Blended Learning

1. LITERATURE REVIEW OF ITS IMPLEMENTATION

Blended Learning can be described as a learning program where more than one delivery mode is being used with the objective of optimizing the learning outcome and cost of program delivery. However, it is not the mixing and matching of different learning delivery modes by itself that is of significance, but the focus on the learning and business outcome. Therefore, blended learning can one be defined as focuses on optimizing achievement of learning objectives by applying the “right” learning technologies to match the “right” personal learning style to transfer the “right” skills to the “right” person at the “right” time (Singh & Reed, 2011).

Other definition of blended learning is the structured opportunities to learn, which use more than one learning or training method, inside or outside the classroom. This definition includes different learning or instructional methods (lecture, discussion, guided practice, reading, games, case study, and simulation), different delivery methods (live classroom or computer mediated), different scheduling (synchronous or asynchronous) and different levels of guidance (individual, instructor or expert led, or group/social learning) (Pankin, Roberts, & Savio, July 2012).

Nowadays technology offers many ways to help people really understand and learn, rather than simply going through the motions of learning training material. While many find e-learning a very useful and efficient instrument for self-development and professional training, sometimes it is not enough. That is the reason why blended learning was born.

The first and most important reason for using a blended learning approach is to have a mixture of both offline and online activities, with the aim of getting the best of both strategies. Using a blended learning approach can simplify the course logistics. By using a blended approach we can easily run a few seminars live, in class, and the remaining ones by using a...