Getting practical with blended learning

Using a step-by-step process to roll-out your learning programme

In my previous blog I shared how Amelior successfully implemented blended learning. I hope this has inspired you to also get started on or to continue to improve your own blended learning journeys. In this blog I’ll take you through a step-by-step process, accompanied by important questions to ask yourself. Let’s get started.

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Step 0: What problem are you trying to solve?

Before you dive in head first, let’s take a step back and consider if blended learning is actually the best solution for the problem you’re trying to solve. If your answer to the following questions is a resounding yes, then you’re good to go to step 1.

●????? Do you know who your target audience is?

●????? Do you know who your participants will be?

●????? Did you research the everyday lives of your participants?

●????? Is your subject a perfect fit for a variety of learning activities?

?One of the best ways to find answers is to talk to a few people of your target audience. Ask them how they prefer to learn, what their daily schedules look like, and if they experience a lack of knowledge or skills that you can help them with.

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Step 1: What should your learners achieve?

What should your learners know or do after your training? That’s the main question you need to answer in this phase. Based on that, you can decide on the topics you need to touch upon in your training and formulate learning objectives.

?The questions you need to answer in this step:

●????? Do you know the problem that needs to be solved?

●????? Do you know what knowledge or skills your learners lack?

●????? Have you formulated the objectives they need to achieve?

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Step 2: How to assess your topics?

How can you assess if your learners have successfully achieved their objectives and obtained the knowledge or skills you’ve imparted? Depending on the desired outcomes of your training, there are different ways to assess your learners most effectively.

?Do you want to teach your learners how to operate a lawn mower? Use a simulation. Do you teach them how to successfully run complex meetings? A role-play might be the best method. You also need to determine if you want to assess them per topic or per learning goal.

?Here are the questions to answer in this step:

●????? Do you know if you’ve solved the problem?

●????? Have you decided on the best way to assess your learners?

●????? Do you know when they have passed the assessment(s)?

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Step 3: How to structure your training?

You have to take many variables into account when structuring your training. Think about theory before practice, limitations like time allocated or the current level of knowledge.

?So in this step, ask yourself:

●????? Do you have structure of your topics and learning goals?

●????? Do you know which segment of your learners need which knowledge / skills?

●????? Do you have a clear picture of the conditions of your training?

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Step 4: How do you combine the right learning activities?

This step is all about creating a design with the right combination of learning activities. It should be cohesive and challenging for your learners. And: also enable them to achieve their learning goals and solve the problem at hand.

?Based on the topics and learning goals and armed with the outcomes of the previous steps, you try to create the best possible blend.

?At the end of this step, you should be able to answer:

●????? Which learning activities will help your learners to achieve all objectives?

●????? What is the right blend of activities that you want to apply in your course?

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Step 5: Does your blueprint pass the test?

Before you start building your brilliant course and spend tons of effort on it, let’s make sure the blueprint is properly vetted from multiple angles. Get feedback on your blueprint by at least some colleagues, subject matter experts and laymen. Does it make sense to them? Do they miss anything? Is there enough depth?

?Answer this question:

●????? Is my blueprint properly vetted from multiple angles?

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Step 6: Content time!

You can finally start to develop your course! First up is the content design and development.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

●????? Do you have permission to use existing content from external sources, like YouTube?

●????? If you re-use existing content, does it really provide your learner with just the right amount of information in this specific context?

●????? It’s all too easy to add too much content. Keep your goals and objectives in mind and keep it simple.

●????? Keep in mind the e-learning principles that are proven to work, like the multimedia principles of Richard Mayer and writing text snippets for screens.

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Step 7: Put it all together

You have your learning activities, your content, your assessment methods and your face-to-face sessions. Now you can weave them together into a great learning journey in your learning platform.

?At the end of this step you should be able to say:

●????? My blended learning journey is ready for testing

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Step 8: Test, pilot, optimise

A complicated product like a blended learning is never perfect from the get go. Before you can present your course to the big public, test and pilot your actual learning journey. Again with multiple audiences and especially your target audience. Ask them how they experience the course and what you can improve and also observe their behaviour when going through it. You’ll learn a ton of things you can improve and it will make your product so much better at go-live.

?The final set of questions:

●????? Have you finished the development and invited some learners to take the pilot course?

●????? Have you asked them for specific feedback?

●????? Have you observed and analysed their behaviour when going through the course?

●????? Have you implemented the improvements from that feedback?

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Step 9. Let’s go live

Let’s go live and make sure that everyone kicks ass after completing your course! Keep in mind: e-learning is not set in stone; it’s there to be adjusted over and over again. Keep on gathering feedback and make sure you keep it alive.

Let me know in the comments what you think of this process. Do the steps align with your process? Curious to hear your thoughts!