Can my blended learning currently take place at all? How do I reach my participants? What do I do with my presence? We will show you how to successfully continue to host blended learning sessions.
The current situation requires quick and efficient solutions, many people are at home and working remotely – because: Social distancing is necessary! These rapid changes continually raise questions, also in the world of further education. Many trainers and coaches have relied on blended learning for years and want to use the method even despite contact bans. We have a simple solution for you: Offer your courses completely digitally, mixing online and live online phases!
Blended learning despite social distancing – how is that supposed to work?
The core idea of blended learning is probably known to you: The combination of various learning forms to best support learning success. In most cases, you combine online phases with in-person phases. However, the mix of in-person and online is only one possible combination of learning methods.
A classic blended learning example: The "Springer" // Presentation: blink.it
Many further educators rely on the connection of in-person and online courses: The theoretical delivery of content usually takes place in the online course and alone, as this allows participants to decide when and where they want to learn. The practical application with exercises, feedback, and learning groups works better in person – classically at a fixed time on site.
Alternatively, you can easily offer both online and in-person phases digitally. This way, your “presence” can also take place as “online presence” despite social distancing.
Start small: Rely on your existing content
The online phases of your blended learning can still be used in this form – after all, they are already digital and thus always and everywhere available. In times of social distancing, however, you should offer your participants a lot of variety. Rely on different media and try to convey your content as diversely as possible:
For example, reach out to your participants with a short video message to show your presence! To explain practical tasks that you might otherwise convey in your live sessions, short video impulses or screencasts are particularly suitable.
Reading tip: Here, we have gathered 5 quick ways to create content for online training.
How to create blended learning completely online
Step 1: Find a suitable video tool
Fundamentally, a suitable video meeting tool is essential for your “digital presence.” It should meet the following criteria:
It must be easy to use for you as the organizer of the meeting.
It must be easy for the participants: Ideally, you can invite your participants without them having to register separately.
Multiple people must be able to participate, so that your course is not limited by the number of participants.
It should have a screen sharing feature so you can show presentations or visual materials from the in-person session.
Tip: We at blink.it have been using the tool “Zoom” for our meetings for some time now, currently of course on a daily basis! Colleague Laura has summarized the benefits of the tool in a separate article: Zoom – The best tool for online training, coaching, and meetings?
By the way, you can integrate video meetings via Zoom, Adobe Connect, or other tools directly into our blink.it platform. If you offer your online phases through blink.it, you make it easier for your participants to switch from online to in-person.
Embed video meetings via Zoom, Adobe Connect, or other tools directly into your online courses. // Source: blink.it
Step 2: Review your own materials
You don't have to reinvent the wheel, because here too: Use your existing content! In your in-person sessions, you surely have a presentation that serves as your aid. You can also use this digitally! Just share your screen in the virtual space and all course participants can follow your presentation as usual. You may need to adjust some content slightly, but that will take less time than you might think.
Tip: In the blog, we have an exciting article for you on how to recycle training content and thus save a lot of time.
Step 3: Consider which exercises can be implemented individually
In a classic in-person format, exercises and direct application examples are very popular. Theoretical knowledge is deepened this way, and you as the course leader can give participants direct feedback. At first, you might think that you can't implement these exercises online as well. If your tasks are well and precisely formulated, your participants can surely complete them excellently remotely.
Tip: Are you looking for inspiration on which exercises can also be implemented together online? Then feel free to check out this article by colleague Corinna: 3 Exercises for Collaborative Online Learning.
Step 4: Practice your digital presence
The situation is new and unfamiliar for everyone involved. To ensure your courses run smoothly, you should practice them beforehand! Make sure your technology is working and you know how to share your screen in the chosen meeting tool.
So that your participants also know how your online presence will work, it is best to give them a short briefing in advance and explain all important functions to them. You can incorporate this into the online course, for example, using a short screencast or explanatory video. One last tip from us: Remind participants to turn off their microphones by default and only activate them for questions, discussions, or exercises – this will prevent interruptions or background noise in your session.
As you can see, it's not that hard to offer blended learning completely digitally! See it as an exercise and don't get too stressed: For everyone involved, the situation is unusual, so you now have the perfect chance to test new techniques and formats. However, you don’t necessarily have to create completely new content: Utilize your material from in-person events and implement it online as best as you can.
If you need support, feel free to visit us at our blog and browse through our diverse learning materials! Both are of course free 🙂
