Designing a blended course
What is a blended course?
The following definition of blended learning has been adopted by the University of Ottawa.
A blended course is designed such that some in-class time is substituted by equally meaningful online activities.
This means that the in-class and online portions of a course are complementary and have been thoughtfully combined to meet the needs of the learner and the goals of the course. The online components are not an addition to a full course load but a purposeful substitution of some in-class activities.
To expand on this definition, there is also a limit to how many classes an instructor may place online. For a course to be considered blended, we require that 20 – 80% of a course be substituted by online activities. For example, in a 12 week course at least 2 face-to-face classes (20%) would need to be substituted with online activities to a maximum of 10 classes online (80%).
A model based reflective teaching practices
Designing a blended course is based on a set of specific actions. To help instructors who wish to make this educational transition, the Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS) of the University of Ottawa proposes a model that reviews components of the course design process in the context of transforming a course into a blended format.
Instructions: click on different stages of the course design process (each circle) to reveal the associated information, resources and/or links.
The Designing a Blended Course Tool created by the Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS) of the University of Ottawa (Canada) is made available under the terms of the Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike 4.0 International.
References
General Theory
- Siemens, G., & Dawson, S. (2015). Preparing for the Digital University. Picciano – Blended learning research perspectives
- Graham, C. R. (2013). Emerging practice and research in blended learning. Handbook of distance education, 3.
- Halverson, L. R., Graham, C. R., Spring, K. J., & Drysdale, J. S. (2012). An analysis of high impact scholarship and publication trends in blended learning. Distance Education, 33(3), 381-413.
- Halverson, L. R., Graham, C. R., Spring, K. J., Drysdale, J. S., & Henrie, C. R. (2014). A thematic analysis of the most highly cited scholarship in the first decade of blended learning research. The Internet and Higher Education, 20, 20-34.
- Hood, M. (2013). Bricks or clicks? Predicting student intentions in a blended learning buffet. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 29(6), 762-776.
- Vaughan, N. D., Cleveland-Innes, M., & Garrison, D. R. (2013). Teaching in blended learning environments: Creating and sustaining communities of inquiry. Athabasca University Press.
- Margulieux, L. E., Bujak, K. R., McCracken, W. M., & Majerich, D. M. (2014). Hybrid, blended, flipped, and inverted: defining terms in a two-dimensional taxonomy. In Paper accepted to the 12th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Education. Honolulu, HI January (Vol. 2014, pp. 5-9).
- Yuen, A. H., Deng, L., Fox, R., & Tavares, N. J. (2009). Engaging students with online discussion in a blended learning context: issues and implications. In Hybrid learning and education (pp. 150-162). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
- Torrisi-Steele, G., & Drew, S. (2013). The literature landscape of blended learning in higher education: the need for better understanding of academic blended practice. International Journal for Academic Development, 18(4), 371-383.
- Owston, R., York, D., & Murtha, S. (2013). Student perceptions and achievement in a university blended learning strategic initiative. The Internet and Higher Education, 18, 38-46.
- Woods, R., Badzinski, D. M., & Baker, J. (2007). Student perceptions of blended learning in a traditional undergraduate environment. Blended learning: Research perspectives, 203-229.
- Caravias, V. (2014). Teachers' Conceptions and Approaches to Blended Learning: A Literature Review. In The Third International Conference on E-Learning and E-Technologies in Education (ICEEE2014) (pp. 61-75). The Society of Digital Information and Wireless Communication.
- Gerbic, P. (2011). Teaching using a blended approach–what does the literature tell us?. Educational Media International, 48(3), 221-234.
- Akyol, Z., & Garrison, D. R. (2011). Understanding cognitive presence in an online and blended community of inquiry: Assessing outcomes and processes for deep approaches to learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(2), 233-250.
- Akyol, Z., Garrison, D. R., & Ozden, M. Y. (2009). Online and blended communities of inquiry: Exploring the developmental and perceptional differences. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 10(6), 65-83.
- Moskal, P., Dziuban, C., & Hartman, J. (2013). Blended learning: A dangerous idea?. The Internet and Higher Education, 18, 15-23.
- Kaleta, R., Skibba, K., & Joosten, T. (2007). Discovering, designing, and delivering hybrid courses. Blended learning: Research perspectives, 111-143.
Institutional Organization
- Porter, W. W., Graham, C. R., Spring, K. A., & Welch, K. R. (2014). Blended learning in higher education: Institutional adoption and implementation. Computers & Education, 75, 185-195.
- Garrison, D. R., & Kanuka, H. (2004). Blended learning: Uncovering its transformative potential in higher education. The internet and higher education, 7(2), 95-105.
- Wallace, L., & Young, J. (2010). Implementing blended learning: Policy implications for universities. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 13(4).
- Graham, C. R., Woodfield, W., & Harrison, J. B. (2013). A framework for institutional adoption and implementation of blended learning in higher education. The internet and higher education, 18, 4-14.
- Owston, R. (2013). Blended learning policy and implementation: Introduction to the special issue. The Internet and Higher Education, 18, 1-3.
- Garrison, D. R., & Vaughan, N. D. (2013). Institutional change and leadership associated with blended learning innovation: Two case studies. The internet and higher education, 18, 24-28.
- Singleton, D. M. (2013). Transitioning to Blended Learning: The Importance of Communication and Culture. Journal of Applied Learning Technology, 3(1).
- Carbonell, K. B., Dailey-Hebert, A., & Gijselaers, W. (2013). Unleashing the creative potential of faculty to create blended learning. The Internet and Higher Education, 18, 29-37.
- Taplin, R. H., Kerr, R., & Brown, A. M. (2013). Who pays for blended learning? A cost–benefit analysis. The Internet and Higher Education, 18, 61-68.
Design of Blended Courses
- Spanjers, I. A., Könings, K. D., Leppink, J., Verstegen, D. M., de Jong, N., Czabanowska, K., & van Merriënboer, J. J. (2015). The promised land of blended learning: Quizzes as a moderator. Educational Research Review, 15, 59-74.
- Shea, P. (2007). Towards a conceptual framework for learning in blended environments. Blended learning: Research perspectives, 19-35.
- Hoic-Bozic, N., Mornar, V., & Boticki, I. (2009). A blended learning approach to course design and implementation. Education, IEEE Transactions on, 52(1), 19-30.
- McGee, P., & Reis, A. (2012). Blended Course Design: A Synthesis of Best Practices. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 16(4), 7-22.
- Helms, S. A. (2014). Blended/hybrid courses: a review of the literature and recommendations for instructional designers and educators. Interactive Learning Environments, 22(6), 804-810.
- Ausburn, L. J. (2004). Course design elements most valued by adult learners in blended online education environments: An American perspective. Educational Media International, 41(4), 327-337.
- Shibley, I., Amaral, K. E., Shank, J. D., & Shibley, L. R. (2011). Designing a blended course: Using ADDIE to guide instructional design. Journal of College Science Teaching, 40(6), 80-85.
- Dukes III, L. L., Koorland, M. A., & Scott, S. S. (2009). Making blended instruction better: Integrating the principles of universal design for instruction into course design and delivery. Action in Teacher Education, 31(1), 38-48.
- Precel, K., Eshet-Alkalai, Y., & Alberton, Y. (2009). Pedagogical and design aspects of a blended learning course. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 10(2).
- Foster, M. K. Report on Blended Course Design: A Bootcamp for Instructors.
- Gedik, N., Kiraz, E., & Ozden, M. Y. (2013). Design of a blended learning environment: Considerations and implementation issues. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 29(1).
- Huang, R., & Zheng, L. (2009). An empirical study on blended learning in the introduction to educational technology course. In Hybrid Learning and Education (pp. 122-132). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.