You may have read the term Blended Learning repeatedly, not just on this blog. What does it even mean, and above all – why should you, as a trainer, educator, or consultant, concern yourself with it? Take three minutes to read this article and then decide if Blended Learning is a solution for you!

“You have to stay one drink ahead of life” – Humphrey Bogart.

You may already know the expression Blended Whisky. In contrast to Single Malt Whisky, it is a drink where different whiskies are mixed. This is not considered a quality indicator among connoisseurs, but fortunately, this metaphor does not translate 1:1 into the educational field. There, “Blended” is a label that does not take away any strength from your in-person training or coaching. Quite the opposite!

Update from June 26, 2018: From today, you can find numerous pieces of information on our new info page on Blended Learning in practice. The site serves as a point of contact for all your questions regarding Blended Learning: from the idea to implementation, including conditions and examples from real training sessions.

Blended Learning means mixing learning methods

Blended Learning is the mixture of different learning methods. We fundamentally understand this as the mix of in-person events (such as workshops, seminars, or online webinars) and online phases in which participants can learn independently.

There are, in turn, many different models. You can generally offer online content only after your in-person training. Alternatively, you can use the sandwich method to take the in-person session as the anchor point of your Blended Learning and connect online phases before and after.

Here’s an overview of the three most popular models in Blended Learning:

1. The “Springer”
   
   
   
   

   
   
   
   

   

   
   
   
   

2. The “Heron”

1. The “Sandwich”
   
   
   
   

   
   
   
   

   

   
   
   
   

Fields of application for Blended Learning

Online and in-person phases are suitable anywhere where learning should be effective and flexible. This can be in schools, at home, or, of course, in professional development.

The idea behind Blended Learning is very much in trend, not only in the education sector. Keywords like “Work-Life Balance” or “Stress Management” are currently surfacing in all media. In short: We want to live “blended,” work “blended” – so it’s time for us to learn blended as well!

You now have an impression of what Blended Learning means. Perhaps you have already formed some initial ideas for your training, workshops, or coaching and want to jump right in? Great! Then check out our guide, where we help you step by step to set up a Blended Learning program.

Your benefit from Blended Learning: The best of both worlds

The alternatives to Blended Learning are either purely in-person events or purely e-learning. We at blink.it do not believe that either of these will prevail on their own. No, we are convinced that Blended Learning is the optimal solution for all educators in the long term.

Both worlds have their own advantages. E-learning is cheaper, more flexible, and faster. In-person events, on the other hand, score mainly through the personal connection to the trainer or coach. So what should prevent you from picking the best bits and benefiting from all the advantages? The following overview shows you where the benefits of e-learning lie and where those of in-person events:

| E-Learning | | Seminars || ------------------------------------------------ | --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- || Up to 70% cheaper | Costs | 35% of the offerings exceed the budget || Initiative and self-discipline required | Motivation | Encouragement from experienced trainers and coaches || Time savings through high flexibility | Time | Loss of working time due to personal presence || Use requires technological knowledge | Technology | Largely free from technological hurdles |

With Blended Learning, you combine the advantages of in-person and online in a way that suits you best. If you have previously relied solely on e-learning or purely on in-person events, you might be interested in the following 7 advantages of Blended Learning:

• You gain a unique selling proposition

• You gain a new source of income

• You gain new customer groups

• You gain measurability

• You gain reusability

• You gain flexibility

• You gain variety of media

blink.it founder and learning expert Konstantin Ristl explains at Learntec why Blended Learning will prevail.

5 questions to kick off your Blended Learning journey

There is much more to say about Blended Learning, but by now, specific questions may have already formed in your mind. When making decisions, trainers often ask many reasonable and important questions. From the right timing to financing and the selection of the right devices – my colleague Hans Peter Ludescher has collected and answered the top 5 questions about Blended Learning from trainers.

Thank you for your three minutes of reading time! If you’ve made it this far, why not take another 5 minutes to take the first step toward your Blended Learning? Grab something to write with and answer the following five questions, following the Natural Planning Model by David Allen:

  1. Was ist ein konkretes Ziel, das du unabhängig von Blended Learning aktuell hast?  2. Was muss passieren, damit du dieses Ziel erreichst?  3. Kann dir Blended Learning dabei helfen?  4. Wie kann dir Blended Learning dabei helfen?  5. Was ist der erste kleine Schritt, den du dafür tun musst

Have you written something for all the points? Then go ahead and put the last point into action right away. Good luck and enjoy the best of both worlds!