LITERATURE REVIEW: BLENDED LEARNING FOR THE FUTURE

Providing Students with Control, Flexibility, and Purposeful Education:

Blended Learning for the Future
Rachel Briscoe
Lamar University
EDLD 5305
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Blended Learning for the Future

In a traditional high school classroom, students receive instruction from their teacher who is

lecturing at the front of the classroom. The content is being delivered to all of the students at the same

time and the pace is controlled by the teacher. Now, technology, particularly the Internet, allows

educators to deliver content to students individually through videos and online resources. Students are

able to work through the material at their own pace and teachers are no longer restricted to standing at the

board in the front of the room in order to deliver instruction. The ability for students to learn regardless of

whether or not there is a teacher physically present in front of them offers up a world of possibilities for

both our learners and teachers alike.

This review will analyze literature to support the implementation of the Blended classroom model

in education in regards to the benefits of the Blended learning model, including the development of time-

management skills, as well as technology trends in the workforce, higher education, and K-12 education.

While classroom technology implementation has been widely researched and discussed for many years,

Blended learning is a progressive and relatively new concept in K – 12 education. Thus, research on the

topic is often in the context of Blended learning models employed in higher education.

The hope of the educational system is to prepare students for their futures, whether that is college

or the working world. The goal is to create lifelong learners that take initiative to pursue their passions.

Students are to leave high school as independent, critical thinkers who are equipped with skills such as

time management, communication, and teamwork. Blended learning is an educational model that allows

students the ability to learn at their own pace both in and outside of the classroom. This freedom provided

to students and teachers allows for effective and efficient delivery of content and purposeful use of face-

to-face time. Blended learning is a realistic way to create personalized, student-driven learning

experiences.

The Blended Learning Definition

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Blended Learning is an educational model in which students are learning both online and face-to-

face. Students do some of their learning online “with some element of student control over time, place,

path, and/or pace” (Horn, 2015, p. 34) but also do at least some of their learning while they are physically

present in a classroom with their teacher. Just because technology is utilized in the classroom doesn’t

mean that blended learning is happening. Additionally, fully online courses in which students complete

the entire course away from school are not considered to be blended.

There are multiple models for implementing Blended learning in schools. The Flex Model is

structured so that students are receiving the majority of their instruction online while they are physically

present in a school building with teachers present. The course is designed to be primarily online and the

in-person element is incorporated based on need and purposefulness (Horn, 2015). The Enriched Virtual

Model allows for more student control over their learning place as they are only required to be physically

present in a classroom a portion of the time and are given the freedom to choose their working

environment for the remainder of the course (Horn, 2015).

The Flex and Enriched Virtual Models of Blended learning leverage the benefits of both online

and face-to-faces learning. The online aspect provides freedom for learning to occur anytime, anyplace,

not just during a specific class period in a specific classroom. Students have the opportunity to be in

control of their learning and to grow as independent learners. The individual portion of online learning

gives students the freedom to progress through material at the pace that is right for them without being

restricted or pressured by the pace of their peers or teachers (Tucker, Wycoff, & Green, 2017). However,

students are not learning in isolation. Students are still interacting with each other and with their teachers

through meaningful, face-to-face interactions. The freedom is not limited to just students as blended

learning allows teachers to no longer be confined to standing at the board or keeping an entire class

captive for an hour. Their role can be transformed into a guide and mentor as they are free to circulate,

work one-on-one, or in small groups with students (Horn, 2015).

Benefits of Blended Learning

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Blended learning provides students with the opportunities to have more control over their

learning and develop important lifelong skills. One of the most important skills for students to develop

before entering the working world is time management. Research shows that there is a correlation

between students’ ability to manage their time and their academic success and that students need their

schooling to help foster the development of this time management skillset, even as early as elementary

school (Nasrullah & Saqib Khan, 2015). The different facets of time management include “meeting

deadlines, staying focused, having a workspace, setting goals, planning ahead, and organizing time and

tasks” (Burrus, Jackson, Holtzman, Roberts, & Mandigo, 2013, p. 3) and growth and development in

these areas is shown to decrease student stress and anxiety. Blended learning, particularly the Flex and

Enriched Virtual models, encourage students’ development of the six facets of time management. When

students are not sitting in a traditional classroom being told what to do and at what time by their teacher,

they must learn how to work independently, manage their responsibilities, and advocate for themselves.

Effectiveness of Blended Learning

Blended learning is a new concept and thus there is not a large body of consistent, conclusive data

concerning its implementation or effectiveness in the K-12 environment. However, research of blended

learning in higher education is more conclusive. Brooks and Pomerantz (2017) found that not only do

most students prefer blended courses, but that there is an increase in student academic achievement when

at least 25% of the course is online (see Appendix A for student learning environment preferences

information). A 2014 study found that while there was no significant difference in learning outcomes

between courses taught fully online versus fully face-to-face, there is an advantage to employing blended

learning models compared to solely face-to-face (Enyedy, 2014). Owston, Malhotra, & York determined

that the face-to-face interactions between students, teachers, and peers are extremely important to the

effectiveness of blended learning (2018). Blended learning models leverage the power of interpersonal

interactions found in traditional school models with technology. Technology in the blended classroom is

not a replacement for the human element of education.

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Since instruction is often delivered online through videos, it is important that student learning is

maintained with the switch in modality. One 2010 report found that students who received instruction

through online interactive videos had better learning outcomes than a number of groups, including those

who received instruction in a traditional face-to-face manner (Means, Toyama, Murphy, Bakia, & Jones,

2010).

Trends in Technology

K – 12 education is tasked with preparing students for their futures which will include the job

force and, often times, further education at the college level. The efficiency and effectiveness of

technology has led to Blended and online learning infiltrating into these domains. Students will be

expected to succeed in these learning environments in the future and thus, there is value in exposing

students to blended learning throughout their K – 12 courses.

Workforce

Videos are an important component of the blended model as a means for delivering content as

they are accessible at any time and from anywhere one has internet access. Online videos are also a

valuable free resource for any type of learning need that might arise in daily life. A 2018 report found that

there are 1 billion views of learning videos each day on YouTube and that 70% of users are accessing

videos in order to problem-solve issues that arise at work, with their school work, or for an interest or

hobby (Meeker, 2018). Additionally, Meeker found that Khan Academy, a YouTube channel that

produces educational content and academic mini-lesson videos on a variety of topics, has increased their

subscriber count by 2 million users since 2013 (2018). YouTube is continuing to grow in viewership for

learning purposes as it is free and easily accessible. In addition to individuals accessing videos for

personal learning experiences, online learning is becoming prominent in the workforce and employers are

leveraging the use of videos from employee training. Meeker reported that $1 billion was spent on online

employee training programs and that 2.9 million employees took courses concerning emerging
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technologies (2018). Being able to learn from videos and online platforms is now a 21st-century skill that

students need to be equipped with. As educators, we have a responsibility to prepare our students to be

able to leverage this tool for learning (Alias, Razak, Elhadad, Kokila Kunjambu, & Muniandy, 2013).

Higher Education

Blended learning is a consistent trend in higher education as stakeholders begin to experience its

advantages. Schaffhauser’s (2016) survey found that 71% of faculty polled reported that they teach using

a combination of online and face to face components and that 75% of faculty reported that either all or

some of their courses are blended (See Appendix B for faculty survey information). One 2017 report

found that college students want their instructors to incorporate more technology into their courses,

particularly desiring an increase in the use of lecture capturing technologies (Brooks & Pomerantz, 2017).

Students benefit from the flexibility and convenience of anytime learning and desire to have their course

materials be more accessible. A 2017 report found that blended learning has attributed to “an increase in

creative thinking, independent study, and the ability for the student to tailor learning experiences to meet

their individual needs” (Adams Becker et al., 2017, p. 18). The shift towards blended learning in college

and university courses points to a need to equip our K-12 students with the skills and experiences

necessary to be successful in this type of learning environment.

K – 12 Education

Technology now allows educators the opportunity to get real-time data about student

achievement. Thus, personal electronic devices now offer benefits, instead of just distractions, to the

classroom. One of the major trends in K-12 education is student – centered, deeper learning, and because

technology allows for anytime learning, more time is able to be used for collaboration and meaningful

interactions instead of just instruction (Freeman, Adams Becker, Cummins, Davis, & Hall Giesinger,

2017).

Conclusion
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Blended learning offers students many benefits, including accessibility, flexibility, and control.

Students are able learn anywhere, regardless of location, time of day, or the learning pace of their peers.

Blended learning aligns with current trends in the use of technology to provide instruction in the

workforce, higher education, and K – 12 education. The implementation of Blended learning in the

classroom allows students to develop the skills necessary to become independent, lifelong learners,

including time management. The goal of education has shifted from simply teaching course material to

teaching students how to learn. The benefits provided by the Blended model make the manifestation of

this goal a realistic possibility.

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References

Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Davis, A., Freeman, A., Hall Giesinger, C., & Ananthanarayanan, V.

(2017). NMC Horizon report: 2017 higher education edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media

Consortium.

Alias, N., Razak, S. H., Elhadad, G., Kokila Kunjambu, N., & Muniandy, P. (2013). A content analysis in

the studies of YouTube in selected journals. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences,103, 10-

18. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.301

Brooks, D., & Pomerantz, J. (2017, October). ECAR study of undergraduate students and information

technology, 2017 (Rep.). Retrieved December 6, 2018, from EDUCAUSE website:

https://library.educause.edu/~/media/files/library/2017/10/studentitstudy2017.pdf

Burrus, J., Jackson, T., Holtzman, S., Roberts, R. D., & Mandigo, T. (2013, November). Examining the

efficacy of a time management intervention for high school Students (Rep. No. ETS RR–13-25).

Retrieved December 6, 2018, from ETS website: https://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/RR-

13-25.pdf

Enyedy, N. (2014). Personalized instruction: New interest, old rhetoric, limited results, and the need for a

new direction for computer-mediated learning. Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center.

Retrieved December 6, 2018, from http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/personalized-instruction

Freeman, A., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Davis, A., & Hall Giesinger, C. (2017). NMC/CoSN

Horizon report: 2017 K–12 edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2015). Blended: Using disruptive innovation to improve schools. San

Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & Jones, K. (2010, September). Evaluation of evidence-

based practices in online learning: A meta-analysis and review of online learning studies.
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Retrieved December 6, 2018, from U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning,

Evaluation, and Policy Development website: https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-

based-practices/finalreport.pdf

Meeker, M. (2018, May 30). Internet trends 2018-Code conference [SlideShare]. Kleiner Perkins.

Retrieved December 8, 2018, from

https://www.kleinerperkins.com/files/INTERNET_TRENDS_REPORT_2018.pdf

Nasrullah, S., & Saqib Khan, M. (2015). The impact of time management on the students’ academic

achievements. Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 11. Retrieved December 6,

2018, from https://iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JLLL/article/viewFile/23538/238

Owston, R., Malhotra, T., & York, D. N. (2018). Blended learning in large enrolment courses: Student

perceptions across four different instructional models. Australasian Journal of Educational

Technology, 35(5). doi:10.14742/ajet.4310

Schaffhauser, D. (2016, August/September). Teaching with tech: A balancing act. Campus Technology,

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Tucker, C. R., Wycoff, T., & Green, J. T. (2017). Blended learning in action: A practical guide toward

sustainable change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, a SAGE Company.

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Appendix A

Student’s preferred learning environments for Brooks & Pomerantz’s (2017) Review
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Appendix B

Use of the Blended or Hybrid Model in Class for Schaffhauser’s (2016) Review