Blended Learning Overview

Dr Barbara NewlandPrincipal Lecturer Learning and Teaching (e-Learning)

Centre for Learning and Teaching

What is Blended Learning (BL)?

Student expectations

Current global developments

BL policies and support at Brighton

6 steps to BL

Overview

What do you think blended learning means?

Blended Learning Definition

Face to Face Online Blende

d

Why would you teach in Blended Learning mode?

Blended Learning activities Range of learning activities to:

◦ achieve the learning objectives◦ provide opportunities for the diversity of students◦ balance across the curriculum

What year will an 18 year student just about to start university have been born?

When did you have your first mobile phone?

When did you have access to the Internet from home?

Student expectations

Studies both in UK and abroad show that students:

◦ expect BL to be part of their education

◦ still want F2F teaching

◦ want a flexible learning environment with access any time, any where

(ECAR 2012; JISC, 2007; JISC 2009, JISC, 2011, NUS, 2010)

Student expectations

TechDis is a leading UK advisory service on technologies for inclusion funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)

http://www.techdis.ac.uk/

Accessibility

Between students and academics

18 year old students starting university in 2012 will have been born in 1993/94. These students have grown up in a world in which computers are part of life and they like to multi-task and are used to continuous communication, through texting, phone calls and email, and instant access to information via the Internet (Oblinger, 2004)

However, educators cannot presume that all young students are digital natives who understand how to use technology to support and enhance their learning.” (Margaryan and Littlejohn, 2008)

Digital divide

Blended Learning Environments Are the Norm

And Online-Only Course

Experiences Are Up

“Tablet ownership among college students and college-bound high school seniors has more than tripled from a year ago. Further, a large number of students plan to purchase a tablet within the next six months.

College students and high school seniors believe that tablets are just as valuable for educational purposes as they are for personal entertainment.

Students agree that tablets will transform the way college students learn in the future.

More students are reading digital books, and a majority of college students now prefer to read digital books than print.”

(Pearson, 2012)

Student ownership

Text-based communications are surpassing traditional phone calls or meeting face to face as the most frequent ways of keeping in touch for UK adults

Tablet ownership has jumped from 2% to 11% in 12 months, while one in ten UK adults now has an e-reader

UK households now own on average three different types of internet-enabled device such as a laptop, smartphone or internet-enabled games console with 15% owning six or more devices.

Communications – Ofcom 2012

One Year or Less◦ Mobile Apps◦ Tablet Computing

Two to Three Years◦ Game-based Learning◦ Learning Analytics

Four to Five Years◦ Gesture-based

Computing◦ Internet of Things

Time to adoption – Horizon report

People expect to be able to work, learn and study whenever and wherever they want to

The technologies we use are increasingly cloud-based and our notions of IT support are decentralized

The world of work is increasingly collaborative, driving changes in the way student projects are structured

The abundance of resources and relationships made easily accessible via the Internet is increasingly challenging us to revisit our roles as educators

Education paradigms are shifting to include online learning, hybrid learning and collaborative models

There is a new emphasis in the classroom on more challenge-based and active learning.

Key trends – Horizon report

Economic pressures and new models of education are bringing unprecedented competition to the traditional models of higher education

Appropriate metrics of evaluation lag the emergence of new scholarly forms of authoring, publishing, and researching

Digital media literacy continues its rise in importance as a key skill in every discipline and profession

Institutional barriers present formidable challenges to moving forward in a constructive way with emerging technologies

New modes of scholarship are presenting significant challenges for libraries and university collections, how scholarship is documented, and the business models to support these activities.

Significant challenges - Horizon

Top ranked drivers (2003 – 2012)1. Enhancing the quality of learning and teaching 2. Meeting student expectations3. Improving access to learning for students off-campus◦ Achieving cost & efficiency savings remains one of lowest ranked

drivers (18/22), along with formation of partnerships (20th) & collaborative course developments with other institutions (22nd ).

Encouraging TEL development1. Availability of TEL support staff2. Central university & departmental senior management support◦ Access to tools (2nd in 2010) & availability of local champions (1st in

2008 & 2003) no longer leading encouragers for TEL development.

UCISA http://www.ucisa.ac.uk/bestpractice/surveys/tel.aspx.

UCISA – TEL survey 2012

Do you have examples of your own use of eLearning activities?

What are the BL policies here?

BL policies at Brighton

The University recommends the appropriate use of BL as part of the student learning experience within modules and courses. It is expected that BL will be an integral part of student learning.

http://www.brighton.ac.uk/clt/resources/blended-learning/bl-at-brighton/

BL policies at Brighton

Minimum use of studentcentral

eSubmission◦ E-only by 2013◦ Guidelines

http://staffcentral.brighton.ac.uk/plagiarism/esubmission.shtm

BL policies at Brighton

Advise Learning and Teaching Committee on institutional policy developments in relation to e-learning including e-submission, e-assessment and the use of course development and review mechanisms for e-learning

Advise on e-learning requirements e.g. estate developments and make recommendations to LTC on systems for possible funding

E-learning Development Group

CLT ◦ http://www.brighton.ac.uk/clt/resources/blended-le

arning/bl-at-brighton/

Learning Technology Advisors◦ https://studentfolio.brighton.ac.uk/elearning/

Where can you get support?

1. Identify the learning objectives

2. Look at the curriculum to decide what is best face-to-face and what is best online

3. Consider the integration and relationship between the F2F and eLearning

4. Develop the most appropriate eLearning activities to achieve the learning objectives

5. Decide how will you assess these activities

6. Choose the most appropriate technology

6 steps to Blended Learning

Integration◦ How are f2f and online integrated?◦ Will students be able to see clearly how they connect?

Relationship◦ Is f2f dependent on the online or vice versa?◦ Will students be able to succeed if they complete one

and not the other Accountability

◦ How will you ensure students engage with and complete the online part of the module?

◦ When will work be due?◦ (EDUCAUSE, Diaz and Strickland, 2009)

Relationship of F2F and online

“Blended teaching is not just a matter of transferring a portion of your current course to the Web. Instead it involves developing challenging and engaging learning activities” (Garrison, Vaughan, 2008)

Integrate within the curriculum – replace and not just supplement

Consider the balance throughout the module and across the whole student experience – from induction through whole degree programme

Designing BL

Pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and independent study elements are reversed

Example: students view videos and/or quizzes online and F2F time is used for collaborative learning or application

Flipped!

Learning outcome

Topic Learning activityF2F

Learning activityOnline

Timing Assessment

Exists/Develop

Module – curriculum design

How could you use mobile technology in your F2F sessions?

Switch it on!

Potential of BL – now and in the future

Consider BL throughout the module and course

Integrate F2F and online

Summary

ECAR National Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2012 Report (2012) http://www.educause.edu/ecar   Garrison, D. R. and N. D. Vaughan (2008). Blended Learning in Higher Education: Framework, Principles and Guidelines, John Wiley and Sons.

HEFCE (2010). Study of UK Online Learning http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rdreports/2010/rd17_10/   Horizon Report (2012) http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/HR2012.pdf

JISC (2007) Student Expectations Study. http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/studentexpectations.pdf

JISC (2009) Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/heweb20rptv1.pdf

JISC (2010) Managing Students' Expectations of University. http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/reports/2010/managingexpectations.aspx

JISC (2011) Developing Digital Literacies Programme http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning/developingdigitalliteracies/developingdigitalliteraciesprog.aspx

Margaryan, A., A. Littlejohn, et al. (2010). "Are digital natives a myth or reality? University students' use of digital technologies " Computers & Education.

Newland, B, Martin, L, Ramsden, A (2011) eSubmission: Institutional Policies and Academic Attitudes Proceedings of ED-MEDIA World Conference of Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications, Lisbon

  NUS (2011). Technology in Higher Education Charter http://www.nusconnect.org.uk/news/article/6010/2489/

Oblinger, D. G. and J. L. Oblinger, Eds. (2005). Educating the Net Generation

Ofcom (2012) Communications Market Report http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/market-data/communications-market-reports/cmr12/uk/

Online Learning Task Force (2011). Collaborate to Compete: Seizing the opportunity for online learning for UK higher education. http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2011/11_01/

  Salmon, G (2011) E-moderating, London

UCISA (2012) Technology Enhanced Learning Survey http://www.ucisa.ac.uk/bestpractice/surveys/tel.aspx.

References