When it comes to corporate training, blended learning is a “bulletproof” approach. This type of training is highly flexible without sacrificing the depth of learning experience you can get from a classroom or face-to-face experience.
Your learners get to take advantage of the most effective parts of both synchronous learning and asynchronous learning.
Find the right model for your objectives
There are a number of blended learning models that you can choose from and each one has a different set of advantages. In order to find the one that meets your company's goals, it's important to have a clear idea of what your objective is before you design the course itself.
Once you have a clear understanding of your objective, have a look at the following blended learning options:
The rotation blended learning model
This model incorporates both online study materials and classroom (or one-on-one) instruction. When you’re looking for flexibility this is hands-down one of the best corporate training options available.
The emphasis is placed on rotating some or all aspects of the learning experience to keep the learners engaged and help them retain the material. For example, you can have your learners rotate between physical stations that emphasize different skill sets or modules, or you can have learners rotate between the classroom and online modules where they can go through different simulations and scenarios. Trainers are available to act as a guide for the learners and help add depth and context to the materials when needed.
Advantages of the Rotation Blended Learning Model:
- Rotation increases engagement
- Material can be delivered virtually or in a classroom environment
- Encourages learners to work together
The flex blended learning model
This learning model spends more time emphasizing online training and mixes in a smaller amount of group instruction. Many times designers will create these courses in a way that allows learners to work with their peers rather than depend on the instructor for all of their answers. This model relies much more on teamwork and individuals who are self-motivated and don't need a tremendous amount of guidance or assistance.
Important: emphasizing collaboration is one of the keys to helping your learners retain the information that you’re introducing in the Flex Blended Learning model.
Advantages of the Flex Blended Learning Model:
- Learners can go at their own pace
- Lower training costs
The À La Carte Blended Learning model
This learning model relies 100% on online based coursework – even if the material is being delivered in a classroom environment. Many times trainers or instructors will deliver pre-recorded training modules and then provide guidance and support across multi-channel platforms, such as email, instant messages, or chatrooms.
One of the advantages to this model is that it significantly reduces your training overhead - the material can be recorded once and delivered over and over again.
Many companies find that it's more efficient to set specific times when instructors are available to answer questions and provide guidance for students – whether it’s through chat rooms, webinars, Skype or in a face-to-face environment. This cuts down on time spent messaging back and forth with individual learners and going over the same solutions multiple times.
Benefits of the À La Carte Blended Learning model:
- Students can go at their own pace
- Highly flexible
- Easier to customize to individual student needs
The Enriched Virtual Blended Learning model
This model focuses on real-time lectures and/or face-to-face training and then delivers additional material after the training has been completed.
Usually the additional coursework and resources are delivered online and designed to help reinforce the material and raise retention rates. You can make use of online games, role-playing, presentations, webinars and more to help ensure that the learning process continues even after the classroom material has been completed.
Advantages of the Enriched Virtual Blended Learning model:
- Can be highly customized to each individual team
- Can be completed online or in the classroom
- Higher information retention rates
Once you’ve chosen the right blended learning model for your organization and you’ve gone through your first rollout of your training material, you want to get as much feedback as possible to find out how you can optimize the experience for your learners and get the best results out of the training.
To help the process along, here are a few questions you can ask with a simple survey:
- What was your favorite part of the training?
- What did you feel like could be improved?
- How would you describe your experience using the tools provided?
- How would you rate your instructors teaching methods and abilities on a scale of 1 to 10?
- Did you enjoy the online or face-to-face learning experience more?
- What suggestions do you have to help us improve this course in the future?
When it comes to corporate training, blended learning provides the high degree of flexibility that modern learners are looking for. Today we have an entire generation that has grown up with multimedia learning options at their fingertips, so it’s no secret that the most effective companies of the 21st century will deliver training that reaches out to learners via platforms that they will recognize.
At Go1, we give you access to over 100,000 different learning modules to help you deliver the most effective training for your teams. If you want to learn more about how you can use blended learning in your organization, here are a few courses you may consider:
Leadership Development Through Blended Learning Curriculums
Blended Learning: Personalizing Education for Students
