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Blended learning means making full use of the available resources, environment and people to help learners learn. It may or may not include using computer-based systems. Any good teacher or tutor uses a blended approach to their teaching. Any learner who is engaged with their learning will use a blended approach to their learning.
Examples include:
- A management trainer using a mix of group activity, chalk & talk, and individual reflection
- Someone learning how to use Excel, by using a mixture of trial & error, a reference book and the Excel help files.
It could be argued that all learning is blended, but some teaching is not blended. All good teaching is blended.
Just because a learning programme is blended (ie. uses a mixture of approaches), it does not mean that the learning programme is going to work. The design of the interface between the different approaches is crucial, so that learners are never left wondering what they should do next.
Providing a choice of approaches and materials is good for "advanced learners"; people who know how to use that choice effectively, who know how to learn. Many learners, particularly when starting out on a new area of learning, often need far more structure. In this case a linear, timeline driven mix of activities and resources can often be the best design.
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