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What is blended learning? How do I blend a face-to-face training?

Blended learning combines face-to-face instruction and online learning. It has many advantages because it can draw from the best of both worlds (i.e. offline and online). If you choose a blended learning approach, how do you define your blend (time spend in the classroom vs. online)? You need to analyse your content in order to determine if it corresponds to:

• Declarative knowledge, which is knowing “that” (e.g. that Bern is the capital of Switzerland)
• Procedural knowledge, which is knowing “how” (e.g. how to make a chocolate cake)

E-learning is appropriate for declarative knowledge and some procedural knowledge (e.g. to make a chocolate cake, you first need to know the ingredients and instructions). The rest should remain in the classroom. In other words:

• Time spent online should be used to acquire facts and concepts (e.g. explanations, demonstrations, examples, case studies, animations, videos, interactions with the content).
• Time spent in the classroom should be used to practice skills and interact with the trainer and other participants (e.g. role plays, discussions, group work, project presentations).

Important: Your blended learning journey should be a coherent experience in which individuals parts – whether offline or online – make up a unified whole.