Also known as hybrid or blended learning, the Blended Learning is a pedagogical learning technique that is increasingly adopted by trainers. A clever mix betweene-learning and face-to-face training, it guarantees flexibility, allowing learners to follow professional training entirely at their own pace while benefiting from interaction with the teacher. How and when should the blended learning approach be launched? Explanation of a method that has been tried and tested for decades.
What is the origin of blended learning?
Although it is not easy to identify the origin of blended learning accurately, many consider correspondence courses dating as far back as the 1830s as being at the origin of this concept. Indeed, this training technique already combined exchanges of letters between teachers and their students with independent individual learning.
Moreover, it makes sense to say that the popularization of televisions and personal computers in training centers has contributed significantly to the rise of blended learning, especially between the 1960s and 1980s. Therefore, face-to-face training was no longer the only option and the learning of students or remote workers a possible alternative.
However, experts all agree on one thing. The popularization of the Internet in the 1990s was really the catalyst that gave full meaning to blended learning. Indeed, a simple connection to the web offers multiple possibilities in terms of studies and digital interactions. Since and until today, platforms of Social learning, webinars or distance tutoring are preferred ways of learning, especially since the lockdown period in 2020.
The modern definition of blended learning
In the age of the digital revolution, all sectors of activity are facing numerous obstacles, pushing them to evolve, or even almost rethink, their processes and their training plan. It is by adopting innovative learning techniques such as blended learning that the best manage to stand out, while meeting the requirements of the new generation of learners and workers.
In its simplest definition, a blended learning strategy combines the advantages of face-to-face training with those of online learning in order to develop a tailor-made formula. 100% winning, This focuses on the learner's journey by placing him at the heart of the training. Indeed, unlike exclusive e-learning, online training complements face-to-face training by allowing trainers to draw on technological advances in order to to optimize the learning experience while deepening the understanding of certain topics. To mention just a few examples, URL links to a tutorial or online discussion groups are common ways to learn in a fun and effective way and to answer questions quickly, but there are plenty of Tips for blended learning.
How do you get started with blended learning?
Although there is only different blended learning models no specific common rules, the mutation towards hybrid learning leaves the protagonists of the training questionable. These questions focus on the implementation of mixed systems while aligning with a company's business model and training strategies.
Indeed, the first reflex to adopt is to ensure that the approaches put in place to introduce blended learning respond to a better efficiency/cost ratio than the face-to-face or remote methods envisaged. Moreover, it is often in order to optimize the training budget by reducing the travel and mobilization times of learners, that training professionals consider the launch of blended learning.
It is also essential to correctly define the blended learning formula to adopt. Thus, while some companies prefer to introduce this concept gradually, others take the risk of completely reorganizing their training courses with a distribution between immersion, distance learning and face-to-face. To date, and due to emerging technologies such as mobile learning or rich media, no one-size-fits-all model seems to be needed. However, in order to best respond to a company's problems and validate the chosen blended model, it is necessary to define the right timing at the same time as a training course.
Blended learning: concrete example
In order to get a better idea of the different possibilities of integrating blended learning into the training course, it is possible to start with an introduction of trainers and learners as well as the principles of a subject in a traditional training room before continuing with teleconferences or online modules. The opposite is also possible. In this context, it is common to teach theory online and to go on site for the latest practical courses. Undoubtedly attractive for training organizations or companies, the versatility and time savings offered by blended training make it possible to establish different types of planning. These may change depending on access to technology, learning goals, or the level of learners.
How can blended learning methods be harmonized?
While establishing a new learning dynamic, the blended learning approach also redefines the role of stakeholders. You have to know How to prepare trainers for blended learning. Thus, the first steps towards this approach emphasize the importance of the devices under consideration. In order to increase their effectiveness, it is a good idea to ask yourself the following questions:
- What are the current practices in terms of new ways of learning?
- What are the discrepancies between these practices and those envisaged?
- To what extent is the profession of trainer brought to change ?
- How does blended learning work with objectives targeted by the training?
- How does blended learning respond to business problems ?
- What report Do learners talk to the new teaching methods?
Answering these questions according to the nature of the training makes it possible to define and conduct the support system for trainers and learners in parallel with the implementation of the blended learning project.
