Guidance for Designing Blended Courses

Andrew Black, University of UtahGlenn LeBlanc, University of Maine System

The Distance that Really Matters

Combination of:

On-site and online

Synchronous and asynchronous

“Best of both worlds” (Dziuban, Hartman and Moskal 2004)

“Thoughtful integration” (Garrison and Kanuka 2004)

Blended learning

Motivation

Real-world problems

Application / integration of new knowledge

Avoid information overload

Reflection

Good learning environments

Cooperation

Multiple perspectives

Critical debate

Open dialogue

Others?

No student engagement

Surface-level engagement

In-class activities replicate online activities

Focus on credentials rather than learning

Other effects?

Blended Gone Bad

Promoting Understanding

Online /Asynchronous

Online /Asynchronous

On site /Synchronous

Understanding

Build Strengthen Use

Basic facts, concepts, principles, axioms, theories…

Reflection, practice, feedback, remediation, assessment

Chunking and cognitive load

“Learning objects”: audio, video, text, manipulables/simulations, self assessments

Arthur C. Clarke: “Any teacher that can be replaced by a machine should be.”

1. Building Understanding

“Overall … promoting self-reflection, self-

regulation and self-monitoring leads to more

positive online learning outcomes. Features such

as prompts for reflection, self-explanation and

self-monitoring strategies have shown promise

for improving online learning outcomes.”

U.S. Department of Education meta-analysis

“…positive effects for techniques such as prompts that

encourage students to assess their level of understanding or

set goals for what they will learn whereas mechanisms such

as guiding questions or advance organizers had mostly null

results. … In a related vein, there is some evidence that

online learning environments with the capacity to

individualize instruction to a learner’s specific needs

improves effectiveness.”

-- U.S. Department of Education. Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in

Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies.

September 2010.

Metacognition

Elaboration / making connections

Finding and sharing

alternative explanations

examples and non-examples

Move toward complexity / transfer

Benefit of multiple sources

2. Strengthening Understanding

“The ability to solve very complex and ill-structured problems

requires that students learn to think differently than they normally

do in classrooms and training sessions, where they focus on

memorization and comprehension. Students are unable to solve ill-

structured problems because they cannot think flexibly enough.

Throughout their education, they are taught only one point of view:

that of their teachers. If students comprehend that point of view

well enough to pass the quiz or exam, they are rewarded with a

good grade.”

- Jonassen, D.H. (2004) Learning to Solve Problems. An Instructional Design Guide. San

Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Problems Everywhere…

Discussion and perspective sharing

Creation of new works

Ill-structured problem solving

Cognitive flexibility

Authentic experience and assessment

Teachers vs. machines (Arthur C. Clark revisited)

3. Putting Understanding to Use

Managing the Mixed Environment

Andrew Black, Ph.D.

Mixed/Hybrid/Blended Learning

Mixed/Hybrid/Blended learning can mean many things. For example: An online class which meets at least once in a

traditional classroom setting An on-ground course which submits all work

electronically and engages in classroom discussions through an LMS

A traditional on-ground class mixed with distance students attending live through videoconferencing, webconferencing or video streaming

A combination of on-ground, online, web and videoconferencing in the same live class setting

What other examples do you have?

The Mixed Classroom

Web and Videoconferencing Together

Challenges Challenges exist in managing both the classroom

AND the technology at the same time

Live in-class as well as live distance students by video

Live web-conferencing, sharing PPT, desktop and applications

Live chat monitoring and responding

Holding in-class activities that engage both the on-ground and distance students equally

Engaging with the distance students equally with the traditional students

Group work

What do you do… If the students are required to give

presentations, both local and distance?

If one or more of the technologies fails?

Audio

Video

Webconferencing

Desktop/application sharing

Multimedia such as YouTube or other videos

Attention to Students

Mixed classroom with synchronous videoconferencing

Raised hands can be seen, students engaged, but teachers must discipline themselves to watch the screens too

Webconferencing with limited video feeds makes this more difficult

Webconferencing systems enable:

Desktop, application and multimedia sharing

Live chat features

Live whiteboard capabilities

Other Methods Additional options:

Have more than one instructor assigned to the class so that one can lecture and the other can run the technology/monitor the webconferencing classroom

Employ a TA or assign a student for each class session to manage the technology allowing the teacher to focus on teaching

Employ a technician to ensure the classroom is set up and running before each session, and is available for immediate response in the case of a system failure

Group Work How do you do group work in a mixed

classroom?

Generally, distance students work in a group while local students are broken in to groups as well

Technology limitations for mixing distance and local students in workgroups during a live class.

Using webconferencing systems, breakout rooms can be set up for distance and local students to chat and engage in group activities.

Distance and local students benefit from mixed engagement

What is the Goal? Ultimately, the need/demand for mixed classroom

environments varies:

Institutional and student needs

Availability of funds and technology support (or lack thereof…)

Making the distance classroom simulate the traditional classroom: “…there is some evidence that online learning environments with

the capacity to individualize instruction to a learner’s specific needs improves effectiveness.” -- U.S. Department of Education. Evaluation of Evidence-Based

Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies. September 2010.

How do student learning needs factor in?

What about the students’ comfort levels with technology?