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Blended Learning Essentials: Getting Started

Learn how to promote effective practice and pedagogy in blended learning on this vocational education training course.

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A graphic shows examples of blended learning and teaching with technology
  • Duration

    5 weeks
  • Weekly study

    4 hours
  • Included in an ExpertTrack

    Course 1 of 3
  • Get full ExpertTrack access

    $39/monthFind out more
  • Accreditation

    AvailableMore info

Explore blended learning methods

This course is designed to help anyone teaching in the vocational education and training (VET) sector understand the benefits of blended learning. You will find out how to use technology more effectively to support your learners, and understand how to better embed it in your classroom.

Supported by industry experts, you’ll connect with teaching and training professionals who understand the practical challenges of using blended learning.

You’ll discover the importance of being able to blend digital learning methods into your teaching, to help your learners become familiar with the digital workplaces they’ll be joining.

Prepare to embed blended learning in your teaching practice

You’ll learn the principles of blended learning and will review a number of case studies to see how it can be applied in different environments.

After an activity that encourages you to review your own readiness to implement blended learning - and what processes you may need to follow, to develop it - you will explore how other educators have overcome similar challenges.

Consider how your VLE can support blending learning

You may be able to better support blended learning within your virtual learning environment, but it never hurts to have some extra resources ready. This course will review your current VLE options and offer a range of open educational resources to expand your options.

Design blended learning options that suit your learners

Once you’ve understood the principles and resources available, it’s time to look at designing your own approach.

Upon completion of this course, you’ll have a solid foundation in blended learning and a better understanding of your options when it comes to using it within your teaching. You’ll also be ready to move to the next course in this ExpertTrack, which focuses on implementation.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 6 seconds Why is there such interest now in using learning technologies? Well, this course will explain that, whatever your role in vocational education and training. The course is about blended learning, which means using the most appropriate learning technologies alongside our usual teaching methods. We’ll be giving you practical support and advice on making the best use of technology for your learners. To help you answer questions such as, which technology should I use in my context, and does learning technology really help to improve learners’ success? I believe it gives teachers the tools that they need to develop their digital technological skills. It gives them the opportunity to be ahead of their learners and engage them more in their lessons.

Skip to 0 minutes and 50 seconds In this digital age, it’s very important that we’ve got the ability to facilitate and deliver a message across a variety of media. And by doing this course, this will help us achieve that end. The course runs online. And it’s free and open to anyone. So it’s very easy to access at any time. It’s been designed especially for professionals in the vocational education and training sector. So it covers a wide range of educational settings, and all kinds of learners with a variety of expectations and needs. The whole point of using digital technology is to improve your learners’ success. It can be motivating, so it keeps them focused. It can support their independent learning when the teacher or trainer isn’t there.

Skip to 1 minute and 35 seconds And being online, it’s very flexible. So whether you’re a complete beginner, occasional dabbler, or expert user of learning technologies, this course has something to offer you. You’ll gain knowledge and skills through videos of good practise, guided practical activities, discussion with other participants, and through trying out how it works in your own learning context. Digital technologies are improving teaching and learning for students by expanding the classroom, so that students can learn whenever, wherever they want to, basically 24/7. We’ve brought together some of the leading academics and practitioners in the vocational education and training sector. So we make sure it’s based on the real experience of making technology work.

Skip to 2 minutes and 22 seconds And we’ve built this innovative course around the key challenges currently facing teachers, tutors, and trainers in the sector. Studying the course is easy. You can do it in around three hours a week using your computer or mobile device. And what’s more, once you sign up for the course, you’ll have permanent access to the resources and activities. And then you can use them in your own local professional development, as well as for supporting your learners. Please join us and discover the essentials of what it takes to make the best use of blended learning.

What topics will you cover?

  • Definitions of blended learning.
  • The impact of digital technology on teachers and learners.
  • Pedagogical theories and teaching approaches that underpin blended learning, including constructivism, social constructivism, and problem-based learning.
  • Digital technologies available to support blended learning in formal and informal learning scenarios.
  • The role of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) and how to use them effectively for blended learning.
  • The role of open tools in blended learning.
  • Open educational resources (OERs): what they are, how they can be used, and where to find them.
  • Processes for blended learning design, including curriculum and instructional design. The role of the DADDIE model in planning and evaluating blended learning. Story-telling and story-boarding techniques for developing digital learning.
  • The role of assessment in the curriculum design process. Different approaches for using technology to support assessment and feedback.
  • The benefits and challenges of ‘flipped’ learning. Approaches to designing a flipped lesson.
  • Collaboration in blended learning, including the use of discussion forums, synchronous collaboration, and social media.
  • How to design and review a blended learning activity.
  • The digital skills learners need to equip them for the modern workplace, and how learners can be supported in developing these skills.
  • The importance of inclusive teaching practices. The value of making education and training more accessible for learners.
  • The demand for flexible learning, and the role of digital technology in making teaching and learning more flexible.

Prove you're job ready

Highlight the new, job-relevant skills you’ve gained and supplement existing qualifications with a hard-earned, industry-specific digital certificate – plus one for every course within your ExpertTrack.

  • Learn the latest in your chosen industry or subject.
  • Complete each course and pass assessments.
  • Receive certificates validated by the educating organisation.
  • Impress employers with learning outcomes you can add to your CV.
  • Make your career dreams a reality.

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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.

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...

  • Identify ways in which new technology can contribute to the difficult challenges facing the VET, FE and Skills sector.
  • Evaluate the many free or affordable tools now available to enhance teaching and learning.
  • Apply your knowledge of blended learning to develop training materials using appropriate technologies.
  • Evaluate a variety of effective blended learning approaches and apply the most suitable to your delivery in order to improve the learners' experience and attainment.

Who is the course for?

This course is aimed at everyone working in further education, skills training, vocational education, workplace learning and lifelong learning or adult education. Whether you are directly supporting learners or delivering training, this course will help you use blended learning more effectively.

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

About this ExpertTrack

Prepare your learners to succeed in the workplace by fostering digital skills through blended learning.

Start learning today - free 2-day trial

After your free trial you can:

  • Pay $39 per month to keep learning online
  • Have complete control over your subscription; you can cancel any time
  • Work at your own pace and set your own deadlines at every stage
  • Only pay while you’re learning; the subscription will cancel automatically when you finish
  • Complete online assessments to test your knowledge and prove your skills
  • Earn digital course certificates and a final award that you can share online, with potential employers, and your professional network
  • Keep access to the content of courses you complete even after your subscription ends

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

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