Thinking about Blended Learning? The excitement around blended learning, driven by the need for more digital learning during this era of telecommuting, may make you consider it an option for your organization. Unfortunately, adopting any blended learning model can cause more problems than it solves unless your team prepares strategically. As with any learning program development, you need to carefully assess your organizational needs and make calculated choices.
Blended learning at its best
To get the most out of Blended Learning, you must understand
the purpose for which it was designed. Blended learning, at its best, is the
“best of both worlds”. There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of
learning – digital and face-to-face. Theoretically, if you combine different
types of learning, you can enjoy the benefits of each type.
For example, if you are developing a program to teach new
software, a face-to-face session in which the instructor teaches all the
details of the new software is likely to be very boring and ineffective. But if
employees learn the software exclusively through interactive online classes,
they won't have anyone to contact if they have specific questions.
A blended learning model would solve these problems by offering
a digital lesson on the basics of the software, followed by a face-to-face
interactive session in which employees experience using the software for the
first time under the supervision of an expert.
Where to start creating a blended learning model
The key to combining learning is to do it strategically. To
accomplish this, there are several steps you should take before you begin.
Here, in general, are some of the things you should think about:
Assess your organization's needs
This is an important step in developing any learning
program, but it's impossible to create the right blended learning mix without
it. Assessing your organization's needs can be more complex than you think.
Start by asking yourself and your team the following questions:
What are the problems with our current learning model?
If we don't have a current apprenticeship program, what are
the reasons we want to develop one?
What are the objectives of the new learning model? If the
results are measurable, what are the numbers we hope to achieve with the new
program?
What do employees think about our learning model (if we
already have one)?
Do employees use the current learning model? What are the
engagement statistics relevant to employee adherence?
What do employees want for the future of organizational
learning?
What do managers think about the current learning model?
What do managers want for the future of organizational
learning?
What topics or skill sets will be included in the new
learning program?
For each topic, what is the most effective way to teach it?
If you don't know the answers to all these questions in your
head, don't worry – this is normal. But it does mean that research will be an
important part of the needs assessment process. Talk to key people in your
company, including managers and employees. Conduct surveys. Take measurements.
It might even be a good idea to get in touch with
third-party development and blended learning professionals. There are many companies
that are experts at guiding organizations through this process, and outsourcing
some of the work can mean fewer interruptions in day-to-day activities.
If you are developing an organization-wide program, you can
expect the needs assessment process to take several months. Smaller programs
can take less time (for example, if, say, your company only employs fifty
people or if you are looking to develop a program for just one course). Be
patient with this step; it will be the basis for all your decision making as
you develop your ideal Blended Learning mix.
Browse Learning Platform Options
This may seem obvious, but it's important to familiarize yourself with everything out there. e-Learning has become an incredibly innovative field with complex and customized solutions.
Blended learning is not just about a mix of digital and
face-to-face learning. It means a combination of face-to-face learning,
traditional digital modules, microlearning, just-in-time learning, LMS, LRS,
interactive learning, VR, AR and much more. Let your imagination fly with
what's possible.
With a workforce more familiar with digital platforms,
adaptability to different types of learning will be less of a concern than it
used to be. Employees will be used to switching from a face-to-face meeting to
the phone, the computer to other devices – sometimes using multiple platforms
at the same time.
Working with learning development professionals who are
constantly learning about new developments in their fields is a great idea, as
they may have a good instinct for which options are generally successful in meeting
the types of learning needs in their organization.
putting everything together
One of the challenges of blended learning is that combining
different types of platforms and learning modes can make it much more difficult
to track, distribute, and especially more difficult to control. Having a system
in place to do this will be part of determining what types of learning make
sense for you to include in your program.
To some extent, there must be an acceptance that only a
certain centralization is possible. But inevitably, there will be learning that
will take place outside of the LMS or LXP you choose for your organization, no
matter how many platforms it connects to – or how many devices it supports.
Modern users are used to decentralized digital experiences. For example, most
people have multiple social media accounts on different platforms, and they are
all used differently and have different audiences. They understand that to get
the best of everything, they have to use everything.
The only limit to blended learning is your imagination.
Once you understand your organization's learning needs, the
technologies available to you, and develop a system to keep everything in
place, the sky is the limit with blended learning. Blended Learning means you are
no longer tied to your LMS. This means that learning experiences are not tied
to time and space. Finding the right mix of learning for your organization is
certainly a valuable process, one that will transform organizational learning
and development into something you never thought possible.
About Us
Blended learning in
the corporate environment
In 2014, the Learning
& Performance Brazil Institute carried out a survey entitled “ Use of
blended learning in Brazilian organizations ”. See some of the results
presented by this survey.
About the training
modalities offered on a larger scale:
50% of companies
reported predominantly using face-to-face teaching;
35% of companies
reported predominantly using distance learning (internet and intranet);
14% of companies
reported predominantly using blended learning.
The advantages of
blended learning for the company
The reasons why this
type of hybrid education is gaining more space in education and for companies
that already invest in corporate education, this can be a great bet!
Using the blended
learning format in corporate education is an interesting option for those who
want to combine the benefits of each of the learning modalities. We separate
some of them:
Cost reduction
In a blended learning
strategy, distance education can reduce the face-to-face workload. In this way,
the costs of daily expenses for specialists and professors are reduced.
Also, online content
can be easily updated.
Conclusion
As you have seen,
traditional education, in which face-to-face classes are the norm, has become
increasingly obsolete. But that doesn't mean you can't combine the best in
traditional learning with the latest teaching technologies.
And that's just what
hybrid learning offers: it combines the flexible routine of online courses with
the greater interaction of face-to-face learning.
Now that you know
what blended learning is and how it works, how about going even deeper into the
world of distance education? Keep following the Plantar Educação Blog!
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