Title

Blending It All Together

Abstract

The authors of these chapters use several effective approaches to inquiry that develop a series of important findings. For instance, blended teaching and learning can be scaled effectively across multiple institutions as long as that scaling is based on established best practices and strong support mechanisms. However, one of the problems with widespread adoption involves the loss of granularity in evaluation data. Another finding from the research reported here shows that students involve themselves in the blending process informally by using multiple course modalities to design individualized programs of study, thereby potentially decreasing their time to completion. Class interaction patterns become significantly altered in the blended learning environment where student engagement reflects not only involvement with peers and instructors but course content and the learning platform as well. Blended course models are impacted significantly by the community of inquiry model-cognitive, social and teaching presence influencing students’ perceptions of their learning environment. Other findings demonstrate that engagement benchmark data can be evaluated by multiple cohorts in the redesign of effective field-based learning experiences for students. Research suggests that over the long run, blended learning is sustainable, reducing the importance of course modality because concentration focuses on learning rather than tools or format. Many studies directly state or imply that research designs in blended learning must be updated continually, based on double feedback loops emanating from several rounds of data collection making the case for designbased research. The findings make a clear case that blended courses provide a superior environment for students to develop their skills and concept of understanding through multiple reinforcing study opportunities. In order to be effective and meaningful, research conducted at the institutional level should be augmented with the scholarship of teaching and learning within specific disciplines conducted by both faculty and students. Conclusively, the data show that high quality faculty development is the cornerstone of effective blended programs. However, demographic characteristics of the student population should be considered in professional development activities, with the caveat that teaching and learning in the blended environment runs the risk of overburdening both faculty and students. Looking across several studies in this book it becomes clear that blended learning offers potential for improving educational practice over a wide range of educational settings as long as the instructional design attends to the learning characteristics of student cohorts. Instructor interaction with technology is also critically important. The teacher who is able to design an effective balance between their instructional techniques and the learning tools produces muchmore effective learning opportunities for students. Taken as a collective, these studies demonstrate that high quality research in blended learning is being conducted throughout the world. In addition virtually every author, to some degree, has intimated that it is time to move on to a second generation research agenda in blended learning. Some issues are well understood, such as student success, withdrawal, and satisfaction for both instructors and learners. However, other questions remain unanswered. How will we address the quality issue? Will there be a prototype model for blended learning? Is blended learning the right term or would some other metaphor be more appropriate? How are we to help students deal with the overwhelming amount of information available to them and discern that which is valid form that which is flawed? How do we best place critical thinking into the blended environment? Can blended learning diminish the growing equity gap in American education? How are social networking and mobile learning impacting the blended environment? Of course, this list is far from comprehensive but answers to these questions will move us forward and raise new questions (and opportunities) that will demand our attention.

Publication Date

1-1-2013

Publication Title

Blended Learning: Research Perspectives, Volume 2

Number of Pages

325-337

Document Type

Article; Book Chapter

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315880310-36

Socpus ID

85086531829 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85086531829

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS