Unshrouding the Mystery of Blended Learning
The Mystery of Blended Learning Infographic summarizes what blended learning is. For many, blended learning is still a muddled concept. One may be basking away in the glory of facilitating learning via all sorts of devices – PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones, thinking that blended learning is ‘mission accomplished’. Sorry to burst the bubble, but that is NOT blended learning.
The realm of blended learning extends far beyond just technology based learning. There’s a difference between blending technology and layering it – when you make content available across different devices using the Internet, it is technology layering. Blended learning on the other hand is creating a mix of both offline and online learning experiences in a way that they complement each other. Instructional strategies such as lecturing, guided learning, exploratory discussions, debates and role-playing must be amalgamated with online learning tools such as podcasts, e-books, webcasts and digital video libraries, massive multiplayer online games, wikis, etc. to create a unique learning path of each learner. Every learner’s experience is different and personalized according to his/her learning preferences.
The single most important challenge to blended learning currently is that the concept is not understood properly, making availability of human resources who can successfully implement it, difficult. Directly measuring the impact of blended learning is also a slightly difficult task because of its fluid and abstract nature as well as the presence of so many learning elements. However, organizations and educational institutes have established that using a wide range of learning methods (both online and offline) is far more effective in delivering personalized and more relevant learning experiences.