Blended Learning Benefits for Successful Companies
Before you open Google and type in: definition blended learning, let us set the record straight. First, it has nothing to do with creating a smoothie. It’s not that kind of “blended”.
Blended or hybrid learning is simply using both classroom and online learning to create the most effective, efficient corporate training possible.
Classroom training is great when you need real-time interaction with students, such as when roleplaying is required. Or when you’re teaching a hands-on skill that involves touching, doing, physically inspecting or assembling. But it’s not so good with consistency or completeness, because it relies on the instructor to cover the curriculum completely and effectively. Teachers have good days and not so good days. They can get behind and skip important material.
And the variation from one instructor to the next in terms of what they cover, what they emphasize, how effectively they explain things, and how well they manage the class can be huge. Think back to the teachers you had in high school. Enough said.
On the other hand, elearning is consistent and complete. Every student sees and hears exactly the same thing. There are no good or bad days, and no variation among instructors. But when it comes to topics that benefit from the live interaction between instructors and students, or that attempts to teach a tactile skill, not so much.
Enter blended learning. Use classroom time to teaching the things classroom instructors do well. Use online learning to teach the things elearning does well and voila! You have a blended learning program.
Blended learning benefits include:
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Effective instruction—since you’re using the most natural medium based on the content you’re teaching, the result is more effective instruction.
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Time savings—trying to teach hands-on skills through online simulation can be an effective way to reinforce hands-on learning, but if it’s the sole medium you’re using to teach tactile skills, you’ll waste a lot of time. Similarly, teaching theoretical information or providing knowledge-based information such as calculations, takes much more time in the classroom than online.
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Flexibility—with blended learning you can schedule classroom time when it’s most convenient to take a group of workers out of the production environment to learn. You can offer online training to fill in the gaps and fit each individual learner’s schedule.
So, step away from Google. There’s no need to type in: definition blended learning.