Alice,
Wonderful comments and examples :) Yes, I was able to have ESL teachers in TN connect with students in China to gain EFL experience - it does open up the world, as you say.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I think it offers a "sky is the limit" kind of opportunity that is not always easily accessible with just on ground, classroom teaching.
A student has the opportunity to really delve into subjects that interest them and share and converse with other students, maybe not necessarily in their class, but in their interest. How cool is that. It opens the WORLD, literally up to them for this discovery.
I used SKYPE in my class one time and had a 4 hour conversation with a couple in Australia who were very open and honest about the healthcare system in Australia. One of the couple had gone to college here in America and could give an honest side by side comparison. What this exchange did for my students and their understanding of the American healthcare system was not short of amazing!
I am so fortunate to be an instructor in this age and have access to so much!
Suzie ,
Good point. Yes, the peer-to-peer interaction does increase in a hybrid model more than in a conventional delivery.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I believe that the hybrid model also encourages more peer mentoring in the learning environment.
Angela,
Very true - with more input possibilities, more students are likely to succeed.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Hybrid and blended learning opportunities offer students exposure to various forms of technology and learning styles. In a traditional classroom, some students may not excel due to the learning style required for this type of setting. The blended and hybrid offers provides content in various formats and technologies.
Lindsey,
Yes, good points! New real time connections as well as asynchronous dialogue do really help students become engaged in the learning process - particularly those students who are usually intimidated in a F2F large group setting.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
It allows for a lot of the content to be learned outside of the classroom so that the face to face time can be spent on application. It also allows for student interaction and discussion which would be difficult or impossible in a large classroom, and also gives a space for less bold students who do not like to speak up in class to add their voice to the discussion.
Muriel,
Very well said. Yes, so customization and flexibility are two great benefits of this mode of learning.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Hybrid learning gives the student more ownership of his or her education and learning process. The ability to work at his or her own pace is a comfortable setting such as home, the book store or a coffee shop will help the student be more relaxed and not feel as if he or she is under the gun.
Since we are in the age of technology, hybrid learning will also gives the student more options to access course material and or resources. Devices such as tablets, cell phones, PDA's and other systems can keep the student on track and on schedule when time-management could otherwise be an issue with just linear learning sessions.
~Muriel
I think a major advantage of blended learning is greater flexibility over on-ground learning. Students can work on assignments over a wider range of time-frames, and fit those times into their busy schedules. They might still have to submit something during a class session, but major assignments will be completed asynchronously, opening a lot of flexibility for students with unusual schedules.
That also applies to learning, much of which will take place outside of the classroom. But of course the student retains the ability to ask the instructor questions face-to-face, which is enormously valuable.
Carlos,
It is helpful to organize your class into groups and have chat sessions with the smaller groups. I have held chat sessions for over 20 students at once but this is really about information exchange and Q and A. For a real dialogue and discussion, the smaller groups work much better.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
With classes of 25 what suggestions do you have for managing appropriate use of chat time for topics being taught. I have not used this before.
Martin,
Yes, flexibility is the main attraction for sure. The additional benefit is that more learning styles are accommodated and, therefore, more students engaged in the learning experience.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
With today's student market the opportunity for flexibility is a leading reason why hybrid classes are offering more for this generation of learner. When I went through my undergrad, the Internet was still something pretty new, now watching my 7 year old learn from a hybrid method is amazing to me!
Greetings,
The hybrid/blended learning approach enables the trend towards the "flipped" classroom where students study new material prior to class (readings, quizzes, tasks) and then face-to-face time is spent on application rather than lecture.
The blended approach also provides more opportunities for self-directed modular learning for students that need help on related topics. For instance, in a marketing research course, additional online modules could tie to teachings on the statistical analysis methods which are usually a prerequisite for the course.
Thanks for asking!
Rick
The main benefit of hybrid course delivery from a teaching and learning viewpoint is that it provides an opportunity for the learning process to become much more engaging for students, and for students to drive the learning process more directly. It is also an effective way to increase students' learning autonomy. Hybrid delivery provides a meaningful opportunity to bring together the best of both worlds.
In my opinion, blended learning appears to be an ideal means of helping adult learner overcome many of the institutional and situational barriers they inherently face in any learning environment. For example, in a purely virtual course, asynchronous sessions lessons the burden of participating when a learner has an extremely hectic schedule, but may not foster constructivist learning due to the sometimes large distances between learners and the instructor. A traditional classroom, however promotes socialization, but may meet during times that are incredibly inconvenient. Hybrid models invariably offer the best of both worlds.
Lisa,
The planning is key, as you mention, so that various aspects of the project can actually support and facilitate the learning experience.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Mary,
Yes, the online tools can provide opportunities for "time" to be taken by the students to think through and apply the information. Good points!
Dr. Ruth Reynard
