Blended Learning Essentials: Getting Started

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.

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.

• Why should we focus on blended learning?
• Welcome
• What is blended learning?
• Teachers and learners
• Summary of the week
• Preparing for blended learning
• The week ahead
• Principles of blended learning
• Your readiness for blended learning
• A case study of effective blended learning in practice
• Summary and looking forward to next week
• Systems, tools and resources for blended learning
• The week ahead
• Your Virtual Learning Environment
• Online tools beyond the Virtual Learning Environment
• Open Educational Resources
• Summary
• Designing blended learning
• The week ahead
• Designing blended learning
• Assessment and feedback
• Flipping the learning
• Summary
• Teaching for your learners’ futures
• The week ahead
• Developing your learners’ digital literacy
• Improving access to learning, flexibility and inclusion
• Drawing it all together and course close