How Blended Learning-Enabled Classrooms Have Become The New Norm

Blended Leaning-enabled classrooms offer the benefits of traditional classroom teaching with the convenience and flexibility of digital learning.

Students' learning requirements and goals are facilitated and better met through the usage of blended learning.

Source : Getty

With the pandemic hitting our world, the need for blended learning has emerged as the new norm in the education industry. It blends in-person engagement and teacher support with the adaptability and accessibility of technology. The transition from classroom learning to digital learning allows students to broaden their learning horizons and helps our education system address the roadblocks that complicate the reach of education in rural India.   

A Game Changer

With the use of blended learning, academics can re-evaluate conventional methods of instruction and investigate new approaches ensuring that all students can benefit from the educational process. It further increases communication among students, provide them with a sense of power, and is highly versatile.  

Here are some examples of how blended learning is being made possible in classrooms via technology: 

• Internet of Things Solutions (cloud-based): IoT can aid in enhancing accessibility to education in terms of location, capacity, and status. The IoT solutions make it simple to access the courses, activities, and evaluations from any location, at any time, and on any device. Additionally, it unites administrators, teachers, and students on a single platform, enabling them to work virtually. Teachers may expedite tasks, enhance learning efficiency, better connect with students, and assure on-site safety using cloud-connected platforms and applications. 
• Individual apps for each stakeholder to connect: In a blended learning module, stakeholders can use individual applications to provide students with the most beneficial learning experiences possible. Administrative tasks and student performance analytics can be better handled with the aid of management applications. Educators can use video conferencing technologies, collaboration platforms, and digital assessment tools through a dedicated teaching application to provide more interesting and interactive courses, distribute assignments and assessments, and evaluate student learning. Course materials, group projects, and teacher feedback can all be accessed through apps that students utilise in and out of the classroom. Applications allow parents to monitor their child's academic progress and stay in touch with teachers. Using specialised apps, stakeholders can improve student-teacher-parent communication, collaboration, and engagement.
• AI-powered platform: Artificial intelligence has enabled significant changes in the educational industry. The learning standards are raised, redundancies are eliminated, teachers and administrators have more time to devote to their primary responsibilities, and each student's learning outcomes are accurately measured. It also helps teachers and school administrators provide individualised attention to students. AI also provides them with intelligent tools that make it easier to organise coursework, reduce human error, and keep everything in one place. 

Benefits Of Blended Learning 

Students' learning requirements and goals are facilitated and better met through the usage of blended learning. When used effectively, blended learning programmes can benefit both professors (or instructors) and students in a number of ways. 

Saves time and money

An integrated in-class and after-class learning method allow students and teachers to interact in and out of class. The fragmented method uses various devices like touch panels/projectors, LMSs, test apps, and administration apps. Many platforms and technologies might confuse students and teachers, wasting time. Each platform and tool may demand a subscription or licensing charge, increasing costs.

Teachers can manage a cost-effective, simplified in-class and after-class strategy. Teachers can save time by adopting one integrated blended learning app. This method streamlines teacher-student collaboration, improving learning.  Connecting in-class and after-class activities saves money, boosts productivity, and improves teacher-student collaboration.

Tailor-made for new age project-based learning systems

Project-based learning requires both student and teacher presence. This strategy promotes face-to-face contact and classroom collaboration. Blended learning modules can simulate real-time access to material and collaborative platforms. Cloud-based collaboration improves student-teacher communication and community. Collaboration and project-based learning promote student-centred learning, real-world problem-solving, and skill development. These methods can improve student engagement and learning.

Enhanced learning outcomes

By combining the strengths of traditional classroom teaching and online learning, blended learning can improve students' academic achievements. With this method, students can study at their own pace and benefit from individualised instruction. Students in a blended learning environment are more likely to actively participate and contribute because they can access a broader range of materials and work with their classmates in both virtual and physical environments.

Keeping a track of student’s performance

Blended learning is helpful for parents because it gives them easy access to information about their child's classroom. Assignments, grades, and progress reports can all be accessed in real time by parents through online platforms and applications. This allows them to monitor their child's academic progress and pinpoint any areas where they may want more assistance. Parent-teacher and parent-student interactions can be bolstered through the use of blended learning strategies such as online discussion boards and live video chats.

To conclude, blended learning-enabled classroom is the way of the future because it combines the benefits of traditional classroom teaching with the convenience and flexibility of digital learning. After the pandemic, blended learning is no longer an option but a requirement for schools and educational institutions. It gives students a more personalized learning experience where they can learn at their own pace, get access to a wider range of materials, and work with their classmates in both online and offline settings. Blended learning could also save time and money, get students more interested in learning, improve learning outcomes, and make it easy for parents to find out how their child is doing in school. Institutes that use blended learning can stay ahead of the curve and give their students a better and more efficient way to learn.

(The author is the founder of Bird AI, a global collaborative technology company)

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