During the past few decades, superior education has been threatened by the boom of the internet and the new education model and delivery methods that have emerged with it. MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), platforms such as Khan Academy, Lynda.com, Teachable, Udemy, Skillshare, and online universities such as UOC (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya), the College for America South University of New Hampshire or the disruptive model that offers Minerva, forcing universities to rethink the education models.

Therefore, there are many universities that have acknowledged that instead of a threat, the Internet and the boom of online education represent a major opportunity to create new delivery methods that adapt to the needs of every student and to the changing world we live in.

A growing number of universities are adopting blended models that combine traditional learning, in other words classroom teaching, with online learning, creating flexible education models, suited to these new times.

Blended learning, is a teaching model that combines elements from classroom teaching and online learning. However, this mode goes beyond just using new technologies in education, it means seizing possibilities that the internet provides to provide every student with a more customized experience that fits their needs.

The site Blended Learning Universe (BLU), an initiative of the Institute Clayton Christensen for Innovation, offers the following definition:

Blended learning refers to a formal education program were the student develops at least a part of his learning process online, partly controlling over the time, place, route or rhythm of the course. Meanwhile, another part of his learning process is developed in space outside his home and under a certain degree of supervision. Both modes must be fully integrated in the learning course.

This education trend has been under development since the 1990s, mainly in the United States in the preschool to secondary education level. Recently, and due to the great penetration of the internet and the abundance of technological tools, it has gained global relevance and there is a growing interest to adapt this idea to the university context.

How does it work?

It is important to point out that when we talk about blended learning we are not referring to a specific teaching method or philosophy, but to the channels that deliver education; it is not surprising to find different models that make this possible. The most relevant are:

• Stations’ rotations: where students rotate in group within a classroom through different “stations” during fixed schedules. In some of them, they learn online, in others, they develop collaborative activities, or classes with their teachers.
• Lab rotations: similar to the previous model, but online learning occurs in a computer lab developed this specific end.
• Individual rotation: in this case, the schedule of every student is determined by the teacher of the algorithm of an app. The student does not have to rotate through every station, only through the ones required by his/her customized route.
• Inverted learning: the student learns new concepts at home through readings, videos and exercises, and apply their knowledge developing projects under the supervision of a teacher.
• Flexible: the faculty provides support and instruction in a flexible schedule and on demand, while the students move forward the curricula’s content at their own rhythm using an online platform.
• On demand: it enables the student to take an online course with a teacher, besides attending to classes. This model is useful for institutions that, for some reason, cannot provide certain learning opportunities.
• Enriched virtual model: it is an alternative to full time school that allows students to complete the largest share of their work online, but demands them to accomplish a certain number of face to face learning with their teacher. Unlike inverted learning, these meeting do not have to be developed on a daily basis.

“The blended learning model is capable of providing a more customized education to a larger number of students”.

Who is using it?

In 2011, the University of Maryland included blended learning options in ten of its courses, and has been increasing its supply since then. This decision was the result of the effort of teachers and administrators who want to test the model as an alternative to classroom teaching, which have tended to grant poor outcomes.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has also adopted the blended model through MITx, its online learning platform. MITx adapts to the needs on the different classes that the institution provides. Some consider the platform their main source of learning. Others prefer to combine classroom teaching with online learning. This online resource enables teachers to focus on the debates and critical content in the classroom.

Last year, another of the best institutions in the world, the Imperial College of London, launched a pilot program in which engineer students took online negotiation courses while attending the rest of the classes in a classroom. The goal of this pilot is to test the model with a small group in order to progressively extent this flexible blended model to its entire education supply.

The IE Business School, located in Spain, has found a way to implement effective solutions to turn online classes into an effective resource both for teachers and for students. The solution is WoW Room (“Window on the World”), a 45 square meter wall with forty-eight 55 inches screens that support the platform. This virtual classroom, the only one who is in the “class” is the teacher (and not always, as they may be replaced by a holographic image), while the students follow the class from any place in the world.

In addition, blended learning may go beyond a simple alternative to face to face teaching or full online teaching, and provides new opportunities. A few years ago, the University of Tufts started a blended initiative “connected classrooms” that enables students to take courses with students and teachers from other institutions located all around the world.

In Mexico and due to the earthquake of September 19^th, the Technological Institute of Monterrey has been using the flexible blended learning model. An average of 1,300 videoconferences are developed every day between teachers and students. In order to achieve this, 90 professors and 150 tutors, mostly volunteers, provide support in real time to these sessions. The effort has enable students to resume their classes, without needing to commute to the campus. This solution optimizes the time they spent in the classrooms, commuting, schedules and it guarantees the academic quality of the education model.

Advantages of this model

Researchers from the University of West Chester, in Pennsylvania, have conducted an experiment in which 150 university students were divided into three groups: the first (60 students) were provided blended education; the second (60 students) had classroom education; while the third group (30 students), also had classroom education, but with fewer students.

The research stated that 64% of students felt more involved with the contents of the course when following the blended model. Around 90% claimed they enjoyed the convenience of the blended model. 88% enjoyed working independently and following their own pace. While 68% felt more comfortable expressing their ideas and 65% believe that combined activities led to a greater sense of community that enabled a better interaction with their fellow classmates.

In addition, the blended learning group had an average score which was slightly higher than the other two groups (47.46, 44.34 and 47.40 out of 60, respectively). This shows that the blended learning model is capable of providing customized teaching to a larger number of students.

In conclusion, blended learning is a teaching mode that is becoming stronger and expanding its presence around the world. Its key advantage, besides its convenience and flexibility, is the possibility of providing customized education, according to the students’ needs and interests.

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References

1 “What is Blended Learning?” Blended Learning Universe, Clayton Christensen Institute, www.blendedlearning.org/basics/

2 Uloop. “Blended Learning: College Classrooms of the Future.” Huffington Post, 16 July 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/uloop/blended-learning-college-_b_3598718.html.

3 Íbid.

4 Redacción. “#YdaleTecCiudad Un ejército de voluntarios brinda apoyo para clases CCM.” CONECTA, 11 Oct. 2017, https://conecta.itesm.mx/Paginas/noticia.aspx?idNoticia=6673.

5 Kenney, Jane, Newcombe, Ellen. “Adopting a Blended Learning Approach: Challenges Encountered and Lessons Learned in an Action Research Study.” Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, vol. 15, no. 1, Feb. 2011, pp. 45–57.

6 Íbid.

Source: Observatorio de Innovación Educativa del Tecnológico de Monterrey.