Blended Training Model – Best Practices Guide

Fulford and Zhang as cited by Beldarrain (2006), “cautioned against modeling distance education courses after traditional lectures, but instead should include interaction as the foundation of effective distance education practices” (p. 147). Many other authors and researchers share this sentiment and offer suggestions and best practices on how to transform traditional classroom instruction into effective online instruction.   Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek (2012) recommend planning and developing all instructional content prior to the start of the course. Additionally, it is essential that the course instructor place an emphasis on communications due to the reduced face-to-face interactivity between the instructor and students and among students. One highly recommended method is to provide a detailed syllabus containing course and instructor information, student responsibilities, expectations, and other important information.  Furthermore, the role of the instructor may change to that of a facilitator when teaching online. Facilitating online learning requires a different instructional approach than traditional classroom instruction. The following Best Practices Guide will assist instructors when making the change to a blended learning model.

 Best Practices Guide

References

Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance Education Trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27(2), 139-153. doi:10.1080/01587910600789498

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.