Introduction

As a Walden University graduate student, I'm beginning this blog as part of my course work. I've used a website for several years now for my elementary students and their parents, but I'm new to the world of blogging.

The purpose of this blog is to assist me, my fellow Walden colleagues, and others to learn more about the field of instructional design. Along the way, I'm hoping to learn more about the world of blogging!





Sunday, October 20, 2013


Converting to a Blended Learning Format

 

Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek (2011) report that according to the literature, distance education works.  If you are a training manager frustrated with the communication occurring among trainees in face-to-face sessions, why not consider changing the instruction format?  Blended courses combine distance learning and face-to-face content delivery with 30% to 79% of the content delivered online (Simonson et al., 2011).  Considering the principles of andragogy, adult learners are independent and can direct their own learning (Conlan, Gabowski, and Smith, 2003).  With adults busy and pressured by work and personal demands, the flexibility of offering a portion of the training online could benefit the employees.  Learners would be free to access the resources and assignments when it best suits their schedule.  All of these considerations would be part of the delivery analysis completed to determine the appropriateness of a blended format given the training course constraints (Laureate Education, n.d.).
 
Click on the link to learn more about converting a face-to-face course to a blended format including:
  • Pre-planning Strategies
  • Enhancements of the Original Training Program
  • Role of the Trainer in a Distance Education Setting
  • Communication Online
  • Checklist for Converting to a Blended Environment
  • Sources
 
 
 
References
 

Conlan, J., Gabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retreived from http://projects.coes.uga.edu/epltt/

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2011). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

 

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