Blended Learning
Introduction
Blended Learning
Everyone is overworked and no one has time for traditional development approaches and methods. Organizations need simpler management-driven approaches and tools that are designed to make continuous learning and development an integral part of the process.
“Training is what other people do. Learning is what you do for yourself.”
Sullivan, July 2005
Primeast provides a wide range of learning journeys designed to appeal to different learning styles. However, because the end result of training all too often falls short of potential expectations, we take a ‘blended approach’. This enables us to help the learner reach their goal, via a carefully selected mixture of different stimulus and media, over a period of time.
The learning mix
Blended learning integrates seemingly opposite approaches, such as formal and informal learning, face to face and online experiences, directed paths and reliance on self-direction in order to achieve individual and organisational goals. Each learning journey needs to integrate the needs of the organisation and the individual’s work and time commitments.
We build our blended learning solutions in partnership with our clients, combining the skills of our facilitators, coaches, trainers and moderators. Our preferred blend also utilises a web based facility to act as both a conduit for learning communities and forums as well as a library, knowledge store and activity centre for the learning programme. We have teamed up with The Learning Business who help design and provide the technology for a bespoke site, to look and feel aligned to your own corporate brand and need.
An example
To illustrate, a recent 12 month middle manager development programme blended two residential courses with 4 assignments based on either work projects or learning from 4 of the audio books that were provided. Some e-learning modules were available for those that needed them. Six coaching sessions were obligatory, and attendance, online or via phone, to a facilitated peer group Action Learning Set proved both inspiring and beneficial. In addition, the learning cohorts could upload valuable information for each other or “meet” to discuss and share learning on a site that only they and their coaches / facilitators had access to, thus creating a safe learning community. This was all scheduled to develop a particular theme, enable some practice and practical application with access to coaching and peer support.
The benefits
A culture of continuous learning, if not present at the outset, emerges. Learners are able to select the most appropriate times to engage with the majority of the course components. Residential and Action Learning Sets need a fixed commitment; the rest become the responsibility of the learners to coordinate around their work and personal life commitments.
A report by Sparrow 2004, and used by CIPD, ranked blended learning as “the most effective and cost-effective form of training” and indicated that “blended learning will make up about 30% off all corporate training budgets by 2006”