Mixed Methods Teaching: Adventures in Blended Learning

by Maria Zafonte

I looked forward to piloting a blended class in Composition II this semester. Students would meet face-to-face for one class session per week and the second class meeting would be their “blended day” with individual and group work completed though Loud Cloud. Smart colleagues tried it before me in other disciplines and shared their best practices. Additionally, I researched best practices and outcomes; I felt prepared. As the semester was about to get underway, it dawned on me that I would only have four face-to-face sessions with my students before they submitted their first essay, which is worth nearly a quarter of their final grade. Panic set in. Suddenly the stakes for blended learning seemed really high. I generally feel confident teaching both on ground and online, but this blended class was neither and both, simultaneously, and student learning outcomes depended on how well it went.

As a ground teacher, I can sometimes rely too heavily on the face-to-face classroom interactions. I may fall into the trap of thinking that my presence or my lecture (or my nagging) will get the students to understand and learn the material. Blended learning is freeing in that reminds me that I am not the all-powerful “sage on a stage” that makes learning happen. At the same time, it is also terrifying because my skill as an instructor is measured not by my facility in being clear and engaging in a classroom, but instead by my ability to craft effective learning experiences for my students. Missing those four face-to-face class periods in the blended class forced me to examine the root of what I do and teach. I had to ask myself “what do they need to know to do well on this assignment?” and assess which learning tasks are most likely to get them to that knowledge.

In a first week forum post, one of my students commented, “I am excited about this blended opportunity but also a little nervous because I am in charge of my learning in this class.” This response nearly echoed my own thoughts about blended learning, and it seems to me that, done well, blended learning is beneficial for just this reason. Students are challenged to do more work outside of the classroom and take on their own learning; because of this I have the responsibility to rethink what and how I teach concepts. The mindset moves me from “I always teach it this way” to “the students will learn it best this way.” As the semester progresses, I hope to continue not only to research and follow the best practices, but to contribute to them based on our class experience in this blended journey.