Blended learning is a broad and imprecise field that makes it difficult to define. However, in most cases, it is considered to be a form of hybrid learning that combines online and offline instructional methods.
Understanding blended learning
Blended learning is a combination of online learning and more traditional forms of face-to-face learning where each serves to enhance the other.
Indeed, in a typical blended course, instruction that occurs in a classroom is reinforced or supported by activities that take place in an online environment.
For teachers, blended learning is an approach that enables them to cater to all types of learners.
Students who prefer to learn in a structured environment will appreciate direct interaction with an instructor, while those who prefer to learn alone will find the semi-autonomous nature of learning online more to their tastes.
While schools and universities are the most obvious institutions to benefit from blended learning, businesses with diverse workforces can also use the approach to cater to a mix of learning styles.
Types of blended learning models
Some of the models of blended learning include:
Flipped
Where teachers prioritize active learning in face-to-face classes by distributing resources and materials before the class takes place.
For many organizations, this occurs in a learning management system (LMS).
Face-to-face
In this case, traditional classroom instruction is supplemented with technology so that students can learn at their own pace.
Flex
The flex model describes students that learn via an LMS and choose the direction of their study.
Teachers are present, but in more of a mentoring capacity to answer questions when required.
Enriched virtual
Where most of the coursework is completed online and supplemented with face-to-face online webinars led by an instructor.
Note that attendance at these webinars is at the discretion of the student.
Self–blend–motivated students
Who want to delve deeper into a subject can use the self-blend model.
Here, face-to-face instruction is augmented with additional content such as white papers, video tutorials, case studies, and industry blogs that are conveniently organized under an LMS.
Examples of blended learning
In the final section, we will describe some real-world examples of blended learning in action.
Sales
Blended learning in the context of sales training may comprise the following elements:
Important topics such as CRM, negotiation skills, and effective communication are offered via mobile-based videos. Gamification is also used to maintain student engagement.
Virtual instructor-led training (VILT) encompasses scenario-based discussion and role-play situations. Best practices, aids, and guidelines are made available as downloadable resources.
Simulated environments where role-play situations are explored in more detail and incorporated into VILT or face-to-face sessions.
A flipped blended learning model where students attend face-to-face classes and raise issues encountered while completing online exercises.
Healthcare
In a course to train healthcare professionals, a combination of learning methods was used to teach the skill of cannulation. In layman’s terms, this is the intravenous delivery of fluids, blood, and antibiotics to improve patient health.
Below is a list of learning outcomes and their associated instructional styles:
List the main veins in the forearm – online.
Name the primary components of the cannula. This is the thin tube that is inserted into the body – online.
Learning how to correctly insert the cannula – classroom.
Provide cannulation to patients – the bedside (mentored).
Compliance
Compliance training by its very nature needs to be rigorous, strict, and standardized to ensure the necessary outcomes are met.
How might this look in terms of blended learning?
Immersive learning is important for compliance training since most of the content will be learned by the student on their own. For best results, a self-paced style that incorporates micro-learning, scenario-based learning, and gamification is ideal.
To maintain student engagement and increase learning, various concepts, scenarios, and important case studies can be used to demonstrate the impact of non-compliance. This can either be a virtual or face-to-face training session.
Webinars run by business leaders can also be useful to add a human touch to the subject of compliance and clarify any trainee questions.
Key takeaways
Blended learning is a broad and imprecise field that makes it difficult to define. However, in most cases, it is considered to be a form of hybrid learning that combines online and offline instructional methods.
There are various blended learning models which educators use to disseminate online and offline content. These include flipped, face-to-face, flex, enriched virtual, and self-blend.
Blended learning is useful in limitless real-world scenarios. These include non-compliance training, sales training, and training for healthcare professionals.
fixed mindset believes their intelligence and talents are fixed traits that cannot be developed. The two mindsets were developed by American psychologist Carol Dweck while studying human motivation.
Both mindsets are comprised of conscious and subconscious thought patterns established at a very young age. In adult life, they have profound implications for personal and professional success.
Individuals with a growthmindset devote more time and effort to achieving difficult goals and by extension, are less concerned with the opinions or abilities of others. Individuals with a fixed mindset are sensitive to criticism and may be preoccupied with proving their talents to others.
Constructive feedback is supportive in nature and designed to help employees improve or correct their performance or behavior. Note that the intention of such feedback is to achieve a positive outcome for the employee based on comments, advice, or suggestions.
High-performance coaches work with individuals in personal and professional contexts to enable them to reach their full potential. While these sorts of coaches are commonly associated with sports, it should be noted that the act of coaching is a specific type of behavior that is also useful in business and leadership.
The training of trainers model seeks to engage master instructors in coaching new, less experienced instructors with a particular topic or skill. The training of trainers (ToT) model is a framework used by master instructors to train new instructors, enabling them to subsequently train other people in their organization.
Active listening is the process of listening attentively while someone speaks and displaying understanding through verbal and non-verbal techniques. Active listening is a fundamental part of good communication, fostering a positive connection and building trust between individuals.
Active recall enables the practitioner to remember information by moving it from short-term to long-term memory, where it can be easily retrieved. The technique is also known as active retrieval or practice testing. With active recall, the process is reversed since learning occurs when the student retrieves information from the brain.
The phrase “baptism by fire” originates from the Bible in Matthew 3:11. In Christianity, the phrase was associated with personal trials and tribulations and was also used to describe the martyrdom of an individual. Many years later, it was associated with a soldier going to war for the first time. Here, the baptism was the battle itself. “Baptism by fire” is a phrase used to describe the process of an employee learning something the hard way with great difficulty.
The Dreyfus model of skill acquisition was developed by brothers Hubert and Stuart Dreyfus at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1980. The Dreyfus model of skill acquisition is a learning progression framework. It argues that as one learns a new skill via external instruction, they pass through five stages of development: novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert.
The Kolb reflective cycle was created by American educational theorist David Kolb. In 1984, Kolb created the Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) based on the premise that learning is facilitated by direct experience. In other words, the individual learns through action. The Kolb reflective cycle is a holistic learning and development process based on the reflection of active experiences.
The Method of Loci is a mnemonic strategy for memorizing information. The Method of Loci gets its name from the word “loci”, which is the plural of locus – meaning location or place. It is a form of memorization where an individual places information they want to remember along with points of an imaginary journey. By retracing the same route through the journey, the individual can recall the information in a specific order. For this reason, many consider this memory tool a location-based mnemonic.
The Experience Curve argues that the more experience a business has in manufacturing a product, the more it can lower costs. As a company gains un know-how, it also gains in terms of labor efficiency, technology-driven learning, product efficiency, and shared experience, to reduce the cost per unit as the cumulative volume of production increases.
The Feynman Technique is a mental model and strategy for learning something new and committing it to memory. It is often used in exam preparation and for understanding difficult concepts. Physicist Richard Feynman elaborated this method, and it’s a powerful technique to explain anything.
Learning organizations are those that encourage adaptative and generative learning where employees are motivated to think outside the box to solve problems. While many definitions of a learning organization exist today, author Peter Senge first popularized the term in his book The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organisation during the 1990s.
The forgetting curve was first proposed in 1885 by Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German psychologist and pioneer of experimental research into memory. The forgetting curve illustrates the rate at which information is lost over time if the individual does not make effort to retain it.
Instructor-led training is a more traditional, top-down, teacher-oriented approach to learning that occurs in online or offline classroom environments. The approach connects instructors with students to encourage discussion and interaction in a group or individual context, with many enjoying ILT over other methods as they can seek direct clarification on a topic from the source. Instructor-led training (ILT), therefore, encompasses any form of training provided by an instructor in an online or offline classroom setting.
The 5 Whys method is an interrogative problem-solving technique that seeks to understand cause-and-effect relationships. At its core, the technique is used to identify the root cause of a problem by asking the question of why five times. This might unlock new ways to think about a problem and therefore devise a creative solution to solve it.
Single-loop learning was developed by Dr. Chris Argyris, a well-respected author and Harvard Business School professor in the area of metacognitive thinking. He defined single-loop learning as “learning that changes strategies of action (i.e. the how) in ways that leave the values of a theory of action unchanged (i.e. the why).” Single-loop learning is a learning process where people, groups, or organizations modify their actions based on the difference between expected and actual outcomes.
Spaced repetition is a technique where individuals review lessons at increasing intervals to memorize information. Spaced repetition is based on the premise that the brain learns more effectively when the individual “spaces out” the learning process. Thus, it can be used as a mnemonic technique to transform short-term memory into long-term memory.
Blended learning is a broad and imprecise field that makes it difficult to define. However, in most cases, it is considered to be a form of hybrid learning that combines online and offline instructional methods.
The term lessons learned refers to the various experiences project team members have while participating in a project. Lessons are shared in a review session which usually occurs once the project has been completed, with any improvements or best practices incorporated into subsequent projects.
Post-mortem analyses review projects from start to finish to determine process improvements and ensure that inefficiencies are not repeated in the future. In the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK), this process is referred to as “lessons learned”.
Instructor-led training is a more traditional, top-down, teacher-oriented approach to learning that occurs in online or offline classroom environments. The approach connects instructors with students to encourage discussion and interaction in a group or individual context, with many enjoying ILT over other methods as they can seek direct clarification on a topic from the source. Instructor-led training (ILT), therefore, encompasses any form of training provided by an instructor in an online or offline classroom setting.
The 5E Instructional Model is a framework for improving teaching practices through discussion, observation, critique, and reflection. Teachers and students move through each phase linearly, but some may need to be repeated or cycled through several times to ensure effective learning. This is a form of inquiry-based learning where students are encouraged to discover information and formulate new insights themselves.
Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
