Brandman Faculty on Blended Transformation at ACHE

A cross-institutional team of Brandman faculty (Ellen Derwin, Communication; Kimberley Greene, Education; William Sokoloff, Social Sciences, Legal Studies, and Liberal Studies; and Jeremy Korr, Associate Dean Arts & Sciences) presented a roundtable discussion on Transforming a University through Blended Learning at the Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) conference last month (October) in Albuquerque. The roundtable addressed the challenges, successes, and lessons we learned from implementing blended learning in our unique setting of 25 campuses serving nontraditional learners from a range of diverse populations.

Ellen Derwin introduced Brandman's blended initiative, explained the 2008 decision to convert to blended delivery, and summarized the iDEAL instructional model that replaced traditional face-to-face class meetings. She also outlined the training program implemented to educate faculty in blended theory, blended course delivery, and technical skills. (If you haven't seen it, an overview of the iDEAL blended delivery model can be found in this short video: http://www.brandman.edu/blended/Blended_Movie.mov)

Kimberly Greene then addressed the "why" behind blended learning. She introduced blended learning theory and its alignment with both andragogy and the national agenda. Along with identifying key characteristics of adult learners and explaining how blended learning meets these needs, she suggested how and why blended learning exemplifies the "new technologies, curricula, and technologies to improve learning" endorsed by the 2006 Spellings Report and how it answers the 2009 National Report's call for developing skills needed in the modern workplace. (Further details on the rationale for blended learning and the iDEAL model appear in Brandman University’s White Paper available at http://www.brandman.edu/iDeal/whitepaper.pdf or in the "Why & How" tab above.)

Jeremy Korr described the course development and pilot teaching processes in the year preceding the implementation of the iDEAL model. He explained how dozens of pilot courses illuminated potential pitfalls in blended classes that the institution was able to avoid after the pilot process ended. In addition, he noted key shortcomings in the pilot process that became apparent only in retrospect. Issues that arose during the pilot process were incorporated into an FAQ document, available at http://www.brandman.edu/ideal/faqs.asp

Finally, Dr. Sokoloff reviewed how the iDEAL model worked in practice, after its university-wide rollout. He focused on the interactive relationship between blended course developers and the instructors tasked with delivering those courses, and on the reactions to the model from both newer and longtime faculty and students. For orientation purposes, incoming students and faculty unfamiliar with blended learning were given access to a sample course, available for browsing at http://www.brandman.edu/demo

After these initial presentations, the roundtable opened for discussion, particularly on how attendees might adapt and apply ideas to their own institutions.