BLENDED LEARNING (BL)

 The advancement of digital learning platforms  had a massive influence on educational institutions and has eventually put the conventional procedures in the back seat. However, there are demands for both technology and traditional learning methods. As a result of this, the art of integrating digital learning tools with more traditional classroom face to face teaching gave birth to the term “Blended Learning”. 

Blended Learning is not a sheer combination of online and face-to-face mode, but it implies a well-planned a medley of meaningful activities in both procedures. The blend demands consideration of various factors, primarily pointing to learning outcomes and the learner-centred instructional environment. The NEP-2020 states that while stimulating digital learning and education, the significance of face-to-face in-person learning is fully recognized. Accordingly, numerous effective models of blended learning will be recognized for suitable replication for different subjects.

The important features of a Blended Learning  environment are: 

* Elevated student engagement in learning 

* Enhanced teacher and student interaction. 

* Responsibility for learning

* Time management and flexibility 

* Improved student learning outcomes 

* Increased institutional reputation

* More creative teaching and learning environment 

* More amenable for self and continuous learning 

* Better alternatives for experiential learning

ROLE OF TEACHERS IN BLENDED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Blended Learning switches the teacher’s role from knowledge provider to guide and mentor. This transition does not imply that teachers play a stagnant or less essential role in students’ education. Traditionally, classroom instruction has primarily been teacher-directed, top-down, and one-size-fits-all, with a bit of differentiation thrown in, but with Blended Learning, it now becomes more student-driven, bottom-up, and customized, with differentiation as the central characteristic. This recent learning dynamic is due to the enhanced role of technology in instruction. Blended Learning contributes a suitable balance between online instructions, which extends interactive, tech-based learning, individualized pacing, and privacy that keeps students continuously involved and motivated, and teacher-led instruction, which personalizes the learning experience and adds the human elements of encouragement, compassion, and caring guidance that only teachers can give. This new learning dynamic benefits students and teachers alike. Providing students permission and space to become active learners who attain knowledge directly lets them infer some control over their learning and enables them to develop self-reliance. As more students are working independently, time opens up for teachers to provide face-to-face support and individualized instruction more frequently for more students, effectively improving differentiation. Blended Learning provides teachers with a fuller, more accurate picture of how each student is doing. Blended Learning generates more periodic and more personal interaction with individual students, teachers have the opportunity to deepen and strengthen student/teacher relationships.

THE BENEFITS OF BLENDED LEARNING

• Opportunity for collaboration at a distance

• Increased flexibility: Technology-enabled learning allows for learning anytime and anywhere, letting students learn without the barriers of time and location but with the possible support of in-person engagement.

• Proposes a platform promote greater interactivity between students, as well as between students and teachers. 

• Enhanced learning: Additional types of learning activities improve engagement and can help students achieve higher and more meaningful levels of learning. 

•  Provides making learning resources and experiences repeatable, reliable and 

reproducible

• Identification of learning gaps and giving proper feedback

•  Scaffolding and Support to learners

•  Syllabus, Learning Outcomes, reading/viewing resources, announcements and instructions for individual as well as group activities, etc. will be uploaded on LMS in advance.

BLENDED LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Online mode of learning refers to several synchronous and asynchronous learning 

activities such as: 

• accessing resources, mainly in the form of Open Educational Resources (consisting formats such as text, graphics, animations, simulations, gaming, interactive multimedia, etc.) uploaded on LMS by the instructor 

• accessing links, eResources, digital libraries suggested by the instructor as well as explored individually or in groups. 

• studying MOOCs/ SMOCs, etc. by the learner as per guidelines by the instructor 

• attending online virtual sessions of the instructor 

• performing individual or group activities using any ICT tool or platform 

• participating in the workshops/webinars as per suggested by the instructor related to the curriculum 

• completing assignments and uploading on LMS / submitting to the instructor using other ICT platforms 

• attempting tests/quizzes 

• engaging into virtual labs, simulations, museums, etc.

• engaging in webinars, e-conferences, online short term training programmes, etc. 

• engaging in online internships/ projects, etc. 

• engaging in any activity directly related to the course curriculum for which learner is not needed to visit the classroom physically but needs to use digital devices and internet connectivity

 

Face-to-face  Mode refers to several activities to be performed by meeting in the classroom such as: 

• attending instructor’s short duration lectures for introducing or summarizing topics, understanding complex concepts 

• resolving queries based on self-learning or group-learning 

• participating ingroup activities in the classroom with peers, mainly for analyzing and applying information sought through eResources, 

• collaborating and co-creating new knowledge 

• borrowing and accessing books and periodicals from the library,  field visits, sports, etc. 

• face-to-face training, physical training, apprenticeships, internships, etc. 

• physical labs, hackathons, working in maker spaces, etc.

• appearing for periodical assessments, summative tests on-campus, etc. 

• Any instructional activity for which students and teachers physically meet on the campus or else out of campus in the same geographical environments in the light of learning outcomes

ROLE OF A LEARNER IN THE BLENDED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

• Increase student interest: When technology is integrated into school lessons, learners are more likely to be interested in, focused on, and excited about the subjects they are studying. 

• Keep students focused for longer: The use of computers to look up information & data is a tremendous lifesaver, combined with access to resources such as the internet to conduct research. This engagement and interaction with the resources keep students focused for longer periods than they would be with books or paper resources, this engagement also helps develop learning through exploration and research. 

• Provides student autonomy: The use of eLearning materials increases a student’s ability to set appropriate learning goals and take charge of his or her learning, which develops an ability that will be translatable across all subjects. 

• Creates an attitude of self-advocacy: Students become self-driven and responsible, tracking their achievements, which helps develop the ability to find the resources or get the help they need, self-advocating so they can reach their goals. 

• Promote student ownership: BL promotes a sense of ‘student ownership over learning’ which can be a powerful force propelling the learning, It’s this feeling of responsibility that helps the feeling of ownership. 

• Allow instant diagnostic information and student feedback: The ability to rapidly analyze, review and give feedback to student work, gives the teacher the ability to tailor his teaching methods and feedback for each student while improving time efficiency.

• Enables students to learn at their own pace: Due to the flexibility of BL and the ability to access it  internet resources allows students to learn at their own pace, meaning a teacher can help speed up the learning process or give more advanced resources if necessary. 

• Prepares students for the future: 

BL offers a multitude of real-world skills, that directly translate into life skills, from Research skills, Self-learning, Self-engagement, Helping to develop a ‘self-driving force, Better decision making, Offering a  larger sense of responsibility, Computer literacy etc.

SEVEN SAMPLE CONFIGURATIONS OF BL ACTIVITIES TO CONSIDER FOR THE BL TEACHING SITUATION

• Blended face-to-face /“face-to-face driver model,” the blended face-to-face class model is based in the classroom, although a significant amount of classroom time has been replaced by online activities. Seat time is required for this model, while online been replaced by online activities. Seat time is required for this model, while online activities are used to supplement the in-person classes; readings, quizzes or other assessments are done online at home. This model allows students and faculty to share more high-value instructional time because class time i wes used for higher-order learning activities such as discussions and group projects.

• Blended online class 

Sometimes referred to as the “online driver model,” this class is the inverse of the blended face-to-face class. The class is mostly conducted online, but there are some required in-person activities such as lectures or labs. 

• The flipped classroom:- The flipped classroom reverses the traditional class structure of listening to a lecture in class and completing homework activities at home. Students in flipped classes watch a short lecture video online and come into the classroom to complete activities such as group work, projects or other exercises. The flipped classroom model can be seen as a sub-model of the blended face-to-face or blended online class. 

• The rotation model 

In this model, students in a course rotate between various modalities, one of which is online learning. There are various sub-models: station rotation, lab rotation and individual rotation. Some of these sub-models are better suited to K–12 education; station rotation, for example, requires students to rotate between stations in the classroom at an instructor’s discretion. Others work well on a college campus; the lab rotation model, for example, requires students in a course to rotate among locations on campus (at least one of which is an online learning lab). In the individual rotation model,a student rotates through learning modalities on a customised schedule. 

• The self-blend model 

While many of the BL models on this list are at the course level, self-blending is a programme-level model and is familiar to many college students. Learners using this model are enrolled in a school but take online courses in addition to their traditional face-to-face courses. They are not directed by a faculty member and choose which courses they will take online and which they will take in person. 

• The blended MOOC 

The blended MOOC is a form of the flipped classroom using in-person class meetings to supplement a massive open online course. Students access MOOC materials - perhaps from another institution or instructor if the course is openly accessible - outside of class and then come to a class meeting for discussions or in-class activities. 

• Flexible-mode courses 

Flexible-mode courses offer all instruction in multiple modes - in person and online and students choose how to take their course. An example of this is San Francisco State University’s hybrid flexible (HyFlex) model, which offers classroom-based and online options for all or most learning activities, allowing students the ability to choose how they will attend classes: online or in person.

HAFNA H

I B.Ed ENGLISH 

SNTC NEDUNGANDA

REFERENCES 

Beaver, J. K., Hallar, B., & Westmaas, L. (2014). Blended learning: Defining models and examining conditions to support implementation. PERC Research Brief. 

http://8rri53pm0cs22jk3vvqna1ub-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-

content/uploads/2015/11/Blended-Learning-PERC-Research-Brief-September-

2014.pdf

Cleveland-Innes, M., & Wilton, D. (2018). Guide to blended learning 

http://oasis.col.org/bitstream/handle/11599/3095/2018_Cleveland-Innes-

Wilton_Guide-to-Blended-Learning.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Huang, R., Ma, D., & Zhang, H. (2008, August). Towards a design theory of blended learning curriculum. In International Conference on Hybrid Learning and Education (pp. 66-78). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.