to get a software suite where you have different applications doing specific things, such as the Microsoft Suite or Google Suite.
Find out what kind of support does the company give? Will the software company be offering training and in what way – a training manual, training videos, live person training. How is their customer support? Will, there be someone from the company assigned directly to you that you can contact should you need assistance?
Does the software you want to get work with what you already have? No sense you get software that only works on iOS (Apple) and you are running Windows (Microsoft). Ideally, you would want software that works on multiple operating systems and is also optimized for mobile use.
Be aware of the data privacy of your users. That should be stated clearly by the software providers.
Is the software freeware, shareware, or open-source? Open-source software is free and offers the most flexibility in that its source code is made freely available for modification. Open-source software, despite being free, tends to be of high quality, such as Moodle. The major drawback is that the installation and technical support will have to be in-house. You should only consider using open-source software if you have a dedicated I.T. team at your institution. Freeware is free for an unlimited time like open-source software, but the creators retain copyright so you cannot modify the source code to your liking. Shareware is free for a limited time, and then you will have to pay if you want to continue to use it.
Your learners may now be faced with logging into multiple applications. This will come with the burden of entering a username and password for each software they have to access. A single-sign-on (SSO) service can reduce that complexity by providing a portal where users only enter one username and password and get access to all the applications the school is using for their blended learning.
Hardware
Blended learning relies heavily on reliable and fast internet speed; you are looking at 100Mbs per 1000 users.
The learners will need internet-ready devices. You should determine the minimum specifications of these devices in terms of processor speed, memory, hard drive space, operating system, connectivity ports, etc. Schools should aim to obtain devices that exceed these minimum specifications. The more you can exceed these minimum specifications, the longer you delay the time for upgrading. These minimum specifications should be shared with parents interested in getting devices for their children to use at home.
You also need to take into consideration tablets vs. computers. Touch screen devices may be better suited for younger learners at the primary level, but learners in the secondary and tertiary levels would require a keyboard. Computers tend to have more processing power than tablets and will be better suited for more resource-heavy applications such as video editing and 3D rendering. It should be noted that there are high-end tablets available that have the processing power of mid-range desktops, but the price difference between these high-end tablets and desktop computers/laptops with the same specifications is quite significant.
Device acquisition will be one of your major pain points when putting together a blended learning approach, but it may not be the Herculean task you perceive it to be. In addition to government support, search for regional and international grants to help fund your blended learning initiative. The community has an invested interest in their schools. Ask for their support. Reach out to the cooperate world and NGOs. Ask companies if they have computers in the workspace that they are willing to donate. You may need to refurbish them, but it will still be a cost-saving process.
Don't let saving money dictate your purchasing decisions. Do your homework. Read reviews from reputable sources about the product. Compare different brands using the following criteria:
the average life span of the device,
the warranty,
and customer support.
We also need to consider the actual space the learners will be in. Does the traditional classroom set up of a teacher's desk and whiteboard in the front of orderly rows of student desks and chairs work? I ask rhetorically, of course. One option is to have the desks and chairs outfitted with wheels to move around, and therefore the room configuration can change based on the needs of the class. Also, your room should be outfitted with enough electrical outlets to accommodate the devices being used.
Teachers
Will technology replace teachers?
If your idea of teaching is standing in front of a class and reading out notes while your students write them down, then the answer is YES.
The truth is - teachers will remain the most influencing factor of student learning. But the role of the teacher has changed. Technology affords access to a wealth of information. No longer are teachers seen as the ultimate source of information or the sage on the stage, but now their role is that of facilitator or guide on the side. Teachers provide guidance, support, feedback, and motivation. Teachers help learners find their path to unlock their full learning potential.
Should all teachers have the same job description? It sounds like a weird question but hear me out. Good teaching requires a wide range of skills. Do we expect teachers to do all the skills equally well, or perhaps teacher specialists can be an option? For example, teachers teach classes in teams where some teachers are responsible for creating lesson plans, others work on assessment, those who are musically inclined will oversee circle time, and others could be responsible for media development. A team-teaching approach is probably easier to implement at the primary school level. At the upper secondary school level and beyond, it gets trickier as the field of study becomes more specialized. However, there can still be some level of differentiation of duties that can produce beneficial results.
Teachers will have to learn new and update existing skills. Some might be obvious such as digital literacy, video, and audio production. But others not so much, such as analyzing student data. The technology you are using is collecting very useful data from your learners. Does that mean you have to become a data analyst – NO, and the truth is that if you don't use the data, you will still enjoy many of the benefits that blended learning offers. But if you also use the data, you can bring your blended learning programme to a different level.
Most learning applications track user data. This means that the teacher can see how many students are working on the app, doing assignments, what they are getting wrong, student progress, etc. In most cases, the application will process and summarize the data for you on a dashboard. You, as the teacher, can use this data in many beneficial ways. You can see the major problem areas and address those in the next class and which students may need one-on-one intervention. Some applications even have predictive analytic capacity and can make predictions of which learners are most likely to drop out or fail so that real-time, as needed corrective interventions can be made. As A.I. technology advances, so too will what these applications can do.
Teachers will need the support of the administration. Not only in providing the correct infrastructure and training, but also administration must be willing to give their teachers the flexibility to customized the blending learning approach to suit their class needs. There should be adequate time in the timetable for teachers to prepare and plan their blending learning approach.
New hires
A blended learning environment has a significant technological component. Teachers and students will need to be trained in using the software and hardware. The hardware will need to be maintained and software updated.
The institution should do an inventory of the human resources they already have and see if current staff members can fulfill the additional technical support that will be needed. If not, then the institution would have to look into hiring new personnel. Another option would be to outsource the services. There could be an I.T. help desk that supports a few institutions. This can be done at the district or national level.
In blended learning models, the teacher is generally involved in some form of small group activity. Commonly, institutions will have additional paraprofessional educators/teaching assistants in the classroom who can facilitate the other stations. The cost of these additional hires may be absorbed because the blended class size can be larger than the traditional class but still have that personal touch since students are divided into groups doing different things. Also, if the situation permits, paraprofessionals can be volunteers such as parents.
Students
A dangerous assumption sometimes made is that students, because of their age, love technology and are natural users of technology; therefore, the transition from the traditional classroom to a blended one will be intuitive for them. Instead, we have to be very thoughtful about how we introduce students to the blended learning environment, and we have to give them time to make the transition. The first two weeks of the program should be dedicated to orientating the students.
Student orientation into a new blended learning initiative:
Explain why a blended learning approach is being used
Explain the different blended modalities being employed
Explain what is expected from learners at each modality
Teach students to be good digital citizens
Train learners in the use of the software and hardware
Establish routines:
What to do on a given day; What to do when having challenges with hardware or software
Ask for student feedback and make changes where necessary
Students spend a significant portion of their life at school. An essential role of a teacher is forming relationships with their students that will guide them to be responsible and caring citizens. This is particularly important when school finally opens in full. Many of our students will be returning to school with challenges and concerns that they did not have before the schools were closed due to the pandemic. Some students would have lost important people in their lives to COVID. Their parents may have lost their jobs, and now they are dealing with that hardship. In the year 2020, we witnessed events that showcased humanity in its most unevolved form – systemic racism, bigotry, hate, and violence. Yes, we should be focused on assessing where our students are academically and work hard to make up for potential lost learning, but it is equally important that we address students' fears and concerns. We need to invest in our learners' mental health and wellness, rebuild relationships, and recreate that sense of community in our schools.
Parents
Parents have always been an influential component in a student's learning and development. This relationship became even stronger with the closure of schools due to COVID-19, and the parent became the primary teacher. Parents became more knowledgeable of curriculum and learning strategies and more appreciative of what a teacher does, as is evident from the many social media posts on the matter. Don't lose that energy and level of engagement when schools reopen. Consult with parents when designing your blended learning programme and keep them informed of the changes, challenges, and successes. Have an Open Day where parents can come in and observe your blended learning programme in action. You will get more support from parents by having this high level of parental buy-in.
How we give parents student feedback can evolve from student report cards and parent-teacher meetings. Depending on the applications being used in the blended learning program, parents will be able to log in to a dashboard and track their child's progress in real-time. The technology can afford better parent-teacher partnerships.
The academic institutions should give some level of technical support to parents. This does not have to be elaborate and can come in the form of a newsletter. You would want to inform parents about how to access any data dashboards you might have, how to lock down their child's device to restrict access to non-learning applications, recommended device specifications they can get for their children. This initiative can make a big difference in the home learning experience.
Evaluation
Ok, so now that we have our blended learning approach in place, we need to test it to ensure that there is nothing that we missed. A good way is to map out a typical day for students.
Ask questions such as:
How does the student know where to start and what is expected of her?
How does the student access the technologies?
What happens when a student is having challenges with the learning material?
What happens if the student is having a technical challenge?
What happens if the electricity goes or the internet goes down?
You have stress-tested your systems and filled in gaps where necessary. But you will only really know how efficacious your blended learning approach is when your learners used it and give feedback. You should do an evaluation in the first couple of weeks that the program is running. That way, you can make changes that can affect the rest of the term. When the term is coming to an end, do another evaluation of the blended learning program. It is best practice to run these evaluations for every new cohort of students.
Iteration is a natural part of the design process. You definitely won't get everything right the first time. Every year a new group of students may also come with unique needs. Robust evaluations will keep your blended approach relevant and responsive to the needs of your learners.
How do we facilitate student engagement in a blended learning program?
You are in front of your class teaching a topic that you know inside out and have been teaching for years. But you can tell that not everyone is engaged. There will be three types of students in your class. The ones that are really in sync with all that you are doing and in the traditional classroom, you hope that this is the majority of your students. But there will also be students who are completely lost in the class and have stopped following you. This could be due to something they missed early. Unfortunately, teachers do not come with a rewind button. Then there is the third group of students who already understand what you are teaching and, while they may be kind enough to stay quiet in their seats, are bored and not learning anything new. So how do you engage the different needs of these learners? It will be challenging to accomplish this in a one size fits all teaching approach as is done in a traditional class. Fortunately, if you have been reading this article sequentially, you would already know that you can accomplish this with blended learning.
At the beginning of this article, I said that creating a blended learning approach is a thoughtful process. Only when the right elements are present will you get the engagement you are seeking. The best way to achieve this is to follow a framework.
The Community of Inquiry Framework (CoI)
The CoI framework proposed by Garrison et al. [6] discusses three types of presences for learning spaces: cognitive, social, and teaching. The CoI framework can be used to design blended learning environments. A framework will help prevent you from making incorrect assumptions and executing undeveloped ideas that don't manifest the way you had intended.
The CoI framework is based on Dewey's [7] theory of inquiry and Vygotsky's [8] social constructivism. Learners construct and confirm meaning when they are in a thoughtfully designed space that facilitates engagement with learning content and other learners. A learning experience that has cognitive, social, and teaching presences will produce critical thinkers.
The figure below summarizes what elements a blended learning environment would need based on the CoI framework. We subsequently explore each presence in more detail.
Cognitive presence
Garrison et al. [6] break down cognitive presence into four phases - a triggering event, exploration, integration, and resolution.
Essentially the four phases work like this. A triggering event gets your students curious and uncomfortable about what they think they know. That triggering event motivates your learners to explore and gather information to make sense of the experience. The learners then integrate the information they have collected into a formal response to the presented problem. Learners are now able to defend their intellectual position. At this stage, they may have achieved the learning objectives or maybe further triggered to go through the process again.
In the blended learning environment, the triggering event can present itself in a discussion or in the form of a problem or project-based activity. Digital databases and brick-and-mortar institutions like libraries, museums, and zoos can help learners explore relevant information. While community knowledge building is a cornerstone of CoI, space should also be provided for learners to self-reflect and make sense of meaning.
You will have a wide choice of assessment strategies since you are blending both the F2F and online modalities. Discussing these different choices is outside the scope of this article, but I encourage you to read my post, 'Assessment in Online Learning', for some ideas. You should look into authentic assessments, formative and summative assessments. There is also software that facilitates adaptive learning, where computer algorithms create customized learning resources and activities for learners. Adaptive learning programs are getting more sophisticated as advancements continue to be made in the fields of A.I. and learning analytics.
As with everything you design in a blended learning environment, you need to be always cognizant that you have access to both F2F and online settings. You should make decisions that would be best suited to maximize each modality's affordances and not just try to recreate what you do in a F2F classroom or fully online program. You can use your brick-and-mortar space for practical, hands-on assessments such as science labs or activities that would involve a live audience, such as student presentations. The online platform can facilitate media-rich projects such as e-portfolios, wikis, and video projects.
The primary indicator of a successful educational programme is a high cognitive presence. To achieve a high cognitive presence, we must ensure that there is a strong social and teaching presence.
Social presence
We want to create a safe space for our learners that fosters a climate of mutual respect and risk-free expression. From this sense of belonging to a community, learners work together to negotiate meaning and understanding.
Research [9] has reported that the more people know about other group members, the more they are open and responsive, thus creating a community of trust and belonging. When learners have opportunities to share personal information about themselves with other learners, they feel less socially isolated in the online space [10], and their perception of their fellow learners maybe even deeper than what could be achieved in the face-to-face setting.
If you have your class on a Learning Management System such as Canvas or Moodle, you can have your students create user profiles. In their user profile, they can include their profile picture and a brief description of themselves. This does not necessarily have to be text-based. You could give your students the choice to upload a video. The learners can include links to their personal website or other social media. I know, especially for the younger ones, you will be concerned about how much and what personal information is shared and how secure the information is. Firstly, check and comply with any policy your education institution may have on the matter. If you are on a LMS, then the information posted will be private and contained among the course participants. As the teacher, you should also provide guidelines on what is an acceptable profile. You can also help your students open up by creating an asynchronous 'Introductions' forum at the start of the course. They introduce themselves to other course participants and indicate what their expectations are for the course.
Your teacher's social presence is critical for your learners to feel connected to you and promote community belonging. Lead by example. If your class has online user profiles, ensure that your profile meets/surpasses the standards you expect from your students. You should include a profile pic, a brief up-to-date bio, and links to your professional sites. It does not have to be all professional. Give your learners an insight into who you are personally - your hobbies, etc. but don't overshare. The more your learners know about you, the more they feel connected to you, and the more they shall reach out to you.
At the heart of social presence is discourse. Educators should be conscious of the general pros and cons of the kinds of discussions we can have in the blended environment to optimize outcomes.
The synchronous discussions in the F2F setting tend to be fast-paced and unstructured. These kinds of discussions are ideal for brainstorming. The asynchronous online discussion is more structured and gives the learner time to reflect and address the problem. It also provides learners with introverted personalities a space to express themselves better. Asynchronous discussions afford higher-order cognitive learning [11-13] and will be effective at discussing complex topics
When learners are in each other's physical presence, they can observe the non-verbal cues such as smiles, tone of voice, eye contact, body language, facial expression, etc., of their fellow learners. You have to be mindful that the non-verbal cues are absent from text-based asynchronous online discussions. So, you might want to reserve discussions on controversial or sensitive topics to the F2F setting. Another option is to teach your students how to express feelings, appreciation, support, and encouragement via text. You may want to allow emojis or GIFs for certain online discussions.
Teaching presence
Teaching presence acts like the glue that keeps the CoI framework together.
How are you going to facilitate the cognitive and social processes that take place in your blended learning environment? What instructional design decisions will you make? While I use the term 'You', and in most cases, the responsibility will fall on the teacher, your students can also have a teaching presence. You should bring in your students in the design of the course. This gives them ownership and increases student agency.
Now that we have covered the different presences in the CoI framework, you should realize just how vital the teacher's role is in the blended learning environment. Teacher feedback is critical towards student success in the blended programme and in any educational approach.
Teacher feedback comes in a variety of ways. The obvious might be giving feedback to assessments. The key here is to keep the feedback personal, timely, explanatory, and constructive. Teacher feedback can also come in the form of participating in the online discussion forums. Besides guiding your learner's cognitive development, you also want to give your learners affective feedback. When your learners know that you are interested in them, have high expectations of them and that you want them to succeed, they are motivated to succeed.
I quickly realized how fluid a blended learning design could be as I was putting together my two-dimensional diagram for the CoI framework. For example, an assessment may initially fall under cognitive and teaching presence, but a social presence component can be easily added. So be ready for that. As you teach your class, you will be tweaking and changing things and keep in mind that when you have cognitive, social, and teaching presences working together, that's when the magic happens.
Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic strongly motivated us to teach differently. As we start planning for a post COVID world, let us not forget what we learned during the public health crisis and what we know is wrong with the traditional way we educate.
Blended learning is not a magic bullet, but the flexibility in its design allows itself to be manifested in many different forms that can meet the needs of many users.
Creating and implementing a blended learning approach takes time, thought, and a lot of hard work. Mistakes will be made, and you will need to rethink your design on probably more occasions than you would like, but that is all part of it, and you will get there.
This article is by no means an exhaustive resource for blended learning. For one thing, I did not talk about equity, inclusivity, and accessibility in blended learning, and I would have loved to go a lot deeper into some of the things I discussed above. So, let's look at this article as a conversation starter and continue the conversation in the comment section below.
What's Next
Please look at the 'Resources' section below for ideas on what you can incorporate in your blended learning approach. I do not endorse any one particular brand over another, and the list in each category are in alphabetical order. The 'References' section after that provides some great extra reading about blended learning.
There is no one size fit all way of doing blended learning. Please share your experiences with blended learning in the comment section below so we can learn from your successes and challenges. If you found resources that worked but not on my list (and believe me, there is a lot more out there), please share them in the comment section as well.
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Resources
Real-world examples of blended learning models:
Software and hardware reviews
Learning Management Systems (LMS)
Teachers can use a LMS to post announcements, create activities such as assignments, quizzes, discussion forums etc. and upload learning resources.
Creating Documents
Creating Spreadsheets
Creating Presentations
Cloud storage
Creating Graphics
Video Conferencing
Creating/Editing Audio
Creating/Editing Video
Creating screencasts
Video Hosting
eLearning authoring
Increasing interactivity and engagement
Blended learning teaching applications
Single Sign On service
References:
Garrison, D. R., & Vaughan, N. D. (2008). Blended learning in higher education: Framework, principles, and guidelines. John Wiley & Sons.
The Christensen Institute. (2020, June 03). Blended Learning Models. Retrieved November 21, 2020, from https://www.blendedlearning.org/models/
Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & Jones, K. (2009). Evaluation of evidence-based practices in online learning: A meta-analysis and review of online learning studies. (https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf)
Jones, K. A. (2018). Higher academic performance in an Asian university: Replacing traditional lecturing with blended learning (Doctoral dissertation). https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/handle/10220/46012
Lo, C. K., & Hew, K. F. (2019). The impact of flipped classrooms on student achievement in engineering education: A meta‐analysis of 10 years of research. Journal of Engineering Education, 108(4), 523-546. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20293
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (1999). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The internet and higher education, 2(2-3), 87-105.
Dewey, J. (1933). How we think, rev. edn. Boston: D.C. Heath.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1980). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard university press.
Cutler, R. (1995). Distributed presence and community in cyberspace. Interpersonal Computing and Technology: An Electronic Journal for the 21st Century, 3(2), 12 ± 32 (http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/_ipct-j/1995/n2/cutler.txt).
Shamp, S. (1991). Mechanomorphism in perception of computer communication partners. Computers in Human Behavior, 7(3), 147 - 161.
Applebee, A. N. (1984). Writing and reasoning. Review of Educational Research, 54, 577 - 596.
Fulwiler, T. (1987). Teaching with writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
White, E. M. (1993). Assessing higher-order thinking and communication skills in college graduates through writing. The Journal of General Education, 42, 105 - 122.
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