EPI-WIKI

A Best Practice Guide for implementing Liberal Arts and Sciences at European Higher Education Institutions, offered to you by EPICUR European University Alliance

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Blended Learning Design

How to approach the design of blended learning scenarios?
What do we understand by Blended Learning?
Blended Learning is a broad concept. It is generally understood as a targeted, sequenced and balanced mix of different learning settings in terms of synchronicity (synchronous sessions and asynchronous study phases), location (online or offline, on-campus or distance), social learning arrangements (individual study, small group work or whole class activities), amount of teacher presence (teacher presence, tutored, independent) and a variety of methods applied.
Considering the advantages of blended learning settings to address external conditions such as time constraints, restricted mobility etc., the creation of such settings may be a matter of necessity. However, using the advantages of each respective learning environment (e.g. the possibility of in-person interaction for lively discussions or the possibility of self-paced online learning when acquiring new knowledge) while avoiding potential disadvantages and combining these elements in a meaningful way can facilitate meaningful, interactive learning that is characteristic of LAS classrooms.
Questions to ask
When planning, designing and implementing your course in a blended format, the following questions can provide a helpful framework:
  • What is my role in teaching, what are my tasks?
  • How do I promote principles of LAS such as student-centered learning, collaboration and interaction, etc. in my course?
  • What support do the students need in order to achieve the learning objectives defined?
  • What kind of learning activities do I want to stimulate?
  • What digital methods can be applied to enable these learning activities?
  • Which tools are particularly suited for this purpose? Do they comply with data protection regulations (GDPR compliance)?
  • How do I best sequence and blend different kinds of learning activities?
  • How can I design the learning environment as well as learning media used in a motivating and learner-friendly way?
  • What can I do to best facilitate learning in web meetings?
  • How can adequate and timely feedback on learning processes be ensured/provided?
In this section of the BPG you will find a selection of approaches to designing blended learning scenarios as well as typical formats such as Flipped Classroom, Hybrid Learning and SPOCs (Small Private Online Courses).
Click a tile on the right to further explore a topic.

Last edited: 26. Oct 2022, 10:49, [sr1149@uni-freiburg.de]