Blended Learning ISLT 9410 – Doctoral Seminar on Information and Communication Technologies Camille Dickson-Deane

Questions from the Wiki Gordon asked – 1.Can a f2f course that uses to deliver the course syllabus and other electronic reading material be considered Blended? 2.If a CMS is employed to do the same, does the course then become Blended? 3.If you ask students in a f2f course to do a web search as a part of a homework assignment, does that make it Blended? 4.(about an issue Margarida's mentioned) If an online course points students to a f2f tutoring lab where they can get help (like the ZONE) does that make the course Blended?

Characteristics Face to face component Online component Defining online learning (Educause report) –75% + -> online learning –30-75% -> blended learning – web-assisted Present in both Corporate and HigherEd and now heavily adopted by military

Benefits Expanded access Improving quality Serving diverse student populations Reducing time to graduation Addressing student desire for technology in education Ability to track student progress

Common designer beliefs It takes less time to re-design an exiting program than to design BL from scratch There should be more emphasis on the live component of training There is an assumption that traditional facilitators are best for BL

Examples of Research in field Field has more conceptual research than empirical research Blending can improve learning –Univ. of Calgary - inquiry into an increase their learning effectiveness in a cost-effective way. Blended learning is examined as one method of enhancing learning through a "multiplier effect" of combining the strengths of face-to-face and Internet based learning.

Questions from the Wiki (cont’d) Young asked – blended environments provide a paradigm that is different than just a linear combination of the two" (p. 274). They discussed the issues of access, cost effectiveness, student satisfaction, faculty satisfaction, and organizational consideration, but they did not discuss how Blended Learning influences learning and teaching practices.

Examples of Research in field Effectiveness of method Effectiveness of a blended e-learning cooperative approach in an Egyptian teacher education programme. Computers & Education, Volume 51, Issue 3, November 2008, Pages , Heba EL- Deghaidy, Ahmed Nouby. –Combined BL environ with a Cooperative method with Pre-Service teachers –Research method – mixed methods, experimental design (i.e. pre/post test), 4 instruments –Research questions What is the effectiveness of approach on achievement levels, attitudes towards this type of learning approach, attitudes towards cooperativeness? What are PSTs’ views on implementing a BeLCA approach?

Examples of Research in field Relationships using method Student perceptions of coll. learning, social presence and satisfaction in a BL environ: Relationships and critical factors. Computers & Education, Volume 51, Issue 1, August 2008, Pages Hyo-Jeong So, Thomas A. Brush examine the relationships of the students’ perceived levels of coll. learning, social presence and overall satisfaction in a BL environ Research method – case study using mixed methods. –Research questions What are the relationships among students’ perceived levels of collaborative learning, social presence, and satisfaction? What are the important factors related to students’ perceived levels of collaborative learning, social presence, and satisfaction?

Examples of Research in field Self-regulation online Measuring self-regulation in online and blended learning environments. The Internet and Higher Education, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 28 October Lucy Barnard, William Y. Lan, Yen M. To, Valerie Osland Paton, Shu-Ling Lai –Reliability and validity of the OSLQ instrument which measures self-regulation in online and BL environs. –This is an example of the investigation of BL environs almost as an afterthought.

Emerging Trends Technologies –Ellen Wagner of Macromedia believes that mobile devices are a next likely step –Simulations, intelligent tutoring systems, etc… Using same technologies that exist in online environ. –Mixed reality training – real world and virtual reality training Augmented vision (adding visual info into learner) Augmented reality (virtual info over real world) Augmented virtuality (placing real obj. in virtual worlds)

Emerging Trends Models –Introduces a model of PBL called Problem based embedded training created for Military by Kirkleys –simulated JIT virtual training Design Methodologies –Reusable context objects Revised look at the HR aspect i.e. Faculty 2.0

Bonk and Kim (2006) Future trends 1.Mobile Blended Learning 2.Greater Visualization, Individualization, and Hands- on Learning 3.Self-Determined Blended Learning 4.Increased Connectedness, Community, and Collaboration 5.Increased Authenticity and On-Demand Learning 6.Linking Work and Learning 7.Changed Calendaring 8.Blended Learning Course Designations 9.Changed Instructor Roles 10.The Emergence of Blended Learning Specialists