The ingredients of effective blended learning

Anne McNeill, Project Manager5 August 2009

Blend2Learn – Objectives

• Sustain areas of curriculum with low but strategic demand

• Enable access to provision by learners disadvantaged by rural isolation

• Minimise the cost of developing and delivering curriculum through eliminating duplication and co-ordinating the use of existing resources

a learner centric approachlearner centric approach which is sensitive to the needs of learners and the context in which learning takes place

a curriculum that utilises various delivery curriculum that utilises various delivery approachesapproaches and platforms

a delivery methoddelivery method that allows for learning at a distance using technology combined with traditional tutor-led education

a model that allows for multi-entry and exit multi-entry and exit pointspoints.

Flexible Blended Learning

Blended Learning - ingredients

People Technology

Pedagogy Content

Collaboration

Process

People Issues addressed

• Senior management buy-in• Curriculum Leaders development plan• Subject Matter Experts (lecturers)• Learning Solutions teams

– Moodle– Instructional design/ pedagogy– Media development and integration– Software applications

• eSkills are Key skills• Shift the mindset - teaching to learning

5

Collaboration

• 3 colleges• collaborative project teams• cross college teams - technology• collaboration environment - Development

Zone– Moodle in the Middle– Discussion forums– Dedicated development and test areas– Resources, evaluations and training materials

6

The B2L process

• Shift thinking from teaching to learning• Shift thinking from UNITS to COMPETENCIES

(the knowledge, skills and attitudes associated with the job they are being trained to do or to prepare them for progression)

• Think about the Learner, not just the qualification

• Think creatively about how to use technology

• Plan the whole programme, not just the lesson• Integrate and contextualise Core Skills and

Curriculum for Excellence

Process• Structured design methodology

– think, plan, do, review– Curriculum design guide– dhttps://www.dgmyspace.umgal.ac.uk/blend2learn/login/index.php

– Learner profiling - entry and exit– Holistic approach to programme design– Competencies, jobs and tasks– Mindmapping for creativity and planning– Map to units, learning outcomes and assessments– Sequencing– Storyboarding– Mapping technology to learning strategies 8

Technology

• Common VLE - Moodle

• Plans to migrate to MLE

• Moodle in the Middle - collaboration environment

• Right tools for the right job

• Blended learning rooms

9

Content

• Storyboards• Metatagging• Learning objects• Storage and retrieval• Copyright• Templates• Quality designed in• Instructional design• Accessibility

10

Content - Instructional design

• Start with the learning outcomes• Break down the content into small contextual

learning bites• If I was there – what would I do.. So, if I’m not

there what do I NEED to do• Use visual images to clarify, engage, enhance

and illustrate concepts• Identify the best way to get a message across

using media and good design concepts – colour, diagrams, fonts, white space, navigational principles

Getting the right blend

• Move from a random collection of stuff on a VLE to a structured learning journey which has context, consistency and quality

Curriculum Areas

• Animal Care• Early Education &

Child Care• Int 2 Care• Visual

Communication• Construction

Numeracy• HN Construction• eAdministrator

• Higher Architectural Technology

• Horticulture• NC Beauty• Core Skills http://

www.dgmyspace.dumgal.ac.uk/blend2learn/course/view.php?id=86

• Fish farming• Hairdressing

Pedagogy (learning strategies)

• Collaborative Learning• Assessment• General teaching and learning• Managing learning

Technology

• Moodle VLE• Transition to MLE (My Borders Campus?)• The Development Zone– the Moodle

collaboration and communication environment

• The Right tools for the job• MindManager

Decision makingWhat do I know

about my learners?

What do I want Learners to be

able to do?

What other issues related to the contentdo I need to consider?

Are there any barriers to technology based

learning?

Which deliverymethod is

best suited to theActivity? Blended learningBlended learning

Challenges for SQA?

• Scenario based learning – extracting the learning outcomes

• ePortfolios• Competence v Units• Technology – Photostories, on-line

forums, audio• Observation• Currency and response to new

programmes