WHAT IS BLENDED LEARNING? BY NICK REED, HEAD OF BLENDED LEARNING, CAPITA L&D
The question I’m often asked is ‘what is Blended Learning?’ Normally at this point I go pale, as what people really want me to talk about is elearning – and Blended Learning is certainly not just elearning!
There is a saying that ‘there is nothing new in learning’ and this is especially true of Blended Learning. All that has happened is that we have applied a badge to different forms of learning and how these are combined to become programmes - this is certainly nothing new! Go back to those days when you sat with your friends in a school classroom. Your lessons may have consisted of homework (pre/post activities), lectures by the teacher, videos (well, in my case 8mm cine films), blackboard work, group activities and individual work. This was assessed by the teacher, and even individual learning plans were then developed to overcome your performance gaps (the bits you got wrong!). After the class you would chat to friends about your experiences – and so embrace another approach – informal learning. What I’ve just described above is Blended Learning.
What happened in the past?
So why has Blended Learning come much more into focus and has been a buzz word for some time? Well, technology has played a big part in this. In the early 80’s (remember those shoulder pads and hair-dos?) there was a move to Computer Based Training (CBT), and then eventually through the ‘90s to web based materials (elearning). The training industry – or more importantly, the accountants, saw this as a means to cut back on highly expensive training venues and face to face events. The face to face course is dead – long live elearning!
Unfortunately, the pendulum swung too far, with too much learning thrown into ineffectively designed materials that learners quickly became disillusioned with. So the pendulum shifted back. Elearning is dead – long live face to face!
Of course, reality is somewhere in between. Research started to suggest (what we already knew) that people learn in different ways and that the use of media should be selected carefully to meet the needs of the learner.
Where are we now?
So what does a Blended Learning programme actually look like in the noughties?
In its simplest form, Blended Learning mixes at least two media. This could just be a face to face course, preceded by a small elearning element (and often this is what you will get for your money when you buy “blended learning”). However, it should be much more in tune with the end user and the content for it to be effective – and in practice will be more sophisticated. There is no typical approach that can be adopted – and each learning programme needs to be assessed on its own needs (and this is where the skill comes in). The trick is to identify what the best media for the problem is, and then matching this against the time and budget that is available for development and delivery.
An example of this is that it would be inappropriate to use a 20 minute video (costing approx. £1,000 per minute to shoot, i.e. £20,000) for a very small number of learners – unless a high impact presentation is required where a strong message must be put across.
There maybe trouble ahead…
As with all good things, Blended Learning is changing. As I mentioned earlier, informal learning is now starting to appear in blends. Such an approach can be scary for organisations, as it relies on the learner going off and deciding how to learn and when to learn by themselves.
Using such tools as Google or Wikipedia, individuals can now research problems and meet their training needs without any formal support or structured learning. This is where learning portals are becoming increasingly popular – by blending formal and informal learning together. Here we would expect to see possible formal learning in the shape of elearning modules, with informal learning being enabled with links to useful resources (e.g. The Internet or process manuals). Have a look at the BBC Learning English portal for an example of this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/
In summary…
So in summary, Blended Learning is simply the bringing together of different media to get the message across in the most effective way. The Blended Learning team tend to be associated with elearning but actually we work across many different media. All technology is doing is opening the doors to different media and there are new approaches being adopted all the time. Second Life is an example of where learning organisations are looking at as a means of delivery in the future (http://secondlife.com/).
For a more detailed look at what Blended Learning is, download the case study
I hope this gives some insight into what Blended Learning is about – and that elearning is just one element of the blend.
IT’S EASY TO FIND OUT MORE
Email me directly at nick.reed@capita.co.uk or call our Customer Centre on: 0800 022 3414