Blended/Hybrid Learning Guide
BlendedLearningisaninstructionaldesignmodelinwhichastudentlearnsatleastin partthroughdigital/onlineinstructionwithsomeelementofcontrolovertime,place, path,orpace.
Bonk,
Synchronous Instruction
Lecturing, brainstorming, debating, and role-playing activities are better in a synchronous environment
If the goal is to generate lots of ideas, then a synchronous environment is best
Synchronous Instruction is best for student collaboration
Critical thinking, problem-solving, and diagnosing misconceptions are best in a synchronous environment
Asynchronous Instruction
Peer-review is better suited for an asynchronous environment. Research shows that students show more constructive and honest feedback when they are not face-to-face.
If the goal is to generate quality ideas, then an asynchronous environment is best
Students have time to reflect and formulate better responses online
C. & Graham, C. (2005). Handbook of blended learning: Global perspectives, local designs.San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer Publishing. Part 1, Introduction. 1-21. Watson, John (2008) Blended Learning. The convergence of Online and Face-to-face learning. NACOL.
Blended learning is not about the technology, it’s about the instructional design
The Basics...
It’s restructuring your classroom to increase student engagement, input, and personalized instruction
If we get caught up in the tool, we miss the whole point. Blended Learning is simply about good teaching.
Jonson, J. [Jen Jonson]. (2014, Jan 7). BlendedLearningandTechnologyIntegration.[Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD8AUfGsCKg
Begin and end your unit with synchronous instruction. Here is a sample schedule…
Introduce topic, identify objectives, and assess prior knowledge, review expectations for online portion of instruction
Students reflect on their understanding of the topic, engage in discussion, and watch videos and simulations to increase their knowledge
Teacher identifies misconceptions, facilitates lessons that promote critical thinking and problem solving, cooperative learning projects
Students complete formative assessments, participate in peer-review of group projects, and conduct further research
Share projects with an authentic audience, engage in real-world application of knowledge, summative assessment
Beyond the Basics
Multimedia Principles
Thefollowingprinciplesassistcourseandcontentdesignerswithfollowingresearch-based guidelinestoincreasestudentlearningoutcomesandreducecognitiveload.Thesemultimedia principlesapplytocontentsuchasslideshowpresentations,videos,andwebsites.
*ANoteaboutCognitiveLoad- Cognitive Load is the amount of working memory used when attempting to learn a skill or concept. We can all identify a time when we felt that it was difficult to learn a concept due to distractions, unfamiliar content vocabulary, or an abundance of new information. Instructional designers are continuously tasked with designing lessons that attempt to reduce cognitive load and helping ensure that items make it from our working memory into long term memory.
Coherence Principle- When designing content, it is important to remove irrelevant words, pictures, and media. Coco Chanel once stated, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror, and take one thing off.” This same advice applies to instructional content as well.
Segmenting Principle- The segmenting principle states that students learn best when content is provided in chunked sections, rather than a continuous lesson. Students also learn best at their own pace.
Multimedia Principle- People learn better from text and pictures, than from text alone. This principle is backed up by the Learning Sciences Dual Coding Theory which promotes the use of visuals when speaking or writing text.
Modality Principle- Teachers can reduce cognitive load when they present graphics with narration, rather than animation or video with on-screen text.
Personalization Principle- Students learn best when the information is presented in a conversational tone and pace, with age-appropriate tone and language.
Read the Edutopia article, Digital Spaces: 12 Best Practices for Multimedia Learning to learn more about other Multimedia Principles.
DigitalSpaces:12BestPracticesforMultimediaLearning.(2020).Retrieved11June2020,fromhttps://www.edutopia.org/blog/digitalspaces-12-best-practices-michelle-manno
Beyond the Basics
Selecting and Creating Multimedia Content for Lessons
Thefollowingtipsareintendedtohelpteachersselectappropriatemultimediacontentfor lessons,aswellasreflectoncontentyoucreateforyourstudents.
• The first week of school focuses on teaching students how to watch videos and interact with multimedia content. Like reading non-fiction texts, students need to learn how to watch a video and take notes
• Online Videos are effective when the teacher creates the video themselves. This builds a connection between the teacher and students, and ensures content is relevant to the unit of study/standards. When creating your own video isn’t feasible, try adding a video to the beginning and or end of any videos you don’t produce. Take this opportunity to activate prior knowledge by explaining connections to previous content or summarizing content and posing questions for class discussion.
• Videos should be 1-1 ½ minutes per grade level. So, for 10th grade, the videos would be 10-15 minutes in length. For 2nd grade, the videos would be 2-3 minutes.
• Don’t focus on making a “perfect” video. The important part is what is happening back in class.
Course Design Rubrics
Usethefollowingrubricstoensurethatyouronlinecoursesandlessonsmeettheneedsofall yourlearners.
iNACOL K-12 National Standards for Quality Online Courses- The International Association for K-12 online learning (iNACOL) created this guide and rubric which includes guidelines for online course content, instructional design, technology, assessment, and course management. Click here to access this resource.
Quality Matters Rubric- This rubric offers some elements that are missing from iNACOL’s rubric. It iis less comprehensive, making it a good option when you are designing a course within a short time-span. Click here to register and access this rubric.