Further Resources

Title: Blended Learning That Works In Real Life: Practical Design, Not Tech Theatre There is a real risk in education of confusing bells and whistles for transformation. A shiny platform and a few videos do not, however, on their own make for a blended learning programme that alters outcomes. Lots of organisations use technology as a decoration piece. It should be like the scaffolding — unseen when it does the job, visible only where it magnifies pedagogy. Socially, it is no longer an experiment. It is the pragmatic answer to classrooms and workplaces that require flexibility, relevance and measurable impact. Yet the distance between promise and practice is wide. I’ve worked with schools and TAFEs, and corporate L&D teams from Sydney to Perth, and the difference between programmes that fizzle and those that take root is never (you guessed it) the toolset. It’s the thought that goes into design. Why blended learning is important — and why some of the usual pitchesin favorof it irritate me Here’s my take: Blended learning empowers learners to engage with material when the time is right for them, but practice skills with peers in real-time, whenever it counts most. It caters to a range of learners — to the parent who is cramming in a qualification between shifts, to the graduate who requires depth during their free nights and weekends, and to the manager who desires applied scenarios on a tight turnaround. It’s flexible. It scales. And the truth is, in a lot of professional situations it’s thing that actually makes it feasible to maintain training continuity. It was kind of a controversial line: not all face-to-face time is created equal. A two-hour lecture where everyone sits and zones out is a waste of time. So does an online module that’s just a slide deck. Quality beats quantity. Another one that’s controversial: Some classroom purists underestimate how much high-quality learning can be done by well-designed asynchronous activities. Challenge me on that at your next PD day. A firm foundation: what blended learning really is Essentially, blended learning is a blend of synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous (on-your-own-time) experiences. But the devil is in the detail. Decent programs start with clear statements of what learners should be able to do, a sane progression and an honest assessment of digital access. Start with outcomes, not tools. If your objective is “improve workplace communication,” map out what you'll see: clearer emails, more effective team huddles, a quantifiable reduction in miscommunications. Then you select a series of learning activities – bite-sized microlearning videos for theory, role-play in a f2f workshop for skills practice, and a reflective asynchronous assessment where learners write and submit an actual email and get coach feedback. Concrete point: 95% of Australian households had internet access in 2022–23 (Australian Bureau of Statistics). That’s a promising baseline for national programmes, but access isn’t the same as bandwidth, privacy or device suitability. Not everyone can stream 4K video on demand. Design principles that distinguish good from gimmicky 1. Pedagogy first Technology serves pedagogy. Construct learning sequences that leverage the advantages of both modalities. Marshal face-to-face for complex social learning (negotiation, facilitation, mentorship). Use online platforms for content exposure, reflection and spaced retrieval practice. Too often platforms are forced into old teaching models; the smarter play is to design learning around how people learn. 2. Chunk copy and mind your C/L (cognitive load) People learn better in short concentrated bursts with practice. A 10- to 12-minute explainer, a 15-minute activity, a 5-minute quiz — that’s more effective than a 90-minute recorded lecture. Microlearning is not a silver bullet, but it’s a gun in the right hands. 3. Intentional interaction If your online forum is a digital tumbleweed, reconsider it. Prompts must be purposeful. ํPeer review jobs should be rubricised and scaffolded. Expect live sessions to be prepped for (brief pre-class work) and conclude with a clearly actionable take-away. 4. Use analytics not as a surveillance system but as a signal Data signals you early warnings on who’s falling over the side, which modules are underperforming and when to anticipate logs in a bottleneck. But a bunch of data with no human interpretation is merely noise. Analytics to drive conversations between trainers and managers. 5. Invest in facilitator competence Training designers are not synonymous with being facilitators. Trainers must have time to: practice with technology; monitor and moderate online conversations; provide timely feedback. That demands dedicated professional development and a release from their usual teaching load for some weeks so they can up-skill. Practical tools and what to pick There’s a heady mix of LMSs, synchronous platforms, authoring tools and assessment suites. Here is a practical filter: — Compatibility: Does the tool work with your HR systems? Will your LMS report on it? – Accessibility: Is it mobile friendly? Is it even remotely accessible? - Usability: It trainers and trainees need to have full day training to start with? - Cost vs. impact: If you won’t use them, there’s no need to shell out money for expensive bells. - Reliability in the long term: Is the vendor stable? Is it easy to export your content? A word on video. Short, well-edited pieces that model practice — especially when they unfold in realistic settings on camera — pay dividends. Steer clear of re-purposed slide deck with a voiceover. They bored learners, and bore is the death knell. Assessment and feedback — the engine room Blended programmes, being designed for the real world should have assessment that mimics key practice roles and provides learners with opportunities to reflect on their growth as a professional digital practitioner. Real tasks — a client email, a practice negotiation, a live facilitation — matter more than multiple-choice recall for many of the competencies. Create multi-modality assessment pathways: - Formative checks: short quizzes, peer reviews, teacher comments. - Summative tasks: demonstrations of competence in a task or function, project files saved onto Glow or Workplace evidence. - Illustrated with on-going evidence: digital portfolio showing growing student capacity (and some interest) across months. Feedback should be immediate and actionable. A comment reading “good” is no good. The feedback should be specific: what worked, what has to change and specific action for the next step. If possible, find a way to automatically prompt learners to go back and review feedback and show that you iterate. Inclusion and equitable access — non-negotiable A blended learning program that isn’t inclusive is only going to widen them. Consider: – Bandwidth alternatives: transcripts, low-res videos, downloadable PDFs. – Device-agnostic design: make sure tasks work on small phones as well as big laptops. – Language and literacy supports: glossaries, plain language summaries. – Flexibility for shift workers and carers: asynchronous opportunities, multiple cohort intakes. We’re always going on about flexibility — then we design courses that only suit 9–5 office workers. That’s hypocrisy, and it shows. The human touch: community, accountability, culture The best blended programmes are social enterprises. They create communities of practice and obvious lines of responsibility. And by that, I mean defining it in the only terms that constitute accountability, which aren’t punitive — not when we’re talking about kids and teachers — but visible markers of progress and a manager checking in and shared responsibility for the learning outcome. Create rituals. There is value in short weekly check-ins, cohort-based projects and live critique sessions. They anchor the online pieces to the on-ground culture. We’ve worked with organisations in Melbourne and Brisbane who have introduced 20-minute live check-ins, were completion rates grew because learners felt listened to. Iterative design and data-informed improvement A learning programme is never ‘done’. Think of it as product development: launch a minimum viable program, collect data, iterate. Gather: - Participation: (log ins, time spent on platform, completion rates) - Performance (results of assessment activities… and workplace performance KPI’s) - Sentiment : surveys, focus groups… etc. Then act. If no one is playing a module, why not? MODIFY THE CONTENT, THE MODALITY, OR THE LEVEL OF EXPECTATION. Small fitful rays of change tend to be better than big sprawling redesigns. Trainer preparation — a neglected investment Institutions tend to underestimate the time required to train trainers. In other words, successful blended delivery necessitates: - Technical competence on approved platforms. - Facilitator skills in online communication and asynchronous moderation. - Basic understanding of using multimedia (how to record a decent clip). - Assessment design that is grounded synchronously and asynchronously by evidence off- and online. Strategy: Run a drill the trainer sprint. Issue facilitators a real task — create a 20-minute micro-session, film it, host it, get feedback. That kind of practice builds confidence much more quickly than any theoretical course. Some brutal truths Not all modules are meant to be blended. I sure some topics absolutely need people to go all in while others are self taught modules. Also, don’t fall for self-indulgence for its own sake; custom content costs money. Re-use where appropriate — adapt, rather than design from scratch. Another truth: leadership buy-in matters. If managers treat training as optional busywork, so will learners. Incorporate construction manager briefings into rollout planning. Make learning directly to measurable workplace metrics — and hold leaders accountable for supporting transfer to the job. Couple of daring (you might object) suggestions – Monetise premium blends in vocational areas. A small cost can make people value this thing. If the students don’t see value in whatever is on offer, a nominal fee could induce them to take it more seriously. It’s a bit controversial but fee-based models often have better completion rates. — Keep some high-stakes summative assessment face-to-face. Some professional qualifications require in-person exam to maintain rigor and confidence in certificate. Online has its say — but not always the last word. How we help — the nuts and bolts We collaborate with organisations to map competencies to blended sequences, develop assessment rubrics that scaffold workplace tasks and rapidly upskill trainers. We test short pilots, we measure and we scale the pieces that work. Not flashy launches. Intentional design, constricted to benefits you can measure. Whether you’re running a corporate programme in Parramatta or a professional pathway programme in Geelong, the constraints are different and the approach should be adapted. Final note — little thing, big change Look at the learner’s first 15 minutes of their learning module. If that entry experience is inelegant, confusing or content-heavy, completion drops off the map. Start treating onboarding as a design issue: brief orientation, clear expectations and a quick win with the first session. That’s more important than a clever LMS dashboard. Kieran Bailey and Nina Close explain that blended learning isn't a panacea. But do it well and it’s efficient, scalable and humane. It respects adult learners’ time and provides trainers with the tools to advance real behaviour change. It’s not a techy for tech’s sake thing; it’s about structured, evidence-informed design that reaches people where they are — online and in the room. And one harsh truth to end on: the sorts of people who make blended learning stuff work are often the ones who don’t have too much natural ego in it — those pragmatic IDers and dedicated facilitators diligently tinkering and showing up. Celebrate them. Sources & Notes - Australian Bureau of Statistics, "Household Use of Information Technology, Australia, 2022–23", ABS, 2023. (Stat pertaining: 95 per cent of Australian households reported having internet access in 2022–23.)