Topics Map > Hybrid Instruction > Why
Benefits of hybrid instruction
Getting started with hybrid instruction
This document is part of a larger collection of documents on hybrid instruction from the Center of Teaching, Learning and Mentoring's Instructional Resources KnowledgeBase. See more hybrid instruction documents.
| Home | Design | Develop | Deliver | Evaluate | What | Why |
There are many reasons to use a blended learning approach in course design. Before starting a course design process, it is useful to stop and reflect on the reasons and desired goals for such an approach. The following are benefits of blended learning by audience:
For students
- Improves the ability to personalize learning.
- Increases flexibility in course scheduling.
- Improves student engagement and motivation.
- Creates learning communities across time and geolocation.
For instructors
- Improves pedagogy used in a course by increasing the level of active learning strategies, peer-to-peer learning strategies, and learner-centered strategies used.
- It provides flexible scheduling and delivery of information by "offering a mix of traditional and technology-mediated channels to provide more options for non-traditional students (Graham, 2005)."
For campus
- Increases cost effectiveness and efficiency by finding solutions that are more cost-efficient than the current, traditional teaching methods.
- Extends time and stretches resources.
- Has the potential to expand the reach of effective teachers.
- Reduces “seat time.”
Outcomes
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Wisconsin Experience and the Essential Learning Outcomes initiative encourages instructors to facilitate the following practices in their courses:
- substantial research experiences that generate knowledge and analytical skills;
- global and cultural competencies and engagement;
- leadership and activism opportunities; and
- application of knowledge in the “real world”
| Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world | Intellectual and practical skills | Personal and social responsibility | Integrative Learning |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In the book, The Handbook of Blended Learning, Curtis Bonk, Kyong-Jee Kim, and Tintin Zeng contribute a chapter called “Future Directions of Blended Learning in Higher Education and Workplace Learning Setting.”
| Future predictions for most-widely used pedagogical techniques for e-learning in higher education settings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Response Options | Number of Respondents | Response Ratio (%) |
| Group problem-solving and collaboration tasks | 356 | 65.4 |
| Problem-based learning | 316 | 58.1 |
| Discussion | 237 | 43.6 |
| Case-based strategies | 228 | 41.2 |
| Simulation and role play | 198 | 36.4 |
| Student-generated content | 190 | 34.9 |
| Coaching or mentoring | 162 | 29.8 |
| Guided learning | 155 | 28.5 |
| Exploration or discovery | 147 | 27.0 |
| Lecturing or teacher-directed activities | 60 | 11.0 |
| Modeling solution process | 49 | 9.0 |
| Socratic questioning | 47 | 8.6 |
| Future predictions for most-widely used pedagogical techniques for e-learning in workplace learning settings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Response Options | Number of Respondents | Response Ratio (%) |
| Authentic case scenarios | 145 | 63 |
| Simulations or gaming | 115 | 50 |
| Problem-based learning | 97 | 42.2 |
| Coaching or mentoring | 90 | 39.1 |
| Guided learning | 86 | 37.4 |
| Self-Paced learning | 79 | 34.3 |
| Exploration or discovery | 45 | 19.6 |
| Modeling solution processes | 44 | 19.1 |
| Discussion | 41 | 17.8 |
| Debates and role play | 36 | 15.7 |
| Lecturing | 3 | 13.5 |
| Socratic Questioning | 5 | 2.2 |