Whatever happened to BLENDED LEARNING?

by | Jan 12, 2018

Traditional approaches to workplace learning are receiving less and less attention as they fail to meet the needs of today’s learners. Not so very long ago, people would talk quite separately about how to use broadcast television, film, videos, computer-based training and interactive video in learning contexts (well, I remember them even if you don’t!). As the technology has evolved, we have seen a meeting of these various training media in online learning. The debate about whether face-to-face or online learning is most beneficial is becoming obsolete in certain quarters as organisations adopt this mix of methodologies.

BUT, in my experience, there are many, many companies out there who are still persisting with the traditional face-to-face, classroom type training they have always delivered. Anything wrong with that? Not, per se but why miss out on the richness that technology enabled learning can bring?

I am not a technology geek: my feet are firmly implanted in the learning and development field and have been so for over 30 years but for the last 10 or so years, I have been an ardent supporter of blended learning and its passionate defender.

Of course, the blended learning approach is nothing new. Concepts such as distance learning, personalized learning, self-directed learning and life-long learning existed long before technology intervened. But we can take that further today as innovations in technology (cost and availability amongst other things) allow employees to capitalize on ubiquitous sources of learning that exist beyond the traditional four walls of their organization conveniently accessed ‘any time, any place’ and for training professionals to create true blended learning packages.

Back in 2009 the CIPD wrote:

Blended learning takes advantage of the potential offered by the myriad of new, online learning technologies, using these alongside the wide range of existing face-to-face and self-study methods to generate new combinations that outperform traditional approaches. 

I ran my first training programme actually called a ‘blended learning programme’ back in 2005. However I had been running hybrid courses for years without calling them that. And I am sure you are too.

But where is the mass-migration to blended learning and how long do we have to wait?