This document defines blended learning and provides guidance for developing blended courses at Crowder College. Blended learning combines traditional face-to-face instruction with online learning, with 30-79% of content delivered online. The document outlines requirements for blended courses, such as having an organized syllabus and schedule in the learning management system. It also provides tips for designing blended courses, such as determining which competencies are best suited to each format and creating assessments that measure learning outcomes. Major exams should generally be taken in-person, while activities like discussions and multimedia content can be done online.

1. BLENDED LEARNING
At Crowder College

2. What is
Blended Learning?

3. % Content Delivered Online Course Type Accepted Definition
0% Traditional
Course with only face-to-face meetings
and little online technology. Content
delivered in writing or in person.
1 to 29% Web-facilitated
Course with primarily face-to-face
meetings. May post syllabus,
assignments, grades, or resources via a
course management system or web
pages.
30 to 79% Blended
Course blends online and face-to-face
delivery. Much of the content is
delivered online, often uses online
discussions, and a reduced number of
face-to-face meetings.
80% or more Online
Course with most or all content
delivered online. No face-to-face
meetings.
Definitions of Web based Learning

4. Blended learning is a type of formal education where a portion
of the traditional face-to-face instruction is replaced by web-
based online learning.
While the percentage may vary, generally, blended courses at
Crowder College will utilize a 50/50 percent module, where
half of the course content and activities are completed online
and the rest in a physical classroom.

5. Organization of Blended Courses

6. Requirements for Blended Courses at Crowder College
 Appropriate syllabus that clearly outlines expectations for physical meetings, technical requirements, etc. should
be placed in Course Information in Blackboard.
 Complete semester schedule should be placed in Course Information in Blackboard. It should be clearly marked
as to how, where, and when the student is expected to complete the activities. Specific dates should be used.
 Weekly assignment folders should be present in Assignments in Blackboard.
 Major tests and exams should be given during physical class time.
 The Gradebook within the learning management system (Blackboard) should be used effectively and updated in
a timely fashion.
 The organization of the course should be the same as all online courses at Crowder College. See the Quality
Standards Manual for complete information on this.
 While a fully online course requires a minimum of 12 weekly forums for a 16-week course, a blended course
should have a minimum of 6-8 forums in a 16-week course. An 8 week blended course should have 3-4 separate
discussion forums. The instructor should actively participate in these discussions, with a minimum of 6 quality
responses on at least 2 separate days in each forum.

7. Experience and the literature suggests that there are two primary areas of possible concern when
organizing a blended course. One is that the instructor tends to omit materials that are necessary
for the course, lessening the course content and quality.
The second is that the instructor unintentionally adds too much material to the course, placing
unnecessary burdens on the instructor and the student. Organization is key to avoiding these two
pitfalls.
Determine first which competencies are better suited to face-to-face instruction and which might
be accomplished through online instruction. Focusing on integrating face-to-face and online
components is key to avoiding duplication and disconnection.

8. Designing and Developing the Blended Course

9. 1. What are the course competencies (these should be present on the
syllabus), how will they be assessed, and do they map to the Program
Outcomes?
2. What are the weekly learning outcomes, how will they be assessed, and do
they map to the course competencies?
3. Are your outcomes specific and measurable? Click here to view Bloom’s
Taxonomy for a list of measurable action verbs.
4. Look carefully at your present activities and exams. If they do not align with
your course competencies, then what needs to change? Your competencies or
the activities?

10. Create assessments that measure the stated learning outcomes.
Keep in mind, as well, seat-time equivalency: Demonstrate that students’
time on task spent during the online part of the class is equal to the time
spent in class, not including homework. For example: if your class is three
hours long, the time students spend listening to videos, reading, participating
in discussions, etc. should be three hours.

11. 1. Asynchronous discussions
2. Peer review of work
3. Sharing of research and news items
4. Review of Case Studies and associated assignments
5. Question Prompts that cover reading assignments or weekly
issues
6. Guest speakers in discussion board
7. Supplementary Videos and PowerPoints, Prezi’s, etc.
8. Smaller quizzes and assessments with security precautions
Activities that are appropriate for the online
environment include

12. In a Blended Learning environment, the
instructor will design a variety of learning
experiences; for example, individual and group
work, web links, readings, case studies, tests,
papers, online discussions, and these will be
integrated with face to face activities and
lessons.

13. Include various media in your course; for example: audio, video, and
graphics, especially for the online weeks.
Examples:
Text- lectures and assignment sheets
Audio - Audacity (Free) and Blackboard’s Audio Tool for uploading .mp3, .wmv files.
Video – Panopto, Narrated PowerPoint, YouTube.
Graphics - Copyright Free Images and the Windows “Snipping Tool”, for capturing
images on your screen.

14. A question to ask yourself-which of the components
of a classroom should be face-to-face, and which
should be online?
Quizzes
Course Introduction/Expectations
Project Presentations
Announcements
Teacher to Student Communication
Student to Teacher Communication
Multimedia Content
Written Content
Lab Work
Student Discussions
Collaborative Group Work
Preparing for Tests, Homework Help
Q & A Sessions
Internet Research

15. Typical Starting Point
Quizzes-Exams
Course Introduction/Expectations
Project Presentations
Announcements
*Teacher to Student Communication
*Student to Teacher Communication
Multimedia Content
Written Content
Lab Work
Student Discussions
Collaborative Group Work
Preparing for Tests, Homework Help
Q & A Sessions
Internet Research
Face-To-Face Online
Student Discussions
Preparing for Tests, Homework Help

16. As you begin to build your Blended course, remember that two important
issues in deciding which activities will work best online and which will work
best on ground will be security and discussion.
Unless the class utilizes software and programs such as Respondus or
ProctorU, a paid service that monitors online students as they take exams,
then major exams should be taken during the physical class time.
While it is, of course, more entertaining to recreate a Dead Poets’ Society
lesson, the majority of discussion might be better served in online
discussion, rather than utilizing the valuable physical class time that can be
used for review for exams, the exams themselves, and discussions that
clarify difficult concepts, etc.

17. Remember:
• Design a blended course that is comparable in time,
quality, and quantity to the traditional on ground
course.
• Don’t compromise exam security.
• Don’t neglect discussion of concepts, integrating both
online and on ground discussion.
• Be aware of Crowder College’s requirements for all
blended courses.
Have fun! Blended learning, while possibly a bit more
complex to organize, does combine the best of both
online and face to face learning!