Topic 4 - Design for online and blended learning

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Before topic 4, I was not that familiar with the concept blended learning. When I started to search for information and read about it, the first impression I got was that blended learning was a combination of face-to-face and online interactions. After reading more about this topic, I realise it´s more complicated than just take a little bit from both approaches. One thing that I came across in an article by Vaughan, et al. (2013) is that when combining these two approaches in your blended course, it is important that you plan and think through before you launch your blended course. You have to consider what type of online activities that could be useful to include in your course and how they can be a good addition to your face-to-face activities. How they can function together and become supplement to each other. There is no use in just add more and more activities to the course, just because you “have” to. You need to find that good balance between the two approaches, so that you get an inspiring course that your participants are willing to take but also fulfill. I know it can be tricky to get your students to persist and to continue with the course. To prevent drop outs I think that a good approach is to include the new students early on in the course, preferable before the course has even started. Maybe send them an email and ask them to answers some questions about what they expect from the course and how they are planning to participate in the course. Make them aware that someone behind the screen in another city or country know about their existence and that someone is curious about them and really want them to participate in the course. Make them feel included and part of the community from the start. 

When planning and organising your blended course, you also need to consider your target audience. How digital literate are your course participants? How do they use internet? How familiar are they with different tools and platforms? Using online features creates new opportunities for learning, but it could also be a hinder if you are not that familiar with the online world. I think that using a few easy tools could be a good approach to get everyone on board. And provide good technical support, so that your students don´t drop of your class just because they don´t know how to use a specific tool or experience the online activities too difficult. Not know how to use a tool should not be a source to frustration.

Reference:

Vaughan, N. D., Cleveland-Innes, M., & Garrison, D. R. (2013). Conceptual Framework. Teaching in blended learning environments: Creating and sustaining communities of inquiry. Edmonton: AU Press, pp. 7-18.