The House Blend: Combining Technology and Accelerated Instruction

• In Event: 25.086 - Sheraton Roundtable Session One - Grand Centre
  In Roundtable Session: 25.086-2 - Pedagogical Practices

Abstract

Blended learning is the combination of effective elements found in face-to-face and online instruction to optimize student engagement and replace traditional contact hours (Garrison & Vaughn (2008). This instructional approach has become increasingly popular in postsecondary settings as institutions seek to expand the effectiveness of student engagement and leverage technology to efficiently allocate instructional time and space. This paper uses administrative data from a private, non-profit institution to evaluate the effectiveness of an abrupt institution-wide shift from face-to-face instruction to a more structured, blended format. I find a small, but significant negative effect on course-level student outcomes, but a comparison to contemporary student performance in online courses suggests these effects may be due to curricular changes rather than blended instruction.

Author

• Michael Hill, University of California - Irvine