• University of Leeds
  • UCL Institute of Education logo

Blended Learning Essentials: Embedding Practice

This is the second part of a course for the Vocational Education and Training sector to promote effective use of blended learning.

24,994 enrolled on this course

  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    4 hours
  • Accreditation

    AvailableMore info

Technology has fundamentally changed how we learn, making it more engaging but also challenging. This course shows how to embed blended learning practices in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector. You will explore how new technology can assist learning from experience, how it helps overcome challenges in the sector, and will develop your own skills and discover the optimal uses of blended learning. With over 90% satisfaction rate on its previous runs, this course will support implementation of blended learning in your practice.

Download video: standard or HD

Skip to 0 minutes and 9 seconds These are all examples of learning in action. These young people are engaged in problem solving, making decisions, being creative, learning from mistakes. This is what learning should be like, and all these examples are triggered by digital technologies. Of course, not all learning can be done with technology. Sometimes learners need to be working with teachers, with each other, practicing their manual skills, or social skills, or business skills, and sometimes, just quietly reading and thinking. That’s why using technologies is called blended learning. In this course, we will look at the optimal blend of technology-based and conventional methods. Many practitioners in the vocational education and training sector now use blended learning, but it’s not easy.

Skip to 1 minute and 3 seconds The technology keeps changing, strategies and policies change, employers want a more responsive curriculum, and VET practitioners are having to learn these new digital skills whilst also carrying on doing the teaching and the training. The focus all through the course is on how technology can help with meeting the challenges you face as a professional. Can it offer more flexibility? Does it encourage independent learning? Is it cost effective? Can we improve assessment and feedback? Does it increase workload? How can we use it to be more responsive to learner’s needs and employer’s demands? During the course, you’ll be watching and interacting with other professionals in the sector to find out what they do.

Skip to 1 minute and 53 seconds That’s the best way to keep pace with all the exciting opportunities the digital world can offer to educators. You can study the course in around four hours a week using your desktop computer or mobile device. So please join us, and discover what it takes for blended learning to be embedded in your everyday practice.

What topics will you cover?

  • Using data from learners to help design more effective blended learning. Examples of how to identify evidence of learning with technology, and how to enhance conventional learning designs with digital technology methods.
  • The use of digital tools for sharing learning design ideas and contributing to a community of practice in blended learning design. How to use the online Learning Designer tool to view and edit a shareable learning design.
  • The role new technology can play in addressing the key challenges of the VET sector. The extent to which technology can help teachers give learners more and better learning support, while not increasing their workload overall.
  • The use of technology to promote independent learning. How to develop and share a blended learning design in Moodle.
  • Strategies for reducing the costs of innovation, including through the sharing and re-use of teaching ideas and by means of cross-institutional collaboration.
  • How innovative solutions can be developed to match an organisation’s needs and ambitions. The importance of collecting evidence that demonstrates the value of blending learning and considering the views of learners.
  • Approaches to analysing the costs and benefits of investing in blended learning. How to use an interactive planning tool, the Course Resource Appraisal Modeller (CRAM), to understand the relationship between the benefits of bringing in new digital pedagogies and the costs of developing and running them.
  • Techniques and approaches that can be used to support a culture change towards blended learning within an institution. Examples of good practice in implementing effective change management.
  • How to work with colleagues and external organisations to support professional development and embed blended learning practice.

Who is this accredited by?

The CPD Certification Service
The CPD Certification Service:

This course has been accredited by the CPD Certification Service, which means it can be used to provide evidence of your continuing professional development.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Apply new technologies in courses and learning opportunities to improve learner outcomes.
  • Identify ways in which new technology can contribute to solve key challenges in your learning context.
  • Develop your own skills further and contribute to the VET sector’s community knowledge of the optimal uses of blended learning.

Who is the course for?

This course is open to everyone, but is particularly aimed at those working in further education, skills training, vocational education, workplace learning, and lifelong learning or adult education. We provide a range of accreditation pathways, whether you are directly supporting learners or delivering training and seek to use blended learning more effectively.

Time commitment

The course is designed to be completed in around 4 hours per week, with optional further reading in addition. All activities have recommended times, and there are plenty of resources and activities for you to explore further if you’d like to do more on a particular topic. You can join at any time during the course.

Who will you learn with?

Chair of Learning with Digital Technology, Knowledge Lab, UCL IOE.
Developing a global community of teachers around the Learning Designer

Twitter: @thinksitthrough
https://twitter.com/thinksitthrough

Dean of Digital Education and Professor of Educational Technology at the University of Leeds. For more information see: https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/education/staff/156/professor-neil-morris

Promoted by

Association for Learning Technology

Who developed the course?

University of Leeds

As one of the UK’s largest research-based universities, the University of Leeds is a member of the prestigious Russell Group and a centre of excellence for teaching.

UCL Institute of Education

Founded in 1902, as a teacher training college in London, the IOE is now a world-class research and teaching institution.

Endorsers and supporters

funded by

Ufi logo

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

Learner reviews

Learner reviews cannot be loaded due to your cookie settings. Please and refresh the page to view this content.

Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...

You can use the hashtag #FLble2 to talk about this course on social media.