Introduction to blended learning

What is 'blended learning'? How is it different from distance learning, 'online learning' or 'e-learning'? The terms 'e-learning' and 'online learning' have often been used synonymously to refer to distance learning. Now 'e-learning' is more usually used to describe many types of technology-supported learning. 'Blended learning' is a common term which refers to students having access to part of their course online, and where part of the course is delivered 'face-to-face'. Distance learning In this model, teachers and learners are separated by physical distance. Learning materials are sent to the learners by mail and assessments are sent to course tutors by the same method. Learners can often feel isolated, which undermines their motivation. Online learning As the name suggests, this type of learning environment relies on computers connected to the internet. Responsibility for learning shifts to learners. The teacher undertakes a facilitating role, guiding learners to a variety of sources, setting tasks and course learning objectives. Tracking of learner work and progress is automatically carried out by the program in use. E-learning E-learning encompasses online learning but can include a greater variety of technology than online learning for example CDROMs and DVDs can be used to provide course materials. Blended learning This is a mix of the traditional face-to-face teaching approach and the self-directed online approach. Within the boundaries established by their course, learners can study at their own pace as well as where and when it suits them. Learners have a

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measure of assurance and motivation in the knowledge that they will be given the opportunity to try out what they have learned in a teacher-led face-to-face session. A strong advantage of blended learning, particularly with large groups, is that it offers a time-effective and personalised way of learning and practising material. Blended learning aims to place the individual learner at the centre of the teaching and learning experience. Learners are empowered and need to be guided in how to take responsibility for their own learning. Teachers can use the face-to-face lessons to address and provide guidance on specific issues and questions that the individual learner may have. Is the aim of blended learning to replace the use of teachers or classroom time? No, blended learning is about offering students flexibility. As technology plays an ever-greater part in our everyday lives (information, entertainment, shopping, travel, etc.), education and language learning needs to respond. In many cases around the world, the use of blended learning courses has become widespread at both the secondary and tertiary level of education. It makes sense that blended learning should offer the opportunity for learners to access more of their course content independently and to work more autonomously. Cambridge ESOL is developing courses which respond to these new learner needs and one aspect of this is the learners need to attend fewer classes in a school setting.

Course specifics
Where can I find out more about Cambridge ESOLs courses? Cambridge ESOL now offers a range of blended learning and online courses, the latter often being referred to as 100% selfstudy courses. Cambridge B1 Online (coming soon) Cambridge University Press and Cambridge ESOL have combined their expertise to develop a practical blended learning course that requires learners to attain a B1 level of English. The Cambridge B1 Online is a blend of online self-study and classroom learning facilitated by a teacher. The course contains 20 topic-based modules and four review modules: each module consists of four 45-minute online units presented through realistic video, audio and reading materials. There are additional materials for the classroom-based lessons, providing a minimum of one hour of structured contact time for each module. The course provides learners with the best possible chance of succeeding should they take the Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) exam.

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IELTS These blended learning courses consist of 100 hours of learning and provide practice activities for students who are aiming for an IELTS band score of 4.55.5. (course 1) or a band score of 6.07.5 (course 2). Learners will be studying 60%70% of the course online and 30%40% in the classroom. The overall aim of the course is to provide authentic practice materials which will prepare learners to perform at their true proficiency level in the IELTS test. Watch the IELTS Blended Learning Course Flash demo here: http://ocdemo.s3.amazonaws.com/i-blend-d/index1.html IELTS is also available as a 100% online self-study course (Bands 4.57.5) without tutor support. The content of this course does not overlap with the blended learning versions. Watch the IELTS Self-study (100% Online) Course Flash demo here: http://ocdemo.s3.amazonaws.com/i-100-d/index1.html BULATS The overall aim of this 50-hour blended BULATS preparation course is to enable learners to develop the necessary English language skills in the field of business through the use of graded texts, audio, videos and interactive exercises. The course will help learners to improve their test-taking skills by familiarising them with the BULATS test content, format and strategies and providing extensive practice of BULATS exercises. Watch the BULATS Blended Learning Course Flash demo here: http://ocdemo.s3.amazonaws.com/b-blend-d/index1.html BULATS is also available as a 100% online self-study course without tutor support. The content of this course does not overlap with the blended learning version.

Watch the BULATS Self-study (100% Online) Course Flash demo here http://ocdemo.s3.amazonaws.com/b-100-d/index1.html
Cambridge Financial English (CFE) Cambridge Financial English (CFE) is for individuals whose first language is not English and who need to use financial English in order to perform effectively in business situations. Cambridge Financial English is a blended learning course designed to be facilitated by a teacher, tutor or mentor. It comprehensively develops ability across the four skill areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking. This flexible 100-hour course is designed to deliver 75 hours online learning and 25 hours face-to-face teaching. It includes all necessary classroom

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materials for the face-to-face element of the course. Although this is the typical format, other combinations can be tailored to the needs of the learners. Cambridge Financial English is targeted at students with a B2 level of English and helps learners to prepare for the International Certificate in Financial English (ICFE) examination. Cambridge CELTA Course Online The Cambridge CELTA Course Online is an alternative delivery mode to the face-to-face course that exists worldwide today. It is being developed to provide an alternative and not a substitute for current face-to-face delivery. It will lead to the Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) qualification and all CELTA courses will be assessed and moderated according to the same criteria. The CELTA award has and will continue to include a significant practical component known as Teaching Practice (TP), where course participants will complete six hours assessed teaching practice in groups. Candidates will teach at least eight times with face-to-face feedback and reflection. www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/exams-info/faqs/celta-course-online-faq.html

Skills
As with any course you may be teaching, you need to be familiar with the course objectives, the course material, the likely aims What do I need to know and expectations of your students, and the skills and competencies required of them to successfully pass the course. to teach a blended Additionally for a blended course you need to know the split between autonomous study and work carried out in the classroom, course? in terms of time, task type and task frequency. You need to know how to use the Learning Management System (LMS) and Cambridge ESOL provides introductory online teacher guides which will assist you to familiarise yourself with the different LMS tools. What is a Learning Management System (LMS)? A Learning Management System (sometimes also referred to as a Virtual Learning Environment or VLE) is an internet platform which lets you:

communicate and collaborate online store information and create repositories with different access rights create training materials, upload existing courses and train online
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receive and mark your students assignments electronically monitor your students performance and track their results.

How do I use the Learning Management System (LMS)?

The system is designed for teachers and learners to be intuitive and easy to use. Specialist IT skills are not needed. Teachers will appreciate the ability to get a quick snapshot of all relevant course information including learner performance and are able to upload their own complementary classroom materials if required. The LMS contains detailed documentation on each of the management tools teachers may wish to use, both in the form of downloadable written documentation and as short and easy-to-understand video footage.

I have a qualification in blended learning and/or experience with blended learning systems such as Moodle. Is that useful?

It is always useful to have had prior experience of blended learning as you will probably benefit from increased professional awareness of the issues involved. However, the courses and the LMS are both designed to support novice teachers and learners so while prior experience is probably beneficial, it is not essential. As your confidence with blended learning grows, you may choose to set more complex online tasks and explore some of the potential for virtual classroom teaching. Nonetheless, it should be said that teachers have the flexibility to deliver a substantial proportion of the course in the classroom, and your current skills as a teacher in the classroom are central to the courses success.

Course structure
Which part of the course is done by the learners working online and which part is done in the classroom? For blended courses, the amount of course time spent in the classroom vs. learners working autonomously is flexible and decided by the school or course provider. Depending on the course in question the recommended split ranges from 6075% self-study and 2540% classroom teaching. The courses are designed so that the content or skill areas most suitable for self-study can be handled online while those areas where group interaction, teacher supervision and feedback are essential are delivered in the classroom. What is the difference between being a classroom teacher and an online tutor? Just like a classroom teacher, the online tutor supervises and facilitates learning. As an online tutor you use the LMS to communicate with your students, set and mark assignments and monitor their performance. The main difference is that the course materials and different teaching media have already been assembled for you and your students, and are ready to be used independent of time and location.
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With Cambridge ESOL blended courses, the tutors role is to integrate the online aspect with the classroom, to communicate proactively, to encourage and support students, to oversee their online work by providing feedback and follow-up, and to answer any course and content-related questions they may have.

Time commitment
What is the time commitment to teaching a blended course? The main difference is not in the amount of time but when and how you spend the time. Unlike a face-to-face course where it is likely that you will only be in contact with your learners in and around class time, in a blended course learners are working regularly according to their own timetable and it is good practice to provide feedback and support them by offering regular online surgeries in addition to your face-to-face input sessions. It is essential that students see the online aspect as an integral part of the course and a little teacher 'presence' online often will go a long way towards that. The system also provides tools for peer work and peer-to-peer collaboration, which the teacher can encourage and monitor by setting up structured discussion forums. Is there a book for the classroom part of the course? There are extensive classroom materials which form an integrated part of Cambridge ESOLs blended learning courses. They include up to three hours of exercises per module designed to be facilitated by a tutor with experience in English language teaching. The exercises consist of role play which help to strengthen speaking and listening skills and consolidate learning from the online course. There are also teacher notes and lesson plans provided for each module. All materials can be downloaded from the course website and photocopied for use in class.

Quality
How do I monitor learners' work? Cambridge ESOLs LMS lets you monitor whether learners have completed any set work using the Hand-in tool and the Portfolio tool. Once you have electronically marked and graded an assignment, this will automatically appear in the students individual portfolio. The teacher can access a record of all students marks in the teachers portfolio. You can also monitor the time your students have spent online and see which activities they have completed successfully and where they may need some further assistance. Regular communication with students online, including comments on progress, is very useful, even if only short messages. It is also important for students to see that their classroom sessions are not separate from their online activities, so occasional references to online work in the classroom are also helpful.
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The online components involve practise of all skills and language areas, thus providing a wide variety of interesting, challenging I'm worried that the online part of the and relevant content to stimulate their involvement. The courses are also highly innovative, taking advantage of the latest good course is going to practice in e-learning such as context-sensitive responses and meaningful feedback. involve learners performing a limited number of activities in a repetitive way.

Privacy
Do I need to give students my own email? No. You can communicate with students effectively and securely via the LMS. There is no need to share your personal details with them unless you choose to do so. Students can send messages to their teacher and their peers from within the course room.

Support
How do I get help with using the LMS? Each course room contains detailed guidelines on how to use the LMS. Furthermore, the Help menu offers you video footage and written documentation on all major functions of the LMS. Each school or institution will normally have a trained local administrator who will be able to assist with your queries. Who do my students contact if they have a problem? Students should have a brief induction before they embark on the course. Teachers will need to show them how to switch off the pop-up blocker and run the browser checker. If they have log-in problems, it is easy for them to reset their password themselves as long as they have provided a valid email address. Any other technical issues should be escalated to the local administrator. You should also use your communications with students to remind them about any help and training materials available to them in advance of any problems.

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Information for School Managers Costs

How much do the courses cost? Prices vary from course to course for example, the IELTS Blended Learning Course retails at 60 per student, the BULATS Blended Learning Course costs 30 per student. There are discounts available for bulk purchases. For all enquiries about prices and discounts please contact elearningsales@CambridgeESOL.org

Split
What are the issues in deciding what the split should be? Flexibility is a key element of blended learning courses. The recommended split varies according to the type of course and the learners language level. Teachers and schools can adjust the mix of online and classroom study according to the needs of learners and depending on classroom space and staff availability. Learners will normally spend 25%40% of their time studying in the classroom and 60%75% learning online. Do course providers need to sign any other service agreements in order to use these courses? No, the licence covers access to the content and all Learning Management System (LMS) functionality for the licensed number of students and teachers/course administrators.

Technical
Do teachers or students need to download any software or buy special equipment? Do the courses project onto interactive whiteboards (IWBs)? No, all courses run on standard PCs or laptops and no additional software needs to be purchased. The browser checker on the courses Welcome page will indicate whether any software will need to be downloaded. As with any equipment in a computer lab, it is recommended that integrated headsets (headphone and microphone) with USB plugs are used. Yes, the courses work well on IWBs using an internet connection, though they are mainly designed to be used outside the classroom. The benefits of being able to bring them into the classroom are to highlight for students that the online aspect is an essential and integral part of the course.

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Our institution doesn't have either IWBs or a computer lab. Is that a problem?

Having either IWBs or a computer lab is not essential for running the courses. However, being able to bring the course materials into the classroom through at least a computer and data projector is recommended. Without this, initial training and discussion with teachers will be difficult. Also, teachers will not be able to integrate the online element with the classroom as easily, something which is a key factor in the courses being seen as an overall success.

Do courses run on mobile phones?

Not currently.

Implementation
How does a school get started? Make a 'readiness checklist of all the areas which need to be in place:

technical administrative (including course fee set-up and other administrative systems such as attendance) key roles identified (course administrator and product champion see below) course set-up teacher training.

Some will have longer lead times than others. Once a decision has been made to purchase a course, the first aspect to address will probably be teacher familiarisation and training. Regarding the purchase and set-up of licences, Cambridge ESOL will normally take 23 weeks from date of purchase for processing your order and to enrol your students and teachers on the course. Is it better to start big or small? Blended learning for language learning is still relatively new and may be viewed with suspicion for a variety of reasons. A change management approach is advisable for a school without much experience of other forms of learning technology. A small pilot project would be ideal so all concerned could become familiar with what is involved while keeping things manageable. For a larger scale roll out, it is strongly advised that the school should assign a local role of 'product champion'. However, for schools with a proven record and experience in teaching IT skills, a rollout of several courses or a rollout of a single course to a larger cohort of students should not be a problem.

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Is any external expertise necessary to get started?

No, but if your institution (like most) is new to blended learning, it is advisable to have a point of internal expertise a 'product champion'. This will probably be a teacher but may be an influential member of the admin staff, or someone on the marketing or technical side. The benefit of appointing someone from the teaching staff is that the focus can be kept on the pedagogy. This role is the main training resource for structured and ad-hoc training and is probably the first escalation point for teachers with training or technical problems. There will need to be two course administrators who know how to upload students to the system, enrol them in the right courses and set up the course materials and assign them to the correct teachers. Although this does not represent a lot of work, the recommendation that there be more than one administrator is so that the course provider is not inconvenienced if the person performing this role is ill or becomes unavailable. Ideally there should be one course administrator on the administration or management side and the other could be the product champion.

What sort of training is necessary?

The course administrator will need to be able to: administer courses, upload students and teachers, assign roles and set up access rights. The product champion will be responsible for training teachers in the use of the system. Depending on the course, we recommend approximately half a day of familiarisation training and half a day familiarisation with the LMS. Training materials for both teachers and administrators can be downloaded from the courses website.

Are there any issues with splitting the roles of teacher and online tutor so that they are carried out by different people? Are there any other issues which I need to be aware of?

Once a school has considerable experience with blended learning, that is an option to look into. Initially it is not recommended, as such an arrangement may lead to classroom teachers seeing their role as being limited to the classroom. Learners may view the online aspect as separate and possibly not as important. It is essential that this does not happen for the course to be a success. Data protection Cambridge ESOL is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of information provided by users who access our websites and we uphold the relevant data protection principles and process all personal data in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

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