U2: Assignment - WOL: Defining Online and Blended Learning

  I’ve really had to consider what the difference between online and blended learning is, as I attended public school decades ago, when there was no such thing as either. I’m honestly also a bit confused as to whether the LDT degree I’m currently pursuing is considered fully online or blended. I’m going to venture to create my own definition.

  I believe that the LDT degree at ASU is a blended learning experience, at least most of the time. There were some classes within the degree that were fully online, and in the interest of full transparency, I hated those. However, because many courses in the degree often incorporate traditional classroom instruction, I believe those constitute blended learning. Let me explain further: In a traditional classroom setting there are lectures or in-class discussions, collaborative group projects, and interaction between students, to name a few. While none of these happen in an actual face-to-face context at ASU, they are organized through an online setting, and therefore fulfill Conceição and Howles’ definition of the cognitive, emotional, social and behavioral requirements for an engaging course (2020). It is entirely possible to have a fully online degree program or class that doesn’t contain these elements. I’m sure all of us have been victims of such.

   A fully online program simply takes the content that would normally be presented in a classroom setting and throws it into an LMS, without consideration of the learner. For two weeks I participated in just such a learning environment, when I attempted to earn a teaching certificate from a well-known fully online university. While this format can work for some students, and even offers the benefit of advancing quickly through the degree program, I feel I would’ve drowned in such a program. I learn best by connecting with my classmates- that social collaboration Conceição and Howles discuss (2020). 
  The best way to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of online and blended learning is to take you through how it has affected my own life. I had the privilege of completing my bachelor’s degree through an online program. Because I had started as a traditional student in a brick and mortar university, much like most eighteen-year-old college students, transitioning to a fully online program was challenging. I am a traditionalist in many senses of the word, so I mostly thrived in an instructor-led, traditional lecture format environment. However, when I shifted to a fully online program as a forty-something student, I also realized that I had to make it work, because I live in a relatively rural location, and colleges and universities are at least a forty-five minute drive from my home, and expensive.

   So, the two major pros of online learning that I took advantage of are the asynchronous nature of learning, so I could study during the day when my kids were at school rather than having to attend night classes during all their activities; and the cost was vastly less expensive than attending a local college in my area. The cons of online learning are that learners must be motivated. They have to have a strong desire to complete the program, and to exercise the wherewithal to check into the class at least a few times every week, and to pace themselves within the landscape of their lives to complete tasks and assignments. For some, this can actually feel like an advantage, because the program is student-led, and adults often like being in charge of their schedules and choices. However, for others who prefer more prodding by an instructor, this format will present many challenges. 

   Personally, I think a fully online program would likely present many challenges for a young university student, as the in-person social interaction is absent, and the student hasn’t had much experience with time management, setting an agenda, and following a schedule. On the other hand, many of today’s current students have had extensive experience with online learning even through the public school system; therefore some of them may thrive in that environment. 

  I currently work as a library aide in an elementary school. I love it! It’s also allowed me the unique opportunity to view ways public education is changing, and how technology is used in the classroom. Even in the library, technology is used for when students forget to bring their books. The students can get on an application called Epic and read books that are uploaded into the data system. 

   According to the Charles Butt Foundation, blended learning utilizes technology to create personalized learning for each student. It “...is not driven by technology. Instead, technology helps to inform the instructional decisions of both the teachers and the students (2024).” This is what I envision as the future of blended learning- using technology as a resource to improve the quality of each student’s education, and taking advantage of the abilities of technology to laser-focus the instruction for each child or adult. I can see technology being seamlessly integrated into a classroom setting to introduce students to all sorts of topics of interest, and switching between online and blended learning formats like a woven tapestry. For example, currently students can use interactive applications to delve deeper into life as a Native American in the early Americas. They can also take a “trip” to a museum that enables them to view artifacts from that time period without even leaving their classrooms. Technology can be used to enrich and magnify what is already being taught in the classroom, which enables students to become deeply engaged in the material, and offers them an opportunity to spark even more interest in a variety of subjects.

   Technology is also used in our STEM program, as students learn about making and manipulating robots and how to code. What an exciting opportunity that simply didn’t exist when I was in elementary school! I can see technology weaving itself throughout the classroom, as the teacher alternates between utilizing traditional situational projects, collaborative work, and opportunities to exploring applications, interactive activities, and gamification within their units.

References 

Bannister, A. (2024, June 3). What is blended learning? Charles Butt Foundation. https://charlesbuttfdn.org/innovation/what-is-blended-learning/

Conceição, Simone C. O., and Les Howles. Designing the Online Learning Experience : Evidence-Based Principles and Strategies, Taylor & Francis Group, 2020. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/asulib-ebooks/detail.action?docID=6426893.
Created from asulib-ebooks on 2025-01-21 18:44:42.