Transition from "Hybrid" to "Blended" Learning

Breaking Bogart (02) 

Welcome back one and all to your favorite blog posting with topics such as PLNs and teaching technologies, which is posted by a younger than average teacher/technician, and is being posted by a guy named Vaughn. (I hope that was specific enough criteria to justify my assertion) :) 

This week we will be discussing blended learning as it is understood by myself. We will also go beyond the theory and discuss practical application. My experience with hybrid learning has been both personal and professional. These learning environments are hybrid due to in person and online instruction. HOWEVER, you should have noticed that I said hybrid learning, not blended. Very few courses/careers in which I have been under/involved with the associated instruction have been blended learning.

I believe that there is a critical disconnect between many factors which results with instruction and their courses falling short of a blended learning experience. I will provide my reasoning for this claim as follows below. In this blog post, I will cover what using the term (blended learning) implies, how it differs and surpasses the standard hybrid learning, and how I may be able to reach this form of excellent instruction and integration within my own career and classes.

What is hybrid learning?

Hybrid learning is a learning environment and/or course that involves face-to-face interactions and teaching/learning between the student(s) and the instructor(s). Many teachers have posted/commented/complained about the era of teaching that took place during the Corona Virus Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent quarantine. From the blogs I have read, all of these instructors agree that, whether they wanted to or not, teaching now will forevermore involve more digital technologies, time spent online, and more hybrid learning. Students will participate in learning in-person and will, in some manner, engage with learning/content relevant to the course in a digital and online manner.

    What does that look like for myself?

At the college I instruct at, every course offered in my organization's program (automotive technologies) is a hybrid course. Students arrive to the college and engage in 5 total hours of lab and lecture, 4 times a week. This totals in 20 hours of in class learning for 4 total weeks. The grand total of hours spent learning for each 4-week course is 80 hours. Students are then assigned homework which is all online/digital. This time is expected to result in 40 total hours of "hybrid" learning taking place between learning management software (LMS) and content publisher activities.  Face-to-face: [4-week=80hrs learning]. Online: [4-week=40hrs learning] 

{120 total learning hours per 4 week course}

What is blended learning?

To properly summarize what any sort of blended learning looks like would take a fully analyzed, peer reviewed research paper. However, I will do my best to summarize here. Blended learning is hybrid learning where the implementation of digital technologies and online interactions has taken place in such a seamless and effective manner that each side continuously compliments the other in a compound manner. Students experience little to no disconnect between each style of instruction and content delivery. The benefits of blended learning are drastically increased student flexibility, personalization, varied skill development, and very importantly: student engagement and investment in their learning.

    What could that look like for my instruction?

The goal for the courses I teach, as relevant to this week's topic, is to foster a learning environment that is social, engaging, allows agency, and pushes students to self motivation. I myself have largely succeeded in this endeavor. Well, at least for the face-to-face portions. Seeing interpersonal and other skills of my students blossom from what was first shown at their start of the program is a wonderful thing to see. Yet with nearly all of the mentioned metrics, the hybrid learning fails. Analyzing every way in which it fails is an extensive burden that I will continue to carry and pursue completion of as I continue blogging here on Breaking Bogart. Successful implementation of blended learning within courses taught by myself would continuously encourage student collaboration and engagement outside of the classroom. Perhaps I could open up a discussion board allowing students to share their latest passion project or fix for their P.O.S. (industry-term). I could better time and implement simulated diagnosis and repair content that elongates the time period in which students learn the most/best. The opportunities are nearly limitless.

I will conclude this line of thought here in an effort to maintain focus and remain succinct. And to be completely honest here, I would love to gesticulate at my laptop and wax on and on about potential course improvements, but I am out of time for tonight and this week. I must also limit myself. Burnout is the bane of my passion for learning and improvement. I look forward to broadening and deepening my understanding and discussion of this crucial concept in the future.

Until next week,

PEACE OUT!

Vaughn.