Measuring the quality of Blended Learning – not an easy task. We present an exciting concept with which you can measure the quality of your Blended Learning yourself.
Blended Learning has been the top topic in the continuing education industry for years. No wonder, then, that many adult education professionals are engaging with this method. This gives rise to a wide variety of ideas and approaches for combining face-to-face and online learning.
I found a particularly interesting approach at the Bildungsinnovatoren: five quality levels with which you can measure the quality of Blended Learning designs:
How this quality pyramid works, I will now summarize in detail for you:
The 5 Levels of Blended Learning Quality
The five levels of quality for Blended Learning designs are built like a pyramid, starting with the lowest level. At the top (Level 5) is the best possible connection of face-to-face and digital learning:
Source: Concept by bildungsinnovator.de / Representation & addition by blink.it
Level 1: Loose Coupling The (unfortunately still) most common variant: A standardized e-learning is offered before a seminar. In terms of content, no connection takes place; often the content is duplicated in the course and the face-to-face session.
Level 2: Seminar-Centric Coupling Here, the responsibility for your own e-learning content goes to you as the trainer: A welcome video, preparatory materials, or even a small follow-up after the session frame the seminar date.
Level 3: Learner-Centric Coupling Now the participants are the focus: The target group, level of knowledge, and needs are taken into account to set clear learning objectives. The format (online course or seminar) is selected based on the goals.
Level 4: Didactic Coupling At Level 4, a perfect interlocking is established between the components: A common thread guides the participants through the different formats. Communication with the participants and motivation are at the forefront.
Level 5: Transfer-Centric Coupling The perfect Blended Learning: The transfer into the daily lives of the participants is the focus! In addition to pure content and a common thread, you as a trainer now actively support your participants in putting what they have learned into practice.
Particularly in company-wide learning projects, this highlights the difference between well-intentioned Blended Learning and true strategic learning architecture: Without clearly defined transfer goals and supporting measures, even high-quality content remains ineffective. Only when learning impulses are systematically integrated into work processes does sustainable competence development occur.
The Trick: Think the Levels Backwards!
An important tip that I can share with you from the video: Think the levels backwards, from top to bottom, if you want to develop a good Blended Learning design! So first ask yourself what specifically should change in the daily lives of the participants – then comes the question of how you can support them in doing so – and only at the very end do you select the appropriate format for the content.
Tip: 3 Questions for Trainers and Coaches to Start with Blended Learning:
What should the participants change?
How can I support them in doing so?
What is an appropriate format for the content?
Conclusion
Blended Learning reaches its highest quality when face-to-face, online elements, and transfer are systematically interlinked and the learning process is consciously guided across all phases.
The 5-level model helps you to critically examine and further develop your own concept. The decisive factor here is not the technical combination of formats, but the didactic logic behind it: What should change in the daily lives of the participants, and how do you support this process in a structured way?
If you think the levels backwards and plan from the desired transfer onwards, you get a continuous learning concept with a clear impact, rather than a random coexistence of methods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it not enough to simply combine an online course with a face-to-face seminar?
Only the didactic interlocking of face-to-face, online learning, and practical transfer turns individual formats into effective Blended Learning. Without a connection in terms of content, the individual learning phases often remain isolated.
Which level of the 5-level model is the actual goal for companies?
The highest quality level is transfer-centric coupling. Here, the focus is no longer on conveying knowledge, but on successfully applying what has been learned in daily work life.
Why should a Blended Learning concept be planned starting from the transfer?
Those who first define what changes should be achieved in daily work life can align learning content, methods, and formats specifically to that. This creates a continuous learning concept instead of isolated measures.
How can the quality of an existing Blended Learning concept be improved?
The 5-level model helps to critically review existing concepts. Often, quality and learning success can already be significantly increased through a better interlocking of the learning phases as well as additional transfer measures.
