If one differentiates the various levels of e-learning according to the degree of virtualization, (see. Bachmann et al., 2002), blended learning takes a position between in-class teaching implementing media and solely online teaching. (see Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). Even if, according to critics, nothing new is expressed by the term itself, it does direct one’s attention more strongly to the combination of such elements.

Key Problem

Both solely in-class courses and solely online course have their own specific problems: For instance, students taking part in an in-class course that meets regularly cannot always be present making impossible to compensate for the different levels of knowledge and/or the gaps in knowledge, especially in a large class. The problem areas with solely online courses are, among other things, self and time management along with lack of personal contact (among students but also among students and teachers) and the lack of social exchange.

Solution

The combination of in-class and online resources in blended learning scenarios makes it possible to utilize the advantages of each particular setting and method avoiding their disadvantages. If the subject matter is presented digitally (through video recordings, transparencies, podcasts or the like), the students can access these flexibly and according to their own needs wherever and whenever they want. In the in-class meetings, interaction and exchange with the students can be made the focus.

Details

In blended learning scenarios, there are three different types of activities that can be combined with each other (see. Alonso, López, Manrique & Viñes, 2007):

Self-paced e-learning: Here the students can choose by themselves the time, length of time, the tempo, and the place for their learning activities. („Learning anytime and anywhere“).
Live e-Learning: Synchronized form of e-learning, for example, lectures as webcast or working in a virtual classroom at a specific time. This makes it possible for the students to ask the teacher questions or take part in discussions with other students.
Traditional in-class teaching: Lectures, research courses, tutorials, discussions and exchanging ideas take place in a classroom or laboratory and allow for face-to-face-interaction with teachers and students.

There is disagreement on how much or how little online teaching should be included in the blend. Various authors agree that the percent of online or offline work is not as important as the educationally meaningful presentation, timing and sequences of activities with the goal to provide a coherent, successful learning experience (Dziuban, Moskal & Hartman, 2005).

Stalker & Horn (2012) define five blended learning models in which online and in-class teaching are combine in different ways:

Rotation Model: the course has a specified structure partly online and partly in-class.
Flex Model: Materials of the course are available for students mainly online. Teachers can be contacted as needed giving then face-to-face support.
Self-Blend: Students decide to take an extra course online along with their in-class course, for example, at another university (see courses offered at the Virtual University of Bavaria or Ruhr Campus Online) supplementing the courses offered.
Enriched-Virtual Model: a virtual course that includes, for example, an in-class meeting at the beginning and at the end of the course.

With Blended Learning one should take into account (see Arnold, Kilian, Thillosen & Zimmer, 2004, S. 94 f.) :

Elements of classical unit structuring for teaching and learning processes,
Different social forms (different forms of individual and group work),
Selecting methods in accordance with learning goals and skills to be acquired (see Reinmann-Rothmeier u.a., 2003).

Various case studies document furthermore the positive effect on the learning atmosphere and success by integrating social software with the blended learning scenarios. (Hall & Davidson, 2007; Nückles, Schwonke, Berthold, & Renkl, 2004).

Advantages

On the basis of a summary of various reports and case studies from different universities, Vaughan (2007) differentiates with respect to the advantages of blended learning between the perspectives of the students, teachers, and university administration.

From the point of view of the students,the advantages of blended learning can be divided into two categories: flexibility and learning experience. Students value the opportunity to choose the time and place for the virtual part of the course. Learning at home is considered to be especially advantageous. A number of case studies show positive effects of blended learning on successful learning in comparison to solely virtual settings (Rovai & Jordan, 2004) as well as to traditional lectures with many participants (Graves & Twigg, 2006). Positive learning effects can result further from the text orientation of asynchronous discussion environments or from a writing-intensive learning environment (Sands, 2002).
Teachers are given the opportunity with blended learning to explore new forms of interaction with the course participants. It is considered advantageous when effects on the learning process can be seen, for example, that the students form an online community, argue and discuss better in face-to-face teaching, as well as go into depth with respect to the course material. Further, the flexibility of the time units is seen as positive.
On the university administration levelone can expect positive effects ranging from the positioning as an innovative centre of education to addressing new target groups, especially in further occupational education, and to effective utilization of resources and saving costs.

Disadvantages

For students, the main problems with blended learning courses lie in the expectation that having to be present at fewer classes means less work, deficits in time- and self-management, difficulties taking responsibility for successful learning, as well as for technical problems especially with handling communication and cooperation tools.
Teachers need both technical and method related support and advice when remodeling their didactic designs. Risks lie in loss of control and potential poorer evaluations by the students. Further, experience has shown that a course having online components involves clearly more time for preparation and execution; the time can even increase if the multimedia learning contents have to be created. This can cause added costs and more development effort starting from working it into the authoring tool or other programs up to the concrete development. Further, it is not clear to what extent online activities are recognized in the classic teaching commitment regulations.
On the university administration level , the use of technology should be put in relation with the long term goals of the institution. A corresponding allocation of resources is necessary along with investments in infrastructure and support units. Often there will also be opposition to changes and innovations. The transition of curriculum structures is time consuming and requires internal organizational coordination processes.

Arguments against Blended Learning

Actually none – basically the latest “state of the art’ can be summarize in the following formula: „Blended is better than purely virtual and not worse (and often better) than only face-to-face.”

Examples

Diverse examples in the spectrum of blended learning courses can be found under e-teaching.org- Examples of Best Practice.
In e-teaching.org-Interview, Dr. Angela Hof from Ruhr University in Bochum (RUB) presents the new blended learning course concept in landscape ecology. In the interview, she speaks about the structural changes of a course through the transformation into a blended learning scenario, makes the improvements in the course with respect to contents and education clear, and provides insight into her experiences.
Also the idea behind the learning scenario Video-Learn, that is used at the Institute for Communication Technology (Leibniz University in Hannover) is based on blended learning.
A blended learning model is called a "flipped classroom" or also an "inverted classroom" when the lecture and working phase are interchanged. The teacher’s presentations in a research course or a lecture are recorded before the course meets and are made available online to the students. In the actual class meetings, the teacher does not lecture but rather there are discussions on the topics and questions are answered. Further information on this model, information about the German Inverted Classroom Conference as well as numerous examples for implementation can be found on the webpage Inverted Classroom.

Further information:

Heather Staker und Michael B. Horn from Innosight Institute attempt a classification of blended learning scenarios in the publication "Classifying K-12 Blended Learning" (March 2012).
Rinn & Bett (2006) deschribe a blended learning concept for further teacher's training. In e-teaching.org-Langtext, general thoughts on planning and implementation are presented. Also, the possibilities for hybrid support concepts (blended concepts), that is, the interlocking of the online portals with the in-house support at the universities, are demonstrated.