Blended Learning Environments – The Best of Both Worlds

A main goal of higher education is to create a community that thrives on inquiry and the development of a passion for learning fostered by a challenging faculty and a student body that doesn’t easily accept the status quo.  I definitely experienced this in my undergraduate experience at a small, residential, liberal arts college.  In contrast, I completed my graduate degree in a fully online environment.  I must admit, I was highly skeptical of online education when I started.  By the time I finished my degree, however, I was convinced that online programs provided an invaluable asset to the global education community primarily by improving access to education for working adults.

As I consider doctoral programs, I now find myself looking for a blended (or low residency) program that incorporates some face-to-face time with peers and mentors along with online content for a majority of the courses so I can continue to work and to spend time with my family.  As one who has experienced a quality education in both delivery mediums, here is my quick summary of some key benefits of each option:

Face-to-Face

• Immediacy – more rapid peer socialization and trust at the beginning of a course especially for adult learners who may not be as comfortable with computer mediated communication
• Faculty are more easily able to quickly establish their personality and a rapport with students
• Live interaction that fosters synchronous discussion along with hands-on, collaborative classroom activities
• Sense of community on a residential campus and the informal opportunities for learning
• Most prestigious programs tend to be research focused – faculty are respected as thought leaders

Online

• Time and space independence improves access and flexibility for working adults and geographically dispersed student populations
• Levels the playing field between introverts / extroverts and urban / rural students
• Usually more cost effective
• Increased ability to track student performance against learning outcomes
• Largely responsible for advancing the cause of accountability for student learning
• Most valued faculty are those most effective in facilitating the teaching/learning process
• Allowing students to contribute to course content with web 2.0 technology

A well designed blended learning course brings the advantages of both learning environments together.  In a nutshell, the goal of blended learning is to replace the lecture with more intentional, collaborative activities in the face-to-face classroom.  Seat time in class should focus on taking advantage of the learning that has already occurred online with meaningful extensions and applications that capitalize on synchronous human interaction.

References

Garrison, D.R., & Vaughan, N (2008). Blended Learning in Higher  Education, Framework, Principles, and Guidelines (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Brian McKay Epp, M.Ed.
Academic Trainer and Consultant