Benefits and Challenges of Blended Learning Environments

The term “blended learning” has become a corporate buzzword in recent years (Lamb, 2001). Recently, the American Society for Training and Development identified blended learning as one of the top ten trends to emerge in the knowledge delivery industry in 2003 (Rooney, 2003). In higher education, the term blended learning is being used with increased frequency in academic conferences and publications. Issues related to the design and implementation of blended learning environments (BLE) are surfacing as technological advances continue to blur the lines between distributed learning and the traditional campus-based learning. Many universities are beginning to recognize the advantages of blending online and residential instruction. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently quoted the president of Pennsylvania State University as saying that the convergence between online and residential instruction was “the single-greatest unrecognized trend in higher education today” (Young, 2002). Along the same lines, the editor of The Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks is predicting a dramatic increase in the number of hybrid (i.e., blended) courses to include as many as 80-90% of the range of courses (Young, 2002). The article provides an overview of blended learning environments (BLEs) and outlines the most common benefits and challenges identified in the research literature.

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Blended Learning Environments

Encyclopedia of Distance Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-555-9.ch024 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 172-179 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Charles R. Graham ◽

Stephanie Allen

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Blended Learning ◽

Learning Environments ◽

Research Literature ◽

State University ◽

Blended Courses ◽

Academic Publications ◽

Education Today ◽

Trade Magazines ◽

American Society

The term “blended learning” is being used with increased frequency in academic publications and conferences as well as in industry trade magazines around the world. In 2003, the American Society for Training and Development identified blended learning as one of the top ten emergent trends in the knowledge delivery industry (Rooney, 2003). In higher education, some predict a dramatic increase in the number of hybrid (i.e., blended) courses that will include as many as 80-90% of the range of higher education courses (Young, 2002). Additionally, in a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article, the president of Pennsylvania State University, Graham Spanier, was quoted as saying that the convergence between online and residential instruction was “the single-greatest unrecognized trend in higher education today” (Young, 2002). This article provides an overview of blended learning environments (BLEs) with examples from both corporate training and higher education contexts. It also identifies the most common benefits and challenges related to the use of blended learning environments from the research literature.

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Designing Blended Learning Environments

Encyclopedia of Distance Learning, Second Edition ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-198-8.ch082 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 562-570 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Charles G. Graham ◽

Stephanie Allen

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Blended Learning ◽

Learning Environments ◽

Research Literature ◽

State University ◽

Blended Courses ◽

Academic Publications ◽

Education Today ◽

Trade Magazines ◽

American Society

The term “blended learning” is being used with increased frequency in academic publications and conferences, as well as in industry trade magazines around the world. In 2003 the American Society for Training and Development identified blended learning as one of the top 10 emergent trends in the knowledge-delivery industry (Rooney, 2003). In higher education, some predict a dramatic increase in the number of hybrid (i.e., blended) courses will include as many as 80%- 90% of the range of higher-education courses (Young, 2002). Additionally, in a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article, the president of Pennsylvania State University, Graham Spanier, was quoted as saying that the convergence between online and residential instruction was “the single-greatest unrecognized trend in higher education today” (Young, 2002). This article provides an overview of blended learning environments (BLEs) with examples from both corporate training and higher-education contexts. It also identifies the most common benefits and challenges related to the use of blended learning environments from the research literature.

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Blended Learning Models

Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Second Edition ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-026-4.ch063 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 375-382 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Charles R. Graham

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Blended Learning ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Formal Education ◽

Corporate Training ◽

Learning Approaches ◽

Technological Advances ◽

Information And Communication ◽

American Society ◽

Widespread Access

Technological advances and widespread access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) have facilitated the rapid growth of blended learning approaches in both higher education and corporate training contexts. In 2002, the president of Pennsylvania State University expressed his belief that blended learning was “the single greatest unrecognized trend in higher education” (Young, 2002, p. A33). At the same time, the American Society for Training and Development also identified blended learning as one of the top 10 emergent trends in the knowledge delivery industry (Finn, 2002). Since then, the visibility of blended learning environments has increased dramatically in both formal education and corporate training settings. At the third annual Sloan-C Workshop on Blended Learning and Higher Education, Frank Mayadas, the program director for the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, predicted that “by 2010 you will be hard pressed to find a course that is not blended” (Mayadas, 2006). There is increasing interest in the concept of blended learning as evidenced by greater numbers of books, journal articles, and trade magazine articles that directly address issues related to blended learning. This article will provide an overview of current models of blended learning and provide references to the most recent resources in this emergent area of research and practice.

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THE SLOAN-C PILLARS AND BOUNDARY OBJECTS AS A FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING BLENDED LEARNING

Online Learning ◽

10.24059/olj.v13i1.1679 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mark Laumakis ◽

Charles Graham ◽

Chuck Dziuban

Keyword(s):

Blended Learning ◽

Student Satisfaction ◽

Learning Environments ◽

Rare Event ◽

Learning System ◽

Boundary Object ◽

Asynchronous Learning ◽

Learning Effectiveness ◽

Learning Networks ◽

Object A

The authors contend that blended learning represents a boundary object; a construct that brings together constituencies from a variety of backgrounds with each of these cohorts defining the object somewhat differently. The Sloan-C Pillars (learning effectiveness, access, cost effectiveness, student satisfaction, and faculty satisfaction) provide a foundation for the evaluation of asynchronous learning networks that works equally well for the evaluation of blended learning environments. The Pillars and a simplified model of a learning system, focus on inputs, processes, and outputs, and provide the framework for a case study of blended learning design and evaluation in a 500-student section of an Introductory Psychology course. Results of a multi-method evaluation of this course indicated very high levels of both learning effectiveness and student satisfaction. The article concludes with the suggestion that blended learning may represent a black swan, a high-impact, unpredicted, and rare event that highlights the limitations of our ability to reliably predict the future in any arena, including online learning environments.

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Designing Rich Interactive Content for Blended Learning: A Case Study from Indonesia

The Electronic Journal of e-Learning ◽

10.34190/ejel.20.18.4.001 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Didik Dwi Prasetya ◽

Aji Prasetya Wibawa ◽

Tsukasa Hirashima ◽

Yusuke Hayashi

Keyword(s):

Blended Learning ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Online Courses ◽

Digital Publishing ◽

Learning Activities ◽

Asynchronous Learning ◽

State University ◽

Content Model ◽

Instructional Content ◽

Digital Book

Blended learning is a hybrid of traditional face‑to‑face and different types of online learning services. Blended learning offers synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences that combine the conveniences of online courses while maintaining in‑person contact. Blended learning addresses the needs of students who are unable to attend classes entirely, but who nonetheless demand opportunities for personal interaction. The appropriate instructional content design becomes one of the crucial components to support the success of blended learning activities. This study proposed the development and practical use of document‑based rich and interactive content in EPUB3 to provide an exciting instructional content model. EPUB3 is a digital publishing standard with prosperous features and flexible implementation that is widely accepted in academic and industry. The EPUB3 digital book content was integrated into a Moodle learning management system to support synchronous and asynchronous blended learning environments. A questionnaire was applied to find out the learners' responses and involved 155 undergraduate students at The State University of Malang, Indonesia. The questionnaire results showed the developed content model was feasible and suitable to be implemented in a blended learning environment. Students seem interested and enthusiastic about being involved in various learning activities that add new experiences.

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Investigating Student Perceptions and the Effectiveness of K-12 Blended Learning Communities

Advances in Early Childhood and K-12 Education - Handbook of Research on Emerging Practices and Methods for K-12 Online and Blended Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-8009-6.ch024 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 500-522

Author(s):

Gina Tovine ◽

April Fleetwood ◽

Andrew Shepherd ◽

Colton J. Tapoler ◽

Richard Hartshorne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Blended Learning ◽

Learning Communities ◽

Student Perceptions ◽

Learning Environments ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Virtual School ◽

Design Development ◽

Florida Virtual School ◽

K 12

While the growth of blended learning environments in higher education and non-educational settings has continued to increase in recent years, this has not been the case in K-12 settings. Recently, in an effort to explore the viability and effectiveness of K-12 blended learning environments, Florida Virtual School (FLVS) has been piloting blended learning communities in a number of their schools, providing opportunities to explore factors that influence the effectiveness of K-12 blended learning communities. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to report the results of a study designed to assess conditions that influence the effectiveness of K-12 blended learning communities, and to explore learner, instructor, course, and other factors important to successful blended learning communities. Findings will inform the design, development, and implementation of future K-12 blended teaching and learning environments in an effort to support and strengthen student achievement, the preparation of teachers to facilitate effective blended learning environments.

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Application of Gamification to Blended Learning in Higher Education

Advanced Methodologies and Technologies in Media and Communications - Advances in Multimedia and Interactive Technologies ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-7601-3.ch005 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 50-61

Author(s):

Kamini Jaipal-Jamani ◽

Candace Figg

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Blended Learning ◽

Learning Environments ◽

Traditional Instruction ◽

Teaching Strategy ◽

Digital Game ◽

Game Based Learning ◽

Web Based ◽

Face To Face ◽

Gamified Learning

Digital game-based learning (DGBL) has been identified as an effective digital teaching strategy to foster 21st century learning. The inclusion of digital game-based learning in instruction is challenging for educators to structure in higher education learning environments, often because of the lack of coherence with curriculum. Gamification is a recent DGBL strategy that enables the instructor to incorporate the motivational and engagement elements of games in ways that can be adapted to curriculum requirements. Gamification, supported with digital technologies such as web-based tools and learning management systems, offers the instructor the benefits of both face-to-face traditional instruction and online learning. An example of how blended learning in higher education incorporates gamification is presented. Study findings indicate that the blended gamified learning environment motivated learners and promoted cognitive, skill, and attitude development.

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Teachers Conceptions and Approaches to Blended Learning

Online Course Management ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-5472-1.ch046 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 912-934

Author(s):

Vicki Caravias

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Learning Styles ◽

Blended Learning ◽

Conceptual Framework ◽

Critical Review ◽

Research Literature ◽

Personality Types ◽

Learning Needs ◽

Face To Face ◽

Online Technologies

This paper presents a critical review and synthesis of research literature in higher education exploring teachers' conceptions of blended learning and their approaches to both design and teaching. Definitions of blended learning and conceptual frameworks are considered first. Attention is given to Picciano's Blending with Purpose Multimodal framework. This paper builds upon previous research on blended learning and conceptual framework by Picciano by exploring how objectives from Picciano's framework affect teachers' approaches to both design and teaching in face-to-face and online settings. Research results suggest that teachers use multiple approaches including face-to-face methods and online technologies that address the learning needs of a variety of students from different generations, personality types and learning styles.

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Pedagogical Values in Online and Blended Learning Environments in Higher Education

Research Anthology on Instilling Social Justice in the Classroom ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-7706-6.ch079 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1381-1403

Author(s):

Sophia Palahicky ◽

Donna DesBiens ◽

Ken Jeffery ◽

Keith Stuart Webster

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Student Success ◽

Blended Learning ◽

Student Performance ◽

Learning Environments ◽

Teaching Practice ◽

Secondary Educators ◽

Post Secondary ◽

Successful Teaching

Pedagogical values directly affect student performance and, therefore, are essential to successful teaching practice. It is absolutely critical that post-secondary educators examine and reflect on their pedagogical values because these principles pave the path for student success. This chapter describes four pedagogical values that are critical to student success within the context of online and blended learning environments in higher education: 1) value of care; 2) value of diversity; 3) value of community; and 4) value of justice.

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