Blended Learning 101

By: Justin Ferriman • August 17, 2016
Filed Under:

You have probably heard about the benefits of blended learning but you may need to understand more about it before attempting to implement this approach.

Blended learning is a method that involves mixing content delivery in a way that often includes live instruction and digital learning. Online courses, quizzes, and various resources supplement the live learning environment during the “off hours”.

Some blended learning programs will flip the classroom so that the live instruction time is used for practical application of the course content that students learn while they are on their own.

The general principle behind the blended learning approach is to leverage the benefits of each instruction method to maximize learner retention (and application) of the course’s key learning objectives.

What few people realize though is that there are a variety of ways to implement a blended learning approach. As the infographic above highlights, here are four popular models:

  1. Rotation
  2. Flex
  3. A la Carte
  4. Enriched Virtual

For a brief description of each model please reference the infographic. The names of each of these aren’t widely known and could be referred to as something else depending on who you are talking to – but the overall concepts are pretty universal.

If you are looking to implement some form of blended learning then the first place to start is to see which one of these approaches would work best for your target audience.

Once you have the ideal method identified you can begin to form your course curriculum accordingly. During this time you will perform a “needs analysis” which will help you in determining the technology you should use.

Justin Ferriman

Justin started LearnDash, the WordPress LMS trusted by Fortune 500 companies, major universities, training organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. He is currently founder & CEO of GapScout. Justin’s Homepage | GapScout | Twitter