As online learning has become more commonplace in schools, so has the term “blended learning†among the education community. Yet blended learning, describing a mix of in-classroom and online instruction, is not easily defined.
A new report from the Innosight Institute, a non-profit organization seeking to apply the theories of disruptive innovation to common societal problems, provides some clarity.
The paper profiles forty organizations, each instructing students through both face-to-face interactions and online learning. Several trends are apparent throughout the profiles, enabling a two-part working definition of blended learning to be developed.
In all of the blended learning profiles, the report reveals, students are instructed in a “supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home†for at least some of the school day. Also, each blended learning environment provides online instruction to students “with some control over the time, place, path and/or pace.†Both aspects are common components to blended learning that may not be present in other types of learning.
The report identifies six models of blended learning found within the profiles. Policy recommendations on mixing in-classroom learning with blended learning are also given.
Tags: blended learning, online learning