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Today’s learning environment is wide open. We can choose from a multitude of technologies, modalities and techniques. But what’s the best way to design in this new environment? In this episode, I chat with Jennifer Hofmann, who offers lots of tips and insights for designing blended learning.
Jennifer is the president of InSync Training, LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in the design and delivery of virtual and blended learning. She was featured in Forbes Most Powerful Women issue and has led InSync Training to the Inc. 5000 as the 10th Fastest Growing Education Company in the U.S. in 2013.
She is also the author of several books, her latest being Blended Learning (What Works in Talent Development). Follow Jennifer on Twitter @InSyncJennifer.
WE DISCUSS:
- Where we went wrong with blended learning
- Evolution of blended learning
- Why the blended learning concept is growing
- Challenges of designing with blended learning
- What makes a learning experience authentic
- Four-step process for creating blended learning
- Common mistakes to avoid when designing blended learning
- Tips for people who are designing a program for the first time
TIME: 30 minutes
RATE: Rate this podcast in iTunes
TRANSCRIPT: Download the ELC 025 Transcript.
RESOURCES AND LINKS:
- InSync Training (Jennifer’s company)
- Body Language In The Bandwidth (Jennifer’s Blog)
- Blended Learning (What Works in Talent Development)
- White Paper: Blended Learning Instructional Design
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That’s two for two, Megan. More great ideas. Yes, getting leadership involved is the kind of support that is needed, in addition to building an experience that employees like and find valuable. I also like embedded learning, though perhaps for some this is a goal that is difficult to achieve. Thanks.
Best,
Connie
Great to hear your voice, Connie!
The most important step in delivering learning in the workplace is to get buy in from the leadership group who will support the learning in on the job. Using your leadership group in the workplace to guide pre-work activities and post-learning collaboration is a great advantage.
For our organisation, blended learning includes on the job coaching tools, just in time learning resources embedded in the organisation’s online technical reference database and team leader toolkits to support on the job competencies with team discussion briefings, technical mini-labs and other on the job activities etc.
This approach has allowed us to target the learning need without huge investment in modern technologies (public expenditure). It really is a truism to choose the technology last – the focus must always be on the instructional design.
Perhaps a new word for “blended learning” should be “embedded learning” – learning that is embedded into the working day as it is experienced by the learner.
Thanks for the great podcast!