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University of Leeds

Blended Learning Essentials: Getting Started

University of Leeds via FutureLearn

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Overview

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.

Syllabus

  • 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

Taught by

Diana Laurillard and Neil Morris

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Reviews

4.3 rating, based on 7 Class Central reviews

Start your review of Blended Learning Essentials: Getting Started

  • Tiziana Angiolini
    It was a well-planned course, although I had already done some MOOCS about blended Learning I liked the idea of SEEING what educators have done or are doing. I liked the approach and also the information provided in terms of links to search for more information on line. I will do the second part which is planned in FEBRUARY 2016. A good team of Teachers and liked the modern approach with lots of interesting suggestions from the forum too.
  • Anonymous
    The course is modern, informative and not over technical but still strong on application and pedagogy. It is well structured logically progressive but does not lose its incisive nature in terms of teaching and lesson development augmented by digital technology. It is trenchant to its title of blended learning and does a great job at maintaining a balance between traditional teaching and the modern technology that adds value to any learning environment especially in V.E.T. I would recommend it to newly trained instructors and veterans of the chalk face equally, with an ethos of co-learning in mind.
  • Anonymous
    Although the course content was interesting and well structured I found the lack of feedback and discussion very disappointing. Another Futurelearn course I did recently had several mentors employed to support the discussions and to give feedback on students' comments; it made a huge difference to the engagement of students on the course and consequently to what I learned from the course.
    This course hasn't been updated recently enough so some of the material is several years old which is not appropriate on a technology course.
  • Anonymous
    Excellent course! Very informative and strong on application! Very practical and very quickly I have been using tools I've heard about through the course. I would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in blended learning/online learning and why/how we can use it best for the benefits of our learners.
  • Anonymous
    El curso me gustó, siempre es bueno recordar las plataformas que ya conocía y descubrir nuevas. Gracias por todas las aportaciones brindadas, me gustó leer las opiniones de los demás compañeros.
  • Donna Brown
  • Maria Pascua
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