Blended learning - the successful mix of face-to-face and online
What is blended learning?
Blended learning is made up of face-to-face and online components. The distribution of attendance phases and online self-study phases in the semester is not fixed. Rather, it is based on the requirements of the teaching situation, the needs of the students and the preferences of the lecturers. As the lecturer, you decide which units are to be completed online and which topics are to be covered in the joint face-to-face phases. The implementation can vary, from digital supplementation with occasional explanatory videos with worksheets to complete online self-study modules with face-to-face events at the beginning and end of the semester.
Blended learning offers flexibility for teachers and students, needs-oriented teaching and learning processes, the opportunity to implement more interaction in face-to-face phases and thus achieve greater learning effectiveness.
If you are thinking about using blended learning in your teaching, please contact us! We offer advice on all aspects of blended learning and digital teaching. We also provide you with individual support in (media) didactic planning and in the creation of media components with our flexible range of services. You are welcome to contact us for this. As a first step, you can use the aspects and questions listed on this page as an introduction. |
Contact persons at the ZML
Svenja Geißler
Phone: +49 721 608-48154
E-mail: svenja.geissler∂kit.edu
Michael Gauss
Phone: +49 721 608-48206
E-mail: gauss∂kit.edu
The path to your own blended learning scenario
When planning blended learning scenarios, as with traditional courses, various aspects need to be taken into account.
General preliminary considerations
- Consider framework conditions such as lecture type, seminar type, exercise, semester hours per week, ECTS points, semester of study of the students, previous knowledge and spatial conditions.
- Define and formulate clear learning objectives for your course.
- Select targeted content and structure it to create an effective learning curve.
- Think about how you can convey this content in a targeted manner.
Specific preliminary considerations
Once the content has been defined and structured to suit the learning objectives, the considerations relevant to blended learning must be made. The first key questions in planning could be
- Which parts/topics/(sub)chapters are suitable as online input?
- Which parts of the event should take place in person?
- What should the digital elements be used for?
- Which materials support self-study?
- How are the thematic units structured using different media?
Important aspects of dealing with blended learning:
Explaining the procedure at the start of the semester: Always clarify the procedure for your blended learning concept at the start of the semester. An occasional repetition and an appeal to personal responsibility during the self-learning phase have never done any harm.
Time required and student perception: Students initially perceive some blended learning scenarios as time-consuming, especially the inverted classroom. However, using them during the lecture period saves a lot of study time when preparing for exams. The semester workload therefore remains the same. It is important to ensure that the digital enrichment of teaching does not lead to an overload. With blended learning, you cannot teach more content - you can only teach it in a more targeted and flexible way and deepen it better.
Guidance in the online environment: The online learning environment differs from face-to-face events. It is therefore crucial that the learning material contains clear instructions. In this way, learners are informed at all times about which tasks are to be completed independently, when and in what way.
Use the time gained in attendance phases: Blended learning concepts often allow valuable practice and consolidation time to be gained in the face-to-face phase because input has been outsourced to the self-study phase. However, this should not lead to an overload due to more input. The time gained in attendance phases allows for more individual support and more interactive work. Use our method box for this (link to follow)
- Communication is crucial: Communicate this use of time, communicate when exactly which tasks, topics, etc. are due in the self-study phase and how the tasks are to be handled. ILIAS has great functions for this.
Guiding questions and a clear structure: Guiding questions help students to reflect on what they have learned and their own skills during the self-study phase and when preparing for exams. Short references or references to previous phases (without long repetitions) facilitate orientation and help the interweaving of synchronous and asynchronous phases to succeed. The clearer the structure and the greater the involvement of students in the learning process, the better the learning experience.
Use existing materials: Use existing materials to enrich your teaching or for blending individual sessions.
Concrete planning with models and methods
You know your framework conditions, objectives and content. You have thought about which of this content is suitable for online self-study units and which you would like to convey or deepen in face-to-face sessions. Now it's time for the concrete planning.
If you want to extend parts of your course with self-study units or even replace sessions with self-study units, you can use the following models as a guide. These models are individually adaptable and can also be combined with each other. You can fill these models with your content and suitable methods.
