In our three-part series, Blending the eLearning Experience with OpenSesame, we’ll provide an overview on blended learning, introduce global publishers who provide blended learning materials, and explore some ways you can blend the learning experience when a course doesn’t contain materials for facilitators.
By Teagan Carlson
In Part 1, I gave a brief overview of blended learning, discussed some blended learning models, and explained what makes blended learning so effective.
Blended learning works because it combines all the benefits of elearning and facilitated or instructor-led training. A variety of our publishers offer blended learning materials in their courses. Let’s take a look at some:
FutureThink
Provides accelerated, flexible learning solutions to build business power skills. These bite-sized courses combine presenter-style videos of industry experts with action plans, worksheets, and facilitation guides for team discussion.
Management Pocketbooks
Offers presenter-style, video-based courses on business skills that can be consumed in about twelve minutes. All courses include a learner and facilitator guide. Newer courses provide comprehensive active learning experiences that ask learners to access prior knowledge and experience, perform self-evaluations, and complete guided activities and practice exercises.
Harvard Business Publishing
Courses include downloadable discussion guides with materials to support guided discussions, including invitations, a facilitator guide, slides, and notes. Harvard ManageMentor lessons include worksheets and handouts to use on the job. During the course, learners complete practice exercises and reflection activities that can be downloaded as part of the end-of-course “Lesson Kit.” The lesson kits can be used during one-on-ones with managers or during team meetings to promote discussion.
These publishers do not have fully dedicated blended learning materials, but they do offer resources that can be adapted for instructor-led training or facilitated discussion in teams:
TED
Courses include in-course prompts and a downloadable “Idea Log” with a reflection question, go-dos, and a prompt for team discussion. Each of these can be used to facilitate an in-person or virtual team discussion.
Vado
Vado markets itself as the only off-the-shelf elearning courseware provider that helps learners apply learning on-the-job with job aids, reflections, and performance exercises. Courses contain on-the-job exercises and job aids as well as in-course instructions for how to discuss course content and on-the-job exercises with your team.
Skillshub
Courses include a three-part action plan that enables learners to apply what they’ve learned. A “Coaching Blueprint” provides a series of questions designed to help managers and team leads guide a discussion during one-on-ones or with the team. There are no dedicated blended materials, but the exercises completed in-course can be printed for review during team meetings.
Tip: To search for courses in our catalog that include blended learning materials, select “Supplemental Resources” from the Course Features filter. |
For more information on blended learning, see the resources below. To get a better idea of how you can incorporate a blended learning strategy into your talent development programs using OpenSesame’s innovative tools and features, or for general inquiries, connect with one of our experts for a personalized, guided demo.
About Teagan Carlson
Teagan is an eLearning Development Specialist with OpenSesame. She has a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology and has worked in education for over fifteen years.
Teagan presented this information to the OpenSesame Customer Feedback Group in June with Senior Curation Specialist Molly Broder. The Customer Feedback Group will be hosting a follow-up meeting in September, where a panel of OpenSesame customers will share how they incorporate blending learning into their L&D programs