Blended learning requires the dissolution of outdated thought structures
New media have become an integral part of everyday life. But her entry into the lecture hall has only just begun. Forms of learning such as blended learning, in which new media are more closely integrated into lessons, require not only technical skills, but also a breaking down of outdated views of university teaching.
What exactly is blended learning? As the name (blend) suggests, this means a combination of different forms of learning: classic face-to-face teaching is mixed with e-learning, with the advantages of each being taken into account.
The E-Professor
One way in which blended learning can work is shown by someone who already has over 22,000 subscribers on YouTube: Bielefeld mathematics and computer science professor Jörn Loviscach makes his lecture content available to students as videos before the actual lecture. So instead of passively and one-sidedly following his explanations about differential calculus and copying the blackboard pictures for 90 minutes during the face-to-face event, the students consolidate the knowledge they have acquired online by practicing together with Loviscach.
Self-study with online materials is well suited for imparting factual knowledge, as each learner can work at their own pace and flexibly in terms of time and location - provided they have internet access. The face-to-face situation, on the other hand, of course has social advantages, makes communication easier and is indispensable for action-oriented learning goals.
In blended learning, it is not just the proportions of online and presence that are crucial, but rather their functionality and connection: “The goal is to create as many references as possible, i.e. 'crossfades',” says Joachim Plener from the eLearning competence area at the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin. He supports lecturers in transforming traditional lectures and seminars into blended learning events. He finds that, in addition to problems with technology, many teachers fear that establishing this form of learning will make them obsolete.
Rethinking is required
But outsourcing learning processes from the lecture hall does not mean that lecturers completely withdraw during self-learning phases - online support is an important element in blended learning: "Lecturers are asked to show 'presence' even in the online phase through feedback in forums and chats , emails, etc.,” says Plener. Online communication requires intensive support. This may require a division of tasks within a teaching team - this means that each individual lecturer has to accept a loss of control.
On the other hand, blended learning means that learners can take more learning processes into their own hands. You should be given space to improve the skills required for this, such as organizational skills or self-motivation. In this way, lecturers become learning companions who make themselves at least partially dispensable in favor of the learners' independence - which also entails a loss of authority and aloofness.
This shows that the integration of new media into teaching requires changing thought structures in the sometimes outdated university teaching. But only with this change can the learners' self-learning skills be promoted. And last but not least, this is a central goal of blended learning.
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Blended learning calls for the dissolution of outdated thought structures. New media have become an integral part of everyday life. But her entry into the lecture hall has only just begun. Forms of learning such as blended learning, in which new media are more closely integrated into lessons, require not only technical skills, but also a breaking down of outdated views of university teaching. What is Blended?
