Hybrid/Blended/Online CourseDesign

As school districts look for ways to give their students a personalized learning experience without expanding their budgets, blended learning can be an effective option. This approach to schooling combines face-to-face instruction with online learning and has yielded strong results since officially being researched as an education strategy. In fact, according to a 2010 study from the U.S. Department of Education, blended learning classes produce statistically better results than their face-to-face, non-hybrid equivalents. This may be partly due to the fact that this rapidly growing model not only increases the flexibility and individualization of student learning experiences, but also allows teachers to expand the time they spend as facilitators of learning. Schools make the switch to blended learning for a variety of reasons. In addition to considering the age of the students, the reasons for choosing a blended model generally dictate which of the six models they choose to implement:

Educause infographic

Elements of Personalized Learning

Personalized learning

NGLC-Transforming education through technology

Defining and Integrating Personalized, Blended and Competency Education

Getty images website for open access to images

Quality framework for Online Programs, teaching and learning

The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning: Profiles of emerging models

Educating Americans for the 21st Century