Modern Blended Learning

How do you piece together a variety of resources and activities to create a coherent, impactful learning strategy?

Curated resources on blended learning frameworks

Since the days when e-learning first emerged as a popular format for learning, the notion of “blending” learning strategies has taken on new meaning. Over time, L&D has drawn many learning formats, techniques, and strategies into its portfolio of potential solutions including all forms of traditional learning, e-learning, video-based learning, digital learning, informal learning, social learning, experiential learning, self-directed learning, and learning supported by artificial intelligence and virtual reality. With this extended portfolio, we’ve expanded from blends that carefully combined a pre-reading, a face-to-face course, an e-learning module, and post-course coaching (as one typical example) to blends that might contain dozens of elements.

With such an array of possibilities, how do you design a strategy for learning a particular knowledge base or skill in a specific context? Where we once would put together a workshop, we might now address with something much more loosely structured that contained within it learning resources and activities in a variety of formats. The possible structures are endless, much like the shelves of puzzles in your favorite game store. Each arrangement of pieces creates a different picture with a unique shape, size, and complexity.

This shift in our solution set is somewhat represented by this traditional blend to modern blend graphic. Specific recommendations can fall somewhere in between on any of those continuums; they aren’t always completely one way or the other.

It might be useful, though, to think of different categories of learning solutions, or different types of blends. In my work on crafting learning environments, I’ve described these blended learning structures:

Structured course: A structured series of activities focused on a single topic or skill that incorporates elements in a variety of formats.

Learning path: A structured series of activities that provides learner discretion in selecting when and how much to participate. Often provides guidance in working through several related topics or numerous modules on a complicated topic. Usually managed through online tools and features both synchronous and asynchronous activities as well as optional resources for learning the foundations and for taking a deeper dive.

Blended learning hub: A set of curated resources and activities to accompany and enrich a structured course to support self-directed ongoing development.

Learning resource portal: A curated set of resources on a specific knowledge base or skill set intended to provide access to relevant resources organized in a learner-friendly format for self-directed learners.

Collaboratory: People, resources, and activities to support the co-creation and sharing of emerging knowledge and skills.

Other people have described similar ideas about different kinds of blends, and skilled practitioners have devised and shared specific approaches to creating blends than may prove useful to your thinking. The curated resources below will help you to dig into these strategies more deeply.

Curated Resources

// More on blended learning structures in general

Learning Environments by Design
// Catherine Lombardozzi (ATD Press, 2015)
A short book that describes modern blended learning and curation for learning before we called it that. Includes thorough discussion of process of learnign environemnt design and chapters on social learning and self-directed learning, both of which we rely on for success in these environments.

Solutions to the top blended learning challenges, Part 1 and Part 2
// Jennifer Hoffman, Learning Solutions (2018)
Training expert Jennifer Hofmann runs down the top technology challenges, organizational challenges, and design challenges in implementing blended learning. Solid experience-based advice for avoiding these challenges.

(The right) learning modalities to deliver digital learning: How to blend asynchronous + synchronous
// Patti Shank, eLearning Industry (2020)
An insightful summary of advantages and disadvantages of asynchronous vs synchronous modalities along with advice on how to build a blend that is effective.

Learning Strategy Frameworks – Curated Resources
// Catherine Lombardozzi, Learning 4 Learning Professionals (2019)
A collection of links to deeper dives on a variety of learning strategy frameoworks beyond those that produce modern blended learning.

// On curation for learning

Ready, set, curate
// Ben Betz and Allison Anderson (ATD Press, 2015)
A fabulous primer on the art and practice of curation for learning. Readable and practical.

Content curation for learning
// Sprout Labs (no date)
A thorough overview of how to leverage existing content and repurpose it to design a blended solution.

Curated Resources on Structures for Blended Learning

// Blended learning course structure

A blended learning course is a structured series of activities focused on a single topic or skill that incorporates elements in a variety of formats. These links provide some guidance in thise arena.

Learning journeys in a virtual environment
// Arun Pradhan on the Learning Uncut podcast with Michelle Ockers, transcript available (April 2020)
In this podcast, Arun Pradhan describes his thinking around creating a blended learning journey, summarized in the Blended Learning Journey Infographic.

More than blended learning / book / video
// Clive Shepherd (2015)
Clive describes his approach to blended learning design which encompasses a four-phase process that includes Preparation, Input, Application and Follow-up.

// Learning campaign or path structure

A learning campaign or learning path is a structured series of activities that provides learner discretion in selecting when and how much to participate. Often provides guidance in working through several related topics or numerous modules on a complicated topic. Usually managed through online tools and features both synchronous and asynchronous activities as well as optional resources for learning the foundations and for taking a deeper dive. Here, several practitionrs talk about how they conceive these paths.

Campaign Blueprints
// Jennifer Hoffman, InSync Training (2018)
An overview of the learning campaign framework along with links to a webinar as well as Jennifer Hoffman’s book on blended learning that features learning campaigns (also linked below).

Getting Started: What is blended learning?
// Jennifer Hoffman, ATD Press  (2018)
Download of Chapter 1 of What works in talent development: Blended learning, which provides an overview of blended learning strategies (including learning campaigns) in book form. Book has plenty of templates and tools to support blended learning design efforts.

What is a learning campaign?
// Robin Pettard, Sprout Labs
Robin Pettard takes his cues on learning campaigns from the marketing tradition. As such, his work focuses on generating motivation to apply and uses intermittent touchpoints as further learning and reminders. This work suggests designers attend to creating resources in a variety of formats for each of the phases of the learning experience: unaware, contemplating, preparation for action, action/trying, and maintaining. Contains links for a webinar recording and slide deck.

// Blended learning hub or portal structure

A hub is a collation of a set of curated resources and activities to accompany and enrich a structured course to support self-directed ongoing development. A portal is a curated set of resources on a specific knowledge base or skill set intended to provide access to relevant resources organized in a learner-friendly format for self-directed learners. Here’s more on these kinds of structures.

Cultivating valuable learning environments
// Catherine Lombardozzi, TD (2016)
This article describes the context for designing curated blended learning solutions in a variety of structures, including a hub or portal.

Super models of blended learning
// Megan Torrance, Torrance Learning (2013)
Another conceptualization of different kinds of structures for learning support. The core + spoke model describes a blended learning hub; the network model describes a collaboratory or advanced portal structure.

Content curation for learning
// Sprout Labs (no date)
A thorough overview of how to leverage existing content and repurpose it to design a blended solution.

Why you should use content curation in your L&D strategy? (And how to do it)
// Karla Gutierrez, SH!FT (2018)
This article highlights the importance of contextualizing and annotating the elements of your blended learning program so learners know what they might gain from each piece.

// Collaboratory structure

A collaboratory consists of people, resources, and activities that support the co-creation and sharing of emerging knowledge and skills.

While a collaboratory is formed specifically to support emerging learning, often for a new idea or project, it is very similar to a community of practice. These resources will provide more information about that kind of group and how to form it.

Introduction to communities of practice
// Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner (2015)
The basics of communities of practice from thought leaders in that arena.

The community advantage
// Catherine Lombardozzi, Learning 4 Learning Professionals, 2022
A blog post on how to build a community for learning.

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