If you’re used to organizing traditional training courses, it can be quite something to switch to blended learning. It involves a lot of work, and your business model will change significantly. Is it worth the trouble? And how can you turn your traditional training course into a blended learning path?
How will you benefit from blended learning?
First, let’s have a look at the benefits of a switch. If your training agency opts for blended learning, you can store all your materials and training course in one central place. Participants can also communicate and upload assignments in this environment, so you’ll have a clear overview of all training-related actions. You will no longer have to distribute materials, and you can add participants in a trice. On top of that, it’s easy to re-use training materials. Briefly put, you’ll experience a considerable efficiency boost.
Furthermore, the learning effectiveness will increase, as participants can study materials at their own pace -- anytime, anywhere. This will help them prepare better for live sessions.
Since the training requires less to no travel, the trainer and participants can make optimal use of their time. Moreover, you can deal with the ever-changing societal circumstances in a more flexible way: if your scheduled live session in a physical space needs to be canceled, for example, you can simply switch to a Zoom meeting without rescheduling the time.
What does a switch to blended learning entail?
Given the considerable benefits, it’s worth looking into the factors you should consider if you want to develop a blended learning program. We’ve listed the most important ones for you below!
- Your learning design will change
When organizing a traditional training course, you write out assignments, devise a plan, and collect the right documents. All communication takes place during the live session. If you switch to blended learning, this approach will change. It’s important to familiarize yourself with the digital tools you can use, so you’re able to properly design online communications. Furthermore, you should determine the pace at which you’ll release training materials before the training starts (you may, for example, let this depend on time or the results participants achieve). That’s also part of your new learning design.
- You’ll require new skills
You can’t set up a blended learning environment overnight. That requires certain skills. On top of that, different people in your company should understand how to deal with this environment -- besides trainers, managers and administrators play an important role in managing blended learning training courses. - The blended learning program is never ‘finished’
A blended learning environment is dynamic: it continues to be developed. As it’s paramount that people in your organization can always work with it, you should constantly make sure to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. It’s also smart to have a close look at your training course from time to time, so you can adjust it where necessary. Although the same goes for traditional training courses, a blended learning program requires different skills in that respect.
Of course, a switch to blended learning involves much more than we can discuss in one blog post. The process consists of several steps. Want to know more about them? Keep an eye on our upcoming blog posts!
