Jennifer Hofmann - Blended Learning

2018 ASTD DBA the Association for Talent Development (ATD)
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017962658

ISBN-10: 1-56286-098-4
ISBN-13: 978-1-56286-098-1
e-ISBN: 978-1-56286-107-0

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Director: Kristine Luecker
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To learning professionals looking for a way to make all the pieces fit.
Your questions inspired me to look for answers.

ATDs What Works in Talent Development series addresses the most critical topics facing todays talent development practitioners. Each book in the series is written for trainers, by trainers, and offers a clear and defined pathway to solving real issues. Interwoven with the latest findings in technology and best practices, this series is designed to enhance your current efforts on core subject matter, while offering a practical guide for you to follow. Authored by seasoned experts, each book is jam-packed with easy-to-apply contentincluding job aids, checklists, and other reference materialsto make the learning transfer process simple.

The What Works in Talent Development series is a unique core collection designed for talent development practitioners at every career level. To date, the books in the series include:

Starting a Talent Development Program

Blending Learning

Onboarding

H as your organization made blended learning a priority? Are you confused about what blended learning is, and how it can affect learning results? Perhaps youve seen many blended learning programs fail and want to make sure your initiative is successful. If you are involved with blended learning design in any way, or want to be, you need tools, resources, and a blueprint to move forward.

Whatever your situation, youve come to the right place to get started. This book is a good place to begin your journeyit will provide answers to many of your questions; but possibly more important, it poses additional questions that only you and your organization can answer. Answering these questions as you begin is crucial to ensure success. In addition, youll benefit from the supplemental tools and worksheets designed to help you plan, design, implement, and evaluate blended learning campaigns.

Today, most learning is blended learning. Typically learning initiatives include some combination of live learning and self-directed learning, supported by resources like infographics, videos, and e-learning. But modern blended learning is more than sequencing different media and activities that happen to be related by topic. It is about aligning learning objects with the most appropriate instructional strategies, techniques, and technologies, while meeting the needs of the organization and modern learners.

When designed and implemented effectively, blended learning is very powerful. It creates individual resources that support formal, planned learning events, and supports every informal moment of learning need. An added benefit is that resources are no longer shelved or filed after the learning management system (LMS) has indicated completion; rather, they become crucial references and tools that learners can use far after the instructional program has ended.

Blended learning supports enhanced outreach to learners while connecting workforces that are globally dispersed, working virtually, and constantly on-the-go. In addition, blended learning resources are accessible to learners at the time and place of their convenience, as well as accommodating individuals with sight, hearing, and mobility impairments. Thus, blended learning makes your talent development initiatives more inclusive.

Blended learning also enables more authentic learning, by allowing individuals to learn, recall, and apply what theyve learned when and where they need the content and perform their work. Blended learning campaigns, and their associated resources, provide the ability to create personal learning paths, allowing individuals to assess their own needs and make informed decisions about how and what to learn.

This book supports all members of the talent development community by providing insights on how to succeed in this potentially complex process.

Each of the books in the What Works in Talent Development series follows a similar framework. The chapters in this book discuss what modern blended learning is, why its important, how to design it, how to implement it, how to evaluate the outcome, and what you can do to prepare for the future of learning.

introduces modern blended learning by providing a clear definition of what constitutes blended learning today. It considers the changing perceptions around learning while providing insight into how to assess your situation and ways to evaluate your current learning landscape. A new role is proposed to lead the change: the learning experience architect.

Because so much of modern blended learning is new, this chapter also includes a list of key terms to help you to manage blended learning conversations with your stakeholders. Youll be introduced to the concept of a learning campaign, which can replace the more traditional course model. Learning campaign design and implementation is a foundational concept that supports the rest of the book. It also ties together the five moments of learning need: when learning something new, when learning more, when applying what was learned, when solving problems, and when things change.

asks you to consider many questions: What is the history and the future of blended learning at your organization? What is the current perception, and how can you shape it? How do you currently address all the moments of learning need? What is your role in moving forward with blended learning initiatives?

You will also find tools that allow you to reflect on past blended learning efforts, create learner personas, and start to build your personal learning network.

helps you set the stage for success. For blended learning to be successful, it is necessary to lay a strong foundation to manage the change from more traditional models.