Free online course to advance blended learning practice in higher education

Free online course to advance blended learning practice in higher education

Making Blended Education Work is a free, self-directed course designed for higher education institution leaders, particularly those involved in leading the design, implementation, and research into blended learning. The course also covers topics which may be relevant to learning technologists, practitioners, and researchers who are interested in blended learning related research and implementation strategy. This project has been funded by the European Union and developed by University of Edinburgh and the European Maturity Model for Blended Education (EMBED), a strategic partnership about innovation in higher education by the implementation of blended education, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

Making Blended Education Work seeks to improve high-quality and mature blended learning practice in higher education, exploring emerging practices and introducing a maturity model developed in partnership with seven (7) European higher education organisations. Participants will work through debates related to the conceptualisation and practice of blended learning, as well as examples of blended designs at course, programme, and institutional level.

The course will:

  • Introduce concepts of blended learning, blended teaching, and blended education
  • Introduce a reference model to assess the maturity of blended learning practices in course, programme, and institution levels at higher education
  • Include topics that look into critical dimensions of blended learning, such as relations between beliefs and practice, institutional culture and leadership, and post-digital thinking.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

  • Describe and critically discuss the conceptualisation of blended education
  • Apply key principles of blended learning for programme/course design
  • Assess and analyse the benefits and challenges of blended education
  • Evaluate the quality of blended education
  • Demonstrate critical understanding of the relationship between beliefs and practice in blended learning and teaching

Click here to learn more about the course, including bios of the course leaders, and to enrol via FutureLearn