Blended learning

Blended learning (in English blended learning or b-learning) refers to the combination of face-to-face work (in the classroom), and online work (combining the Internet and digital media), where the person who is a student can control some factors such as the place, time and space of work. It can also be understood as the efficient combination of different delivery methods, teaching models, incorporation courses and learning styles.

As blended learning is highly context-dependent, it is difficult to establish a universal understanding of blended learning. Some reports have claimed that the lack of consensus on a firm definition of blended learning has led to difficulties in research on its effectiveness. A widely cited study from 2013 broadly defined blended learning as a mixture of online and face-to-face teaching in which the online portion effectively replaces some of the face-to-face contact time rather than complementing it.

In addition, a 2015 meta-analysis that conducted an extensive review of evidence-based research on blended learning found common ground in defining blended learning as "considered a combination of from traditional f2f [face-to-face] modes of instruction with online learning modes, leveraging technology-mediated instruction, where all participants in the learning process are separated by distance part of the time". This report also found that all of these evidence-based studies concluded that student achievement was higher in blended learning experiences compared to fully online or fully face-to-face learning experiences.

Definition and origin

Blended learning can be understood as that teaching design in which a face-to-face part (physical) and technologies are mixed for a non-face-to-face part (virtual) that are hybridized with the aim of improving the teaching-learning process. Thus, the concept receives other names more focused on the action of the designer or teacher, such as "mixed", "flexible education" or "hybrid model". These definitions adapt the development and activities to a distance learning environment, however, they lacked a clear explanation of the paradigm changes that are caused by the incorporation of new educational environments.

Although the concepts on which blended learning is based were first developed in the 1960s, the gormal terminology to describe it originated in the late 1990s with the intention of solving the difficulties that the methodology was experiencing. of online education occupied more with instrumental aspects than with the didactic orientation of education.

Categorization

The methodology of semi-presential or hybrid learning involves learning on mobile devices, eye learning, in the living room, and online learning.

A categorization of this type of learning could be established according to the use of Internet resources, in general, and of virtual classrooms more specifically in teaching depending on the degree of face-to-face or distance in the interaction between the teacher and students. Thus, we can identify three large groups or models of online education:

• Model of face-to-face teaching with the Internet: the virtual classroom as a complement or support resource.
• Semi-presence teaching model: virtual classroom as a space combined with physical classroom or semi-presential learning.
• Distance teaching model: the virtual classroom as the only educational space.

Blended learning refers to blending face-to-face and online work to achieve effective learning. The great challenge is finding the right balance between the activities that are carried out virtually, and those that are done in person.

Student of Kerala, India, seeing distance classes during the Covid-19 pandemic.

There are four types of implementation of blended learning:

• At the level of activity: where each of them combines face-to-face and other virtual moments of work (e.g. an activity involving classroom debate and a video vision).
• At the course level: the courses have different blocks whose teaching can coincide in time or be sequenced. They also have virtual working parts and parts that require the physical presence of the student.
• At the training program level: programs combine parts of the course that will be in line with others that will have a presence (such as the practices that are carried out in the course).
• At the institutional level: some educational institutions and universities design their own model b-learning, adjusting the face-to-face model already available to a semi-presential model, with a lower time load where the student has to be personalised, an offer of online itineraries and a curriculum adjusted to this study modality.

The blended model is a learning model that combines characteristics of face-to-face work and online work, which enrich content learning and work dynamics.

In face-to-face work, the teacher can explain content to the students, promote the organization of work or request the development of tasks in class, while online the tasks are arranged so that the students can do them outside of class at the moment and place that they can. In the case of teamwork activities, students are the ones who organize themselves to do the assigned tasks.

The relationship between teacher and students has a change in the virtual space, since it is about monitoring the work of the students and giving guidelines as they are required. On the other hand, communication can be towards the whole group or to a particular student in relation to something specific.

Presentation of the classroom.

In-person work is more related to the transmission of knowledge, although this is not always the case, since in-person activities collaborative work can also be promoted. In online work, the student has the possibility to develop her abilities in different ways.

These forms of teaching, which we could call learning networks, are groups of people who learn together, synchronizing when, how and where the activities are carried out. The construction of knowledge that occurs in these networks or virtual environments shows that in a community that is well intercommunicated, collaboration and the help provided to each other cooperate to a great extent with teaching and learning in a positive way. without forgetting the good effect produced by intellectual enrichment among all the actors in the teaching process. In fact, many of the new strategies carried out in educational environments have to do with this cooperation in cooperative learning, such as group learning or peer tutoring.

The implementation of the model in a distance education course minimizes the transition impact that students suffer when going from a face-to-face education methodology to virtual education. It has been verified that the academic performance of the students evaluated with the b-learning model was effective, since it reinforces and clears up the concerns generated by the students in the different topics addressed in the virtual activities of the course studied..

Regarding the use of materials, online work gives the possibility of including various materials, links to web pages, links to videos, articles, mind maps, infographics, etc., so that students have the possibility to take advantage of various channels (visual and auditory) to receive information and learn.

The use of virtual spaces to work with students (LMS such as Moodle, Facebook, Blogs, among others) allows students to upload their homework at different times of the day, according to their work time.

Blended learning models

The Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation advocates the following blended learning models:

1. Rotation model. In a model of this nature, class activities are organized into work stations that imply different tasks. The students are organized into teams and each team performs a task for a while and then changes stations. The tasks can be of different types: team work, individual work, work with technology, work with paper and pencil, among others. Within this model there is strong class work and some online assignments.

Within this model there are four sub-models:

• Rotation. In this model students perform activities at each of the workstations.
• Computer lab rotation. In this model students exchange work between the classroom and the computing laboratory, although most work is done with electronic devices (computers, tablets, smartphones, etc.). The lounge is reserved for other activities.
• Inverted classroom. The inverted class methodology intends to reverse the traditional perspective of time in class. In the past, class time was dedicated to the teacher providing information to students. In the inverted class model it is about favoring individualized learning and providing specific help to each student from their needs, as well as improving student-teacher interaction. The information part of the class is provided to be revised online by students outside the class schedule.
• Individual rotation. In this model each student has particular tasks that can be different from those of other peers. The teacher assigns the tasks according to the needs he deems relevant.

2. Flexible model. In this model, online activities constitute the substantial part. The student has the flexibility to move in different learning modalities with the purpose of improving their learning based on specific needs. Consequently, each student has a specific way of organizing her learning process. Due to the flexibility, the student can move between individual work, in small groups, in projects of the whole group, among others. The advisory work by the teacher can be minimal or very extensive, depending on the needs of the students.

3. A la carte model. In this model, students can take some curriculum subjects in person, while others can be completely online. The advisory part by the teacher is basically carried out online in this modality.

4. Rich virtual model. In this model, students have some face-to-face tutorials on assigned days, but the rest of the work is done online, where they will also have virtual support from the teacher. Tutorials by the teacher are usually optional, for students who require specific support.

Advantages and disadvantages of blended work

Blended work is reported as a more effective work model than face-to-face or fully online. Faculty promoting blended learning argue that incorporating asynchronous communication technology helps “facilitate an independent and collaborative learning experience.” This leads to greater student satisfaction and therefore better achievement in their courses. The use of ICT helps students to improve their attitude towards learning.

Some advantages and disadvantages of blended work are:

Use of the term

The great importance of new technologies in many countries today, blended learning is often applied in a specific way to the provision or use of resources that combine online education or mobile learning with other educational resources. Some authors argue that the basic means of blended learning may also include virtual tutoring or mentoring.

These media tend to combine an online learning component along with a human component, although the involvement of the virtual tutor or mentor does not have to be in the virtual environment. Virtual tutoring can be provided as part of the student's autonomous work. Researchers Heinze and Procter have created the following definition for blended learning applied to higher education:

Some of the advantages of semi-presential learning are: the cost-effectiveness ratio for both the institution that offers training and for the student, the rapid updating of materials, new forms of interaction between the student-professor, accessibility to a post in secondary education, and flexibility in the planning and programming of the course. Some of the disadvantages are: access to a computer and the Internet, limited knowledge in ICT, study skills, problems similar to those that may have those who access a traditional teaching centre.

The blended learning methodology is established as a joint modality of face-to-face and distance training that involves innovative aspects, complementing traditional training and establishing periods of asynchronous learning. Its integration has occurred to a greater extent in higher education, however, this modality is increasingly incorporated into basic education.

Methods and projects on blended learning

The Socrates program of the European Union is currently financing the development of blended courses in nine European languages. There are two development projects, Tool for Online and Offline Language Learning, coordinated by EuroEd Foundation, from Iasi, Romania and Autonomous Language Learning coordinated by CNAI in Pamplona, Spain.

Each project is building blended learning programs at the A2 'Basic' level, according to the competence descriptors defined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

In addition to the academic sector, blended learning is also being used by the private sector, possibly because it has a higher cost-benefit margin than traditional training, although there are no studies to support this cost savings.

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) involves asking questions based on problems that arise in medical practice, seeking research that can answer them, evaluating and interpreting that research, applying its results, and auditing the process. The question has been raised whether electronic or distance learning (e-learning), an increasingly popular method of teaching EBM, is effective in improving the skills of professionals in the field of medicine. For this, a systematic review of 24 randomized controlled trials was carried out, covering 3,285 participants, including doctors, nurses and other professionals in the area. The results of the review indicate that e-learning, whether virtual or blended, improves knowledge and skills in the field of EBM, when compared to no learning at all. On the other hand, there is no difference when comparing e-learning with traditional face-to-face education. Likewise, blended learning seems to be the most effective of all the methods, by improving the knowledge, skills and attitudes of the evaluated professionals.

System Examples

• Moodle free web application (GNU Public License) multiplatform that allows you to create effective online learning sites. It promotes a social constructivist pedagogy (collaboration, activities, critical reflection, etc.). Its installation requires the availability of a database and a platform that supports PHP. What Moodle offers for the courses are both activities and resources, in which we can find questionnaires, forums, glossaries, task delivery, wikis, access to the URLs, among others. Something important about Moodle is the presence of modules, since these are the functional part of the platform, it is as if it were the soul of Moodle. These modules can be divided into both blocks and activities.
  • Blocks: this is located in columns to the sides of the platform, and in it we can find everything that can be added not necessarily linked to the central theme of the course, such as a calendar, a watch, messages or users online.
  • Activities: this is more related to the part of the course, we will find here all the materials that serve the development of the student's learning as videos, questionnaires, surveys, tasks, etc.
• Willow: system for automatic and adaptive evaluation of responses in free text.
• The LiveManual Project: project that allows the generation of material b-learning very intuitively.
• Amadeus: project that allows you to extend the experiences acquired in presence for various platforms (internet, envelopes, mobile phones, PDA, and digital television) in an integrated and consistent way.
• Twelve: Twelve is an open cloud platform for online learning, also known as a learning management system.
• Dokeos: is a web-based learning platform, where Administrators can add training content so that students can learn different content in a safe and simple way.
• Canvas Instructure: is a free platform that offers a space to improve teaching through the use of various digital tools.

Current trends

The use of mobile devices is part of the semi-prenial learning process.

Blended learning is based on the combination of teaching-learning situations in the classroom and through virtual resources. This methodology is currently having a lot of popularity, highlighting the following trends:

• Mobile electronic learning: refers to a way of learning through mobile phones, tablets or laptops that allows interaction with others (with social networks) as well as the increase of the learning experience 24 hours a day and seven days a week thanks to easy access to materials. In addition, it can be done at any time and anywhere, given the easy access that exists to this technology, as all these devices have the internet continuously.

• Inverted classroom: tries to transmit the contents through the ICTs at home: texts, video, audio (podcasts), infographics, presentations, conceptual maps, etc. Thus, students can consult them at the time and the times they want and, later, in class to engage in activities such as debates, exhibitions, research or solve doubts to finish assimilating the contents.

• Hybrid Education: refers to the process where two or more modes such as: presenceal, virtual or remote interact or mix. Unlike the inverted classroom or mobile e-learning, it is not simply a question of using a technological device but of removing the best of each modality for strengthening the educational process.