Thank you for joining us in this workshop on Effective Teaching Strategies for Blended Learning! We hope that you now have a good understanding of what “blended learning” is and the different types or models for structing a blended course. We also hope that you are walking away from this workshop with some considerations of strategies and tools that you might apply to your blended teaching practice.
Key Takeaways
- Blended learning has several levels and formats, ranging from almost completely online with only an in-person lab/practical component to a flexible blend of online and in-person components with options for students to choose their preferred environment for lectures or tutorials.
- Regardless of where on this spectrum you find your course to be most suitable, certain principles and strategies apply equally across the different formats to promote a common standard of accessibility, communication and assessment.
- Storyboarding is a technique that enables the instructor to gain a “big-picture” understanding the purpose of your course and which modalities best support the intended learning outcomes. This exercise is a way to effectively and efficiently integrate pre-existing components you may have available from previous in-person or online teaching experiences and materials.
References & Resources
- Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching. (2021). Blended teaching: A guide for applying flexible practices during COVID-19. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/blendedflexibleteaching/
What is Blended Learning?
- Hrastinski, S. (2019). What do we mean by blended learning? TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 63(5), 564-569.
- Cronje, J. (2020). Towards a new definition of blended learning.Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 18(2) 114-121.
- Niemeic, M., & Otte, G. (2005). An administrator’s guide to the whys and hows of blended learning. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 13(1), 19-30.
- University of Waterloo Centre for Teaching Excellence. (n.d.). Blended learning. https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/support/blended-learning
Getting Started with Blended Course Design
- McGee, P. & Reis, A. (2012). Blended course design: A synthesis of best practices. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 16(4), 7-22.
- University of Waterloo Centre for Teaching Excellence. (n.d.). Best practices for designing blended courses. https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/teaching-tips-planning-courses-and-assignments/best-practices-designing-blended-courses
- University of Waterloo Centre for Teaching Excellence. (n.d.). Course design: Planning a flipped class. https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/planning-courses-and-assignments/course-design/course-design-planning-flipped-class
Storyboarding Your Blended Course
- The University of Western Ontario Centre for Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). Part 2: Independent storyboarding (asynchronous option). https://teaching.uwo.ca/elearning/ABC_online_course_design/Part_2.html
Online & In-Person
- University of Central Florida. Design & delivery principles for online courses. UCF Center for Distributed Learning. https://blended.online.ucf.edu/2011/06/07/design-delivery-principles/