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Many of us who teach in higher education do not have a teaching background, nor do we have experience in curriculum development. We know our content areas and are experts in our fields, but structuring learning experiences for students may or may not be our strong suit. We've written a syllabus (or were handed one to use) and have developed some pretty impressive assessments, projects, and papers in order to evaluate our students' progress through the content. Sometimes we discover that students either don't perform well on the learning experiences we've designed or they experience a great deal of frustration with what they consider high stakes assignments. Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978) proposes that it's important to determine the area (zone) between what a student can accomplish unaided and what that same student can accomplish with assistance.

Many of us who teach in higher education do not have a teaching background, nor do we have experience in curriculum development. We know our content areas and are experts in our fields, but structuring learning experiences for students may or may not be our strong suit. We've written a syllabus (or were handed one to use) and have developed some pretty impressive assessments, projects, and papers in order to evaluate our students' progress through the content. Sometimes we discover that students either don't perform well on the learning experiences we've designed or they experience a great deal of frustration with what they consider high stakes assignments. Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978) proposes that it's important to determine the area (zone) between what a student can accomplish unaided and what that same student can accomplish with assistance.

I had the same thing happen to me: I was using a model without knowing it was a model! I'm glad I now have vocabulary to describe my work in the classroom.

"Teachers using blended learning correctly can be one of the best ways for students to meet the challenge of the Common Core and develop ownership of their learning. But what does "done correctly" mean? If a teacher moves from a traditional teaching style (Point A) to using blended learning correctly (Point B), what does Point B look like? What is the optimal blended learning model?"

Is your Learning Management System paradigm teacher- or student-centered? Long-term success depends upon the correct answer. Many educators now accept the need to provide course materials online in a Learning Management System (LMS) or Online Learning Environment (OLE) for blended learning to occur successfully.

Interesting Infographic that looks at what is 'blended learning', why it's spreading and how it works (with examples).

Great infographic on blended learning with embed code. Takes the approach of Blended Learning as a Disruptive Innovation

Excellent breakdown of different blended learning models - there are 6! Anyone using an LMS (or other online tools) to supplement classroom teaching is already in "Face-to-Face Driver" mode.

Looks at learning theories and how they relate to design for online learning - behaviourism, cognitivism, constructivism Also liked the section on deeper learning principles

This link provided clear and organized information that we can use to organize the content and types of our course activities. It added another layer of information to what was already provided by the course. It seems to prove that when you read about the same topic but coming from different sources, the learning process is facilitated. Obviously, it takes more time but unless I'm sure of what I'm doing I like to prepare myself before jumping in to our own activities. Are you guys experiencing difficulties getting started on the DIY activities? I am taking forever...! But, in the end, I know that the acquired knowledge acquired by doing the project will prove to be more satisfactory and productive than just reading about it...Thanks to everyone who posted these links!

The faculty engagement subcommittee has developed a faculty self-assessment for online teaching. Check it out! Over the past year, the faculty Engagement subcommittee has worked on a faculty self-asssesment for online teaching. Carol McQuiggan, an instructional designer at Penn State Harrisburg who manged the process, presented the faculty survey and its results at the SLOAN-C conference in Orlando in November of 2008.

Thanks for sharing this resource Beth! Last year I worked with Carol and two other colleagues to revise/update the content of the tool. The main goal was to align it with the Competencies for Online Teaching (https://www.e-education.psu.edu/files/OnlineTeachingCompetencies_FacEngagementSubcommittee.pdf). In addition, we presented the updated version at SLOAN-C in October to solicit feedback. We implemented some of the changes and are putting other suggestions "on hold" as we investigate a different platform to move the tool to in order to address accessibility issues.

Blended learning was statistically significantly better than traditional learning in all domains of the educational environment, except for social perception, and in all types of examination: written, objective structured clinical and case scenarios.

A University site targeting faculty. I like the overview of blended learning this first page provides. I also thought the links on the right, particularly the ones to specific examples of courses already 'blended', would provide next steps and local contacts for those wanting more. A good model for other institutions to follow.

Very comprehensive overview of current blended learning best practices - Practical Applications and Experiences in K-20 Blended Learning Environments compiles pedagogical strategies and technologies and their outcomes that have been successfully applied in blended instruction. Highlighting best practices as elementary, secondary, and tertiary educational levels; this book is a vital tool for educators who teach or plan to teach in blended learning environments and for researchers interested in the area of blended education knowledge.

Simmons College instructor Madalaine Pugliese describes her design process for blended learning courses in this case study featuring short video clips, complete text transcript, and actual example documents from Pugliese's design/teaching practice. Of particular note are the sample course schedules from the "traditional" and blended formats of her course and her storyboarding process for blended learning course design using index cards.

"This study will provide novel evidence on the effectiveness of blended learning in teaching evidence based practice (EBP) to a cohort of undergraduate and graduate-entry medical students."

Tony Bates is a leading Canadian researcher and writes in the online learning field. I highly recommend subscribing to his Blog for weekly insights. He is currently writing a new text that will be open and online. Tony writes about online learning in general, however, he also writes regular posts on blended learning, see for example: http://www.tonybates.ca/2014/04/20/synergies-between-online-learning-on-campus-teaching-and-flexible-learning/

"Remixing the curriculum - compiling resources from a variety of sources such as free online texts, proprietary information from publishers, and self-created media such as podcasts - is starting to push its way into K-12 and higher education. Get ahead of the curve with these tips for remixing your own online course materials."

Fabulous! Thank you for this. I find that the more we learn in BlendKit, the more I feel that I need to learn. Having a list of resources to start with is priceless.

Was surprised not to see Padlet included; depending on objective, it's a simple way to get feedback, brainstorm or for students to add content/opinion in a course (2 layouts: sticky note or horizontal which enables more text and so becomes easy to read;) great for sharing multi-media as well.

I think creating a blended course for language teachers (in my case English) is a real challenge, especially when you have to decide the moment to do speaking practice (online) or (F2f). This resource gives you among other things, a guide to create language learning blended courses. Suuper cool! for EFL(English as a foreign language) teachers.

Thanks Margarita! I am also a Foreign Language Teaching and this information is very useful for me!

Tanks! A great resource.

Tony Bates' blog commenting on the UBC case study mentioned in my previous bookmark post.

April 28, 2014 In its basic and simplest definition, blended learning is an instructional methodology, a teaching and learning approach that combines face-to-face classroom methods with computer mediated activities to deliver instruction. The strengths of this instructional approach is its combination of both face to face and online teaching methods into one integrated instructional approach.

"There are Many Elements That can be Fine-Tuned to Bring out the Best in Online and Hybrid Teaching and Learning."