Blended Learning: Tips for Success with Online Learning
Author: Rick Phelan
Published: 08.12.14
A number of Sonoma County secondary schools are using blended learning to personalize coursework for their students. Blended learning involves the use of various combinations of face-to-face instructional time and online activities. Michael Horn and Heather Staker documented these combinations in their May 2012 white paper, Classifying K-12 Blended Learning (pdf).
Blended learning is growing in popularity because it gives schools the opportunity to:
- Personalize learning based on student needs and interests
- Make learning available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Use face-to-face time between students and teachers more effectively
Content providers for blended learning include commercial publishing companies and open content providers such as schools and nonprofits that share digital materials for free. SCOE’s Blended Learning resource page offers a starting point for locating appropriate digital learning content.
Schools frequently select content from commercial companies because of the variety of courses available and the continuity afforded by a common learning management system. Materials include most core content classes in English-language arts, mathematics, science, and history/social studies.
Alternative schools are currently the largest users of content from commercial publishing companies, allowing them to offer credit recovery classes—classes students take again because they didn’t receive a passing grade or want to improve their final grade. Independent and home study programs are also using content from commercial content providers for original credit—that is, classes students are taking for the first time.
Tips for Success with Online Learning
Learning Management System Operation
Instructors should have a thorough understanding of the selected learning management system. They should know how to assign classes, monitor student activity, offer student feedback, and customize classes.
Alignment of Course Content
Counselors, teachers, and administrators should know how online courses correspond with school/district course offerings and speak with a common voice about them. Commercial and open source materials can vary widely. Successful districts examine potential courses to ensure alignment with district course requirements.
Academic Skills and Motivation
Online classes do not necessarily work for all students. Ensure potential candidates have the academic skills and motivation to do the work. Utilize diagnostic materials to determine whether students have the academic skills to be successful. Credit recovery or grade improvement can be very motivational for some students.
Student Understanding of the Learning Management System
It’s important to work with students initially in a face-to-face setting to make sure they know how to carry out online activities. Students must clearly understand how to read materials, complete assignments, submit work, and take tests. They should also know what to do when they have questions or need support (e.g., call the teacher or contact tech support).
Regular Monitoring and Communication
Blended learning should involve regular check-in meetings—telephone conversations and face-to-face meetings—with students who are taking online courses. A gradual release of responsibility (e.g., decreasing the frequency of face-to-face meetings) can work well as students demonstrate success.
Sonoma County Resources
SCOE supports the use of education technology for blended learning. Here are two of the resources that SCOE makes available to Sonoma County school districts.
Odysseyware Purchasing Consortium
This consortium helps schools leverage their buying power for Odysseyware online content. Odyssseyware allows 24/7 access to curriculum for as many students as the school wishes. (The caveat is that there are some limitations on the number of students who can be logged into Odysseyware at the same time.) Schools pool their resources in the Sonoma County Odysseyware Consortium to obtain access to a greater number of Odyesseyware student seats. For information, contact Rick Phelan at rphelan@scoe.org.
Moodle Learning Management System
Teachers can create their own content and offer access to their students at no charge through SCOE’s Moodle Learning Management System. Moodle is used at many colleges and universities. K-12 schools also use Moodle to share digital content. A variety of open-content Moodle courses are also available to secondary teachers. Utah’s Open High School is the best known source for open courses that can be freely used by teachers with Moodle. Contact Rick Phelan at rphelan@scoe.org for more information.
Blog: Technology for Learners
