Blended Learning

In blended learning, some aspects of the educational program are delivered through computers, and the students have some control over when and/or where they will engage with these aspects of the program. Blended learning is different from a straightforward online program, though, because it the computer-mediated aspects of instruction are delivered within the context of a broader structure of traditional face-to-face instruction. Read more about distance learning compared to other traditional methods.

Bleanded learning in the classroom

Blended learning is a structured teaching method that combines traditional, in-class lectures with technology to provide a learning experience customized to meet each student’s needs. 

Teachers combine information through digital and online media, including software, websites, audiovisual, and machines. Blended learning is used in conjunction with and does not replace traditional in-class lectures.

Educators say blended learning provides students with the opportunity to learn through custom instruction while allowing teachers to analyze individual student’s progress. By customizing instruction and using assessment, school administrators benefit from time, resource, and budget savings. Studies also show blended learning can increase students’ academic performance.

How teachers use blended learning

There are several types of blended learning. Some are implemented as early on as kindergarten or first grade. For example, many elementary schools now implement blended learning in the form of puzzles, counting games, and learning the alphabet. These computerized tools measure the students’ progress as they advance to the next level.

Another popular form of blending learning is driver’s education. These classes offer road safety, signage, and laws in an in-classroom setting. However, teachers not only take the students out on the road for test drives, they also employ computerized simulations that help students learn in the safety of the classroom.

Science and mathematics are another field of study that implements blended learning on a regular basis. Teachers use software for teaching and testing. The software analyzes, records, and recommends different approaches based on student’s results.

Each one of these fields uses one or more types of blended learning. The most common element in blended learning is face-to-face instruction. Teachers rely on this physical interaction to gauge the student’s emotional response to learning.

History and background information

Blended learning started in the 1960s with the increasing technology and computer usage. Teachers started using education games on Apple Computers, and later Macintoshes and IBMs, to stimulate classroom participation.

One of the earliest blended learning platforms was PLATO – Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations. PLATO was designed by IT specialists, software programmers, and teachers at the University of Illinois.

PLATO was designed to provide K-12 and college students with an alternative to book and paper homework. Students studied for tests and completed their homework using the platform. The system helped students focus more on their in-class writing and less on take home activities. Teachers saved time through the automated grading system.

And, even though, classrooms unknowingly implemented blending learning as early as the 1970s, the actual term didn’t make it into mainstream education until the late 1990s.

The Interactive Learning Centers in Atlanta coined the term “blended learning” when it announced the name change to EPIC in 1999. But the phrase wasn’t fleshed out until Bonk and Graham published the first Handbook of Blended Learning in 2006. 

This earlier approach set the stage for future schools to implement blended learning and eventually made homeschooling more reliable and in-line with state standards. Teachers also started to implement pre-recorded, online lectures to save time and offer student’s the chance to further their education. Instructors using this method either create PowerPoints, record videos, purchase curriculum from third parties or a combination to stimulate learning.

Finally, schools, particularly universities and community colleges, use blended learning to separate in-class lectures and lab activities. Most states require college students to earn two life science credits with one of those courses offering blended learning through laboratory exercises.