Understanding Blended Learning and How it Can Succeed in Improving Education

“Make sure you have the ability to evaluate results. What’s the KPI that is going to gauge the success of this? Is it going to be better attendance, better grades? Have some way to evaluate and measure to see results. Those are some ways to ensure blended learning will work for students and for schools,” says Yoegel.

Educators must have access to the right data and information in order to measure students’ progression and provide them with a personalized learning experience. Schools should consider investing in learning management systems and online tools that will allow them to see what students are working on, how they are performing on those tasks, and what changes need to be made in order to progress each students’ learning.

“[At DreamBox] we’re providing more information to help teachers make strategic classroom decisions,” says Hudson. “The role of blended learning partners like DreamBox is to make sure that part of the blended learning model is partnering with us and providing teachers with useful information that’s digestible and in real-time. From there I think teachers have additional tools at their disposal to say, ‘Okay, during class I need to work with these students on a particular topic, but other students can be working on DreamBox.’ Students can make personalized progress with DreamBox in the same way a teacher is providing personalized instruction to that small group.”

When teachers can properly evaluate students’ work in a blended learning environment, they can ensure the structure of blended learning is helpful to all students, no matter where they stand in regards to their learning progression.

Understand Roles and Responsibilities

Blended learning changes the traditional structure of the classroom, and teachers and students must understand their roles and responsibilities in order for blended learning to be effective.

When students are learning online, there is no longer a teacher physically present to hold them accountable for paying attention and engaging in the content.

“A student’s role [in blended learning] is to engage deeply with content that’s available to them through technology but also be mindful of their own learning progress,” says Revenaugh. “They need to know when they need help, when to ask for help, and show up to help when it’s made available and really engage with their teachers whether they are face-to-face or online as to what they personally and specifically need help with or when they’re ready to jump ahead.”

Students participating in blended learning need to be aware of their own learning progress. Learning to be responsible for their own success in the classroom is important in preparing for college and future careers.

In addition, teachers’ roles also change in a blended learning environment. While they are still responsible for monitoring students’ progress and guiding them through the learning process, they are no longer the sole leaders of instruction. Instead, teachers must adjust their roles depending on the structure of the classroom and the needs of each student.