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DEFINITION WOES ? FROM
ONLINE LEARNING
NEWS AND REVIEWS
OLNews@vnulearning.com |
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A reader
is confused about the various meanings of the term
"blended learning."
"Most often, it means that some instruction is
delivered online and some is delivered in the
classroom," says the reader. "On occasion, I have seen
the term used to mean that all learning occurs online,
but that it's not entirely self-directed or self-paced
-? that is, there's a live online piece, e-mail
assignments or a message-board component. I have been
sticking to the term 'blended' for the
online-classroom hybrid, and 'instructor-mediated
online' for the other description, but I'm not sure
that's quite right, either."
Here's a sampling of other readers' thoughts on the
matter:
Marla Koupal's ( MKoupal@Aplus.com ) organization uses
the term "blended learning" to describe all of its
learning programs, which include online courses with
third-party content, Webinars, simulations and
instructor-led training.
She is a training and development specialist with
California Casualty Management Company, which is
headquartered in San Mateo, Calif. |
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At
Intel University, "blended learning" refers to
anything that uses more than one medium to accomplish
learning, says Ren? G.Smith ( rene.g.smith@intel.com
). Thus, blended learning might include any of the
following -- "but always more than just one," says
Smith: classroom courses, virtual instructor-led
courses, online courses or simulations, chats with an
expert, mentoring programs, pre- and post-work
assignments, etc.
Smith is an instructional designer at Intel, which is
head-quartered in Santa Clara, Calif. |
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"Blended
learning is a combination of learning techniques [that
are] designed to best meet course content and learner
needs," says Judith Henry ( jwhenry@worthy-solutions.com
). Such techniques, she notes, can include any
combination of any delivery tools (e.g., classroom
settings, outside reading assignments, CD-based
learning, asynchronous and synchronous Web-based
training, outside projects, homework, etc.).
Traditionally, says Henry, "I believe [the term was]
meant to imply a combination of classroom and Web or
CD-based delivery." However, at least among the
trainers that Henry interacts with, the term now has
come to mean ANY delivery combination --
regardless of whether it includes a classroom
component.
She is owner of and a senior consultant with Worthy
Solutions, a training and consulting firm based in
Greeneville, Tenn.? |
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