"Blended" teaching - finding the right recipe

It seems that in order for both teacher/facilitator and students/learners to be happy (Salmon 2013) there needs to be a balance that satisfies all "tastes."

When designing any module, using the module outcomes as a starting point, the content, assessments, practical exercises and presentation are standard pillars in one's construction. Biggs uses the phrase 'constructive alignment' to describe 'how well' learning outcomes, teaching and learning activities and assessments go together (Moss 2013)

One of colleagues related his own experience of a module becoming bigger than anticipated. I wondered for a moment what is considered 'big' in the context of online or blended learning and why this would matter. Is it possible to predict the level of interest and whether it will be sustained through-out the course? So does one plan for and design a "big course"? I began to consider size from the point of view of the facilitator/teacher/designer and teaching/teacher presence. Does size matter even in the online space? Will the size of the course impact on the facilitator/teacher's ability to ensure that the module is constructively aligned? What will the students/learners/participants require from the facilitator/teacher in order to keep them happy?

From the learner perspective, easy access and feeling welcomed were certainly important to me when I first entered the online/blended learning space. This not only includes the actual welcoming message but also the presentation of the online interface or access to learning materials. Is the interface easy to navigate? Does the interface look presentable and welcoming?

The facilitator acts as host (Salmon 2013), welcoming and directing learners firstly as to what is expected and very importantly what is expected. For learners unfamiliar with the online or blended teaching environment, socialisation into this 'new' context is crucial for sustained interest and engagement. Time related activities for instance need to be explained particularly for learners who are accustomed to pure distance education. Expectations must be communicated. A new learner has to be initiated into this particular environment as imagined by the course designer and adopted by the facilitator. There is a vision. The vision must be sold, buy-in obtained and embraced. The role of the facilitator is to mediate the entry into this newly imagined world so that learners are then acclimated to that environment - almost facilitator becoming a tour-guide and then to provide intervention (sometimes translation and giving meaning to) when necessary. Salmon (2013) uses the phrase “navigate.”

Effective teacher presence is then dependant on the number of learners and therefore the size of the course. Even in the online context, you cannot be in more than one place at a time and the quality of feedback will most certainly be affected if the teacher isn't 'available'. Support or scaffolding is crucial to a happy online/blended experience. While teaching occurs through both teachers and peers, effective teacher presence is necessary. Salmon (2013) uses the word "tour-guide",  to guide, acclimate, socialise, encourage and even correct. He/she helps students identify what is necessary for knowledge construction for successful completion and happy learning outcomes!

References:

Salmon, G (2013) The Five Stage Model. [Homepage]

 http://www.gillysalmon.com/five-stage-model.html

Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching Effectiveness (2013, August 29). Constructive Alignment

[YouTube video].