9 Lessons in Implementing a Blended Learning Approach for MOOCs Part 4
Roberto "Bobby" Galvez
International speaker on Change Management, Succession Planning, Talent Development, Blended Learning, Mentoring. Certified as a Change Management Consultant. Author of "Introduction to HR Stakeholders' Management".
Part 4 of 12 Parts
This is part 4 of the article based on the talk “Lessons in Implementing a Blended Learning Approach for MOOCs” I delivered last May 15, 2022 at the Association for Training and Development (ATD) International Conference in Orlando, Florida. For Parts 1, 2, and 3, please refer to my earlier post.
?After examining the Learner’s Persona and mapping the learner journey map, we identified the possible elements of the winning prototype through the Human Centered Design Process. After testing the different elements of the proposed winning prototype, we concluded that there are nine elements that we need to consistently follow in order to achieve 100% learner completion. We achieved 100% completion in 2019 in the five MOOC courses where we tested the prototype.
We called these elements the “Nine (9) Lessons in Implementing a Blended Learning Approach for MOOCs.”
Following are those nine lessons:
Lesson 1: Adopt Blended Learning
To facilitate the transition from classroom-based learning, we decided to merge the two approaches: For the initial online learning sessions, all the learners were asked to come physically and learn together in the training room so that they start with familiarity in what they have previously experienced as classroom training. The idea was to handhold the learners from the elements of classroom training that they were used to as they went through the elements of online learning which is new to their experience.
We explained the concept of Online Learning and the rationale why we have adopted MOOCs as the cornerstone of this approach. We provided the learners step-by-step instructions on how to enroll into online courses. We provided tips on how to complete online courses like setting specific study times and using headsets so that it signals other employees not to disturb them while they are studying.
During the training, the learners watched through their individual laptops and listened with their headsets on. It had the classroom atmosphere of being together with other learners but the content was delivered online individually.
The MOOC courses usually required the learner to go through 4 – 6 modules over 4 – 6 weeks where the learner will have to spend 3 – 5 hours per week going through each module. In the blended approach, we booked the learners’ schedule so that they could learn together physically online for at least three hours. The first hour, however, was devoted into a face-to-face discussion to address questions about the previous week’s lessons and on how those lessons impact real-life business challenges in their day-to-day work in Indonesia. After the one hour face-to-face learning session, they proceed to individual online learning. If they are not able to finish the course during the allotted time, we ask them to book their next self-study session in their respective calendars to ensure that they spend time on it.
These weekly one-hour face-to-face discussions were facilitated by our in-house experts. The course on Digital Marketing, for example, was moderated by one of our Marketing Directors. The course on Entrepreneurship was moderated by the Head of our Digital Investments Department. In this way, the lessons from the courses are contextualized to Indonesia’s prevailing business conditions.
Blended Learning also combines synchronous and asynchronous learning. Synchronous means that the activities were happening at the same time. As mentioned, the classroom discussions where everyone were present was synchronous.
Asynchronous learning means that some of the course activities were being done by the learners at their own chosen time that they find most convenient. For example, some of the learners not available during the calendared self-paced online learning due to other critical job activities like meetings with clients go through their online courses individually. They also did their assignments either individually or in groups at their own time. The assignments facilitated learning through facilitated reflection which allows better retention of what they have learned.
The assignments are then uploaded and posted in our cloud-based platform for content management and workflow collaboration.?Each of the class members were asked to provide feedback to the posted assignments. Through this process, social collaboration is encouraged and enhanced similar to what happens inside the traditional classroom, albeit asynchronously.
领英推荐
The class members were also included into a WhatsApp Group Group. The class members can ask any question in the Group. Any member of the class, not only the moderator, can post his responses to the group. The asynchronous discussions through the WhatsAppGroup promotes anytime learning as well as crowdsourcing of the latest researches. Our class on digital marketing, for example, shared the latest researches of various think tanks on the status of digital marketing in Indonesia.
On top of the courses, we invited business leaders from various companies to talk in person about their own best practices which were related to the courses. For example, in our Branding Class, we invited the Managing Director of Disney Indonesia to talk about how they create their “universe” as well as how they are able to tell stories that people love. ?In this way, the online courses from US-based universities were complemented by real experiences in the Indonesia Market. These talks were widely attended not only by the course learners but by leaders from our own companies thus widening the impact of these courses. Having live speakers made the learners feel like they were part of a larger learning community. They also made the course experience feel more personalized and motivating.
When the pandemic happened in 2020, we simply converted the one-hour face-to-face sessions into zoom classes. But the same structure applied – self-paced online learning for the MOOC content.
The seminars were converted into webinars. They actually exploded in number as it became a lot easier to invite speakers who otherwise could not travel physically.
By using blended learning, we were able to expand and multiply the impact of the course. The learning experience not only ensured retention but also sparked imagination as they listened to stories of success from outside and within Indonesia.
End of Part 4
Before I move on to Part 5, I would like to ask the readers if they also utilized blended learning approaches in their own companies. How effective were they? What were the challenges.
?To read Part 1, click on the following link:
To read Part 2, click on the following link:
To read Part 3, click on the following link: