Blended Learning

Session 1: IntroductionChris Fowler16/3/2011

Before we start…….• How many of you have taught online or blended

learning courses?• What problems or issues, if any, did you encounter?• What benefits, if any, resulted?• What were the costs, if any (time etc)?• Did the students like it? Not like it? How do you

know?• Any impact (+ or - ) on academic performance? How

do you know?• Did you have a choice on what technology to use?• How many of you have undertaken training on

MyElearning?

Overall Training Outcomes & Objectives

• To enable the creation of innovative, valid and valued blended learning courses by:– understanding the BL concept (S1)– Identifying requirements elicited from user roles (S2)– identifying learning activities suitable for the BL approach (S3)– identifying technical components that can be used to support

the learning activities (S4)– Mapping learning activities onto appropriate technical

components (S4,5 & 6) • By the end of the training you should have the K & S to

specify, implement and run an appropriate Blended Learning course ie be a competent BL practitioner.

Session 1 Objectives

1. To arrive at an agreed definition and common understanding of what we mean by Blended Learning.

2. To appreciate the influences and constraints on making blended learning decisions.

3. To gain an overall understanding of how to design a blended learning course.

But…..

• You will not become or need to become Educational Technology experts (but you will become a more critical consumer of Educational Technology)

• Technology is only as good as the pedagogy – don’t be seduced by the latest gadget!

• Learning is learning regardless of whether its mediated through technology (there is no such thing as elearning or even blended learning there’s just learning!).

The Schedule

Date AM Session (10.00-12.00) PM Session (1.00 – 3.00)

16/3/11 S1: Introduction to Blended Learning (CF)

FREE (Staff Mtg)

23/3/11 S2: Instructional Design 1 (CF) S3: Instructional Design 2 (CF)

06/4/11 FREE S4: MyElearning Practical (finishing at 4.30) (JG)

13/4/11 S5: Conferencing Tools 1 (SFH) S6: Conferencing Tools 2 (SFH)

Every Wed Clinics (except when staff meetings are scheduled)

Structural OverviewSession 1:Overview of the training and understanding

Blended Learning (the what, why, how and when).

Session 2 : User Role Analysis: Deriving Learning Management Requirements & Introduction to Session 3

Session 3:Learning Activities Analysis: Deriving Pedagogical requirements .

Session 4:Using MyElearning’s Functionality

Session 5 & 6: Using conference tools’ Functionality

Inputs & Outputs

• Input is the Course Description (Traditional)• Output is the ID Specification (Blended)• The training will hopefully describe a process

for transforming your current course (Course description) into a blended course (ID specification)

Blended Learning Definitions

• Brainstorm some definitions

Blended Learning Definition (1)• Blended Learning refers to a mixing of different learning environments.

Blended learning gives learners and teachers a potential environment to learn and teach more effectively.

Learning EnvironmentsCLASSROOM (f2f) OTHERONLINE

Blended Learning Definition (2)• An educational formation that integrates elearning activities including

online delivery of materials through web pages, discussion boards and/or email with traditional teaching methods including lectures, in-person discussions, seminars, or tutorials.

Mayes’ Learning Stages

Conceptualisation

Construction

Dialogue

Audio StreamingVideo StreamingHTML pages

WhiteboardsConferencing( audio, video, text)

Java, ShockwaveRemote sensors

Delivery technologies....

Lectures,Text booksTV, Radio, CDs

Laboratories, seminars, field work, workshops, practicals

Tutorials, informalchats,

Mayes’ Stage Generic Learning Activity/learning outcomes Mini-learning Activities

Conceptualisation Expose to new concepts, theories and facts Receiving Information; scoping domains; identify boundaries; generalize from given facts;

Gather Facts/concepts Gather resources; brainstorming a concept; discover facts; interpret facts; classify facts;

Present & Explain facts or concepts Ability to organise and present material in a timely, logical and coherent way.

Construction Evaluate Facts/concepts Develop values; Synthesis of key findings from a range of resources; Ranking and rating a set of values; make judgments; make comparisons; interpret facts; recognize subjectivity

Build/test theories/concepts Recognise patterns; draw conclusions; predict outcomes; construct models; follow instructions; apply knowledge; demonstrate outcomes; plan experiments; state rules;

Solve Problems Investigating a problem; analyze wholes into parts; synthesize parts into wholes; apply principles; select effective solutions; use methods, concepts, theories in new situations

Acquire Skills Sequence parts; practice sequences

Acquire and apply knowledge to perform in real world settings

Observing, analysing and reflecting upon other people’s real world behaviours, and then practicing those behaviours in real world settings

Dialogue Reflect critically Self assessment of level of competence; critique own performance; recognize own limitations;

Engage in discussion Defend a position; Setting up teams of learners; establishment of different roles in a team; Discussion; Sharing ideas and coming up with a combined list

The Learning Activities

Blended Learning Definition (3)• involves a combination of traditional classroom-based learning and

remote Distance Learning formats. In a blended course, students are usually required to attend some classes on campus while completing other technology-based work remotely.

Blended Learning Continuum Format Title Technology Format Teacher

Centered

100% f2f

Traditional Chalk & Talk/Phys Labs

Audio/Visual Overhead/TV/VCR/PPT

CAI Computer labs

Blend-ed

Web Supported

F2f + Static Materials & Communications

Web Enhanced

Above + Local + Web Resources

Web Enabled Above + e-learning tools

100% DE

Web Delivered

Online LMS StudentCentered

Web-based Learning activities Web - Supported

Web -Enhanced

Web - Enabled

Web -Delivered

• Used to post or distribute materials in a f2f course

• Provides administrative convenience

• Does not enhance learning

• No teacher presence online

• enriched f2f course with posted &Internet resources

• May have some teacher-ledasynchronous activities

• Student use of materials or activities is usually optional

• f2f course with online learning activitiesthat replace some f2f activities

• Teacher provides feedback online

• Online quizzes & assignments

• Student participation is mandatory

• 100% online course delivery with little or no f2f sessions

• f2f used for orientations, lab work, or proctored exams

• 100% teacher presence online

VOLUNTARY MANDATORY

Weak BLENDED Strong

Understanding the mix: Levels of Granularity

• Institutional – Some programmes completely online others

completely traditional = Blended?• Programmes

– Some courses completely online others completely traditional = Blended?

• Course– Some sessions completely online others

completely traditional = Blended?

Blended Learning Definitions

• The phrase has many specific meanings based upon the context in which it is used.

• In our context definition 3 is preferred:Blended Learning involves a combination of traditional classroom-based learning and remote Distance Learning formats. In a blended course, students are usually required to attend some classes on campus while completing other technology-based work remotely.

Why Blend?

• Brainstorm

Why Blend?

• More effective learning?• More flexible (time & place) learning?• More cost effective use of resources?• Students prefer it?

But……• Technology constraints (everybody has to have

some technology and know how to use it)’• Computer Security constraints (firewalls etc)• Pedagogical constraints (not understanding

how to use the technology effectively)• Institutional constraints (lack of data; lack of

commitment; lack of policies; lack of know-how)

• Time & resource constraints (any transformation takes time, money and effort)

How? Making the right decisions.

• Brainstorm – 1. what do we need to consider in making the

decision to adopt a blended learning approach?2. How do we decide which components of our

course should go online?

How? Making the right decisions.

Mayes’ Stage Generic Learning Activity/learning outcomes Mini-learning Activities

Conceptualisation Expose to new concepts, theories and facts Receiving Information; scoping domains; identify boundaries; generalize from given facts;

Gather Facts/concepts Gather resources; brainstorming a concept; discover facts; interpret facts; classify facts;

Present & Explain facts or concepts Ability to organise and present material in a timely, logical and coherent way.

Construction Evaluate Facts/concepts Develop values; Synthesis of key findings from a range of resources; Ranking and rating a set of values; make judgments; make comparisons; interpret facts; recognize subjectivity

Build/test theories/concepts Recognise patterns; draw conclusions; predict outcomes; construct models; follow instructions; apply knowledge; demonstrate outcomes; plan experiments; state rules;

Solve Problems Investigating a problem; analyze wholes into parts; synthesize parts into wholes; apply principles; select effective solutions; use methods, concepts, theories in new situations

Lab-based Acquire Skills Sequence parts; practice sequences

Acquire and apply knowledge to perform in real world settings

Observing, analysing and reflecting upon other people’s real world behaviours, and then practicing those behaviours in real world settings

Dialogue Reflect critically Self assessment of level of competence; critique own performance; recognize own limitations;

Engage in discussion Defend a position; Setting up teams of learners; establishment of different roles in a team; Discussion; Sharing ideas and coming up with a combined list

The Learning Activities Web-based

When – timings?

• All M.Ed courses & the Dip .Ed (Tobago) course must have a BL component by the next academic year.

• Weak or Strong?– Competence level (teachers and learners)– Available time (to implement the design)– Available technologies (Myelearning is the only

guaranteed option)• Design for a ‘strong’ blend but create a ‘phase

release plan’ (i.e. prioritize).

Key Messages

• Requirements are independent of solutions• Innovate don’t emulate.• Technology is the easy part – the human

factors (e.g. motivation, learning, management of change) are the difficult part.

• No technology without pedagogy – no pedagogy without technology.

• Sometimes learner, sometimes teacher – your role will change.

....now that we have finished

• How many of you now understand what we mean by Blended Learning?

• Do you have an appreciation of the costs and benefits of ‘going blended’?

• Do you have an appreciation of how to design a blended learning course?

• Are you hungry?

The Next Session

Date AM Session (10.00-12.00) PM Session (1.00 – 3.00)

16/3/11 S1: Introduction to Blended Learning (CF)

FREE (Staff Mtg)

23/3/11 S2: Instructional Design 1 (CF) S3: Instructional Design 2 (CF)

06/4/11 FREE S4: MyElearning Practical (finishing at 4.30) (JG)

13/4/11 S5: Conferencing Tools 1 (SFH) S6: Conferencing Tools 2 (SFH)

Every Wed Clinics (except when staff meetings are scheduled)

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to the Blended Learning Strategy group:

• Margaret Cain• Madgerie Jameson• Sandra Figaro-Henry• Debra Ferdinand

And to John Gedeon (Planning & Development)And thank you for participating!