There are many reasons to use a blended learning approach in course design. Before starting a course design process, it is useful to stop and reflect on the reasons and desired goals for such approach. The following are benefits of blended learning by audience:
For Students
- Improves ability to personalize learning.
- Increases flexibility in course scheduling.
- Improves student engagement and motivation.
- Creates learning communities across time and geolocation.
For Faculty
- Improves pedagogy used in course by increasing the level of active learning strategies, peer-to-peer learning strategies, and learner-centered strategies used.
- Provides flexible scheduling and delivery of information by “offering a mix of traditional and technology mediated channels to provide more options for non-traditional students (Graham, 2005).”
For institution
- Increases cost effectiveness and efficiency by finding solutions that are more cost-efficient than the current, traditional teaching methods.
- Extends time and stretches resources.
- Has the potential to expand the reach of effective teachers.
- Reduces “seat time.”
BLENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Wisconsin Experience and the Essential Learning Outcomes initiative encourages instructors to facilitate the following practices in their course:
- substantial research experiences that generate knowledge and analytical skills;
- global and cultural competencies and engagement;
- leadership and activism opportunities; and
- application of knowledge in the “real world”
This initiative strives to help students develop the following skills before they graduate:
| Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world | Intellectual and practical skills | Personal and social responsibility | Integrative Learning |
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In the book, The Handbook of Blended Learning, Curtis Bonk, Kyong-Jee Kim, and Tintin Zeng contribute chapter called “Future Directions of Blended Learning in Higher Education and Workplace Learning Setting.”
| Future predictions for most-widely used pedagogical techniques for e-learning in higher education settings | ||
| Response Options | Number of Respondents | Response Ratio (%) |
| Group problem-solving and collaboration tasks Problem-based learning Discussion Case-based strategies Simulation and role play Student-generated content Coaching or mentoring Guided learning Exploration or discovery Lecturing or teacher-directed activities Modeling solution process Socratic questioning |
356 316 237 228 198 190 162 155 147 60 49 47 |
65.4 58.1 43.6 41.2 36.4 34.9 29.8 28.5 27.0 11.0 9.0 8.6 |
| Future predictions for most-widely used pedagogical techniques for e-learning in workplace learning settings | ||
| Response Options | Number of Respondents | Response Ratio (%) |
| Authentic case scenarios Simulations or gaming Virtual team collaborations Problem-based learning Coaching or mentoring Guided learning Self-Paced learning Exploration or discovery Modeling solution processes Discussion Debates and role play Lecturing Socratic Questioning |
145 115 107 97 90 86 79 45 44 41 36 3 5 |
63 50 46.5 42.2 39.1 37.4 34.3 19.6 19.1 17.8 15.7 13.5 2.2 |