It is important that the current trends and practices within the industry are considered as part of the situational analysis. The blended model should also align to the specific needs of your student cohort. And importantly, requirement of all technological, physical, human and financial resources must be considered at the very outset.
The key learning outcomes specified in the unit of competency should be used as the basis when identifying the mix within the blended model. Identifying aspects of the learning that could be online and those that could be in a face-to-face setting can be determined from the knowledge and performance sections of the UoC. The key outcomes for the student cohort from a career perspective should also be defined and considered.
Always start with the development of the assessment tools first. The content needed to aid and enhance the student learning process can be developed using blended approaches once all of the assessment tasks are designed. Incorporation of detailed and valuable feedback mechanisms must be ensured as part of the assessment development process.
Development of content necessary to support the successful undertaking of assessments should be part of this process. The content should be varied and engaging and include learning activities that could be used for both, practice as well as checkpoints for progress by students. Opportunities for students to apply the learning in a ‘real life’ situation within an industry or community partner through placements and projects should be considered.
Validation of the learning resources both, pre- and post-delivery of a course should be undertaken as part of the evaluation process. Feedback should be obtained from teaching staff as well as students as to what worked, what did not and what could be better. Analytics around student engagement as well as course / program results could be analysed to determine the effectiveness of the blended delivery learning experience.