Blended learning has come to mean a combination of face-to-face learning combined with technology-delivered experiences/instruction that are integrated so that learner experiences a ‘blend' as opposed to isolated experiences. In this format students work in a classroom, continue or extend their work online then return to close a loop of interaction and learning back in the classroom. These experiences are ‘blended' so that learning is connected and integrated by design. Much of the blended literature is anecdotal with a focus on instructor, program, or institutional reflections regarding the contributions/challenges of design and implementation. Research in this area tends to focus on learner traits, grades, faculty/learner levels of satisfaction, and/or levels of learner engagement (see Dzuiban, Hartman, & Moskel, 2004; Nagal, 2009). A meta-analysis of literature from 2006-2011 was conducted with two questions: (1) What pedagogical patterns exist among blended course designs? (2) What do blended guides recommend and how do these relate to blended course designs reported in published literature? Findings indicate that course design is varied and sometimes at odds with recommendations, most designs utilize regulated schedules, the use of technology is high and varied, and learner outcomes are consistently reported at higher rates of success.
The presentation intends to achieve the following goals.
* to report patterns of pedagogical designs in blended courses
* to report how these patterns reflect and contradict blended guidelines
• to review models of blended course design
