Blended Learning

© Matthias Rosenthal
According to Wikipedia, Blended Learning is a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through delivery of content and instruction via digital and online media with some element of student control over time, place, path, or pace. The terms blended, hybrid, technology-mediated instruction, web-enhanced instruction, and mixed-mode instruction are often used interchangeably in research literature. The concept of blended learning has been around for a long time, but its terminology was not firmly established until about the start of 21st century. The meaning of blended learning widely diverged to encompass a wide variety of synthesis in learning methods. Basically, the concept combines face-to-face instruction with computer mediated instruction by combining Internet and digital media with established classroom forms that require the physical co-presence of teacher and students.
As for the given case of academic teaching on the intra-university, inter-disciplinary, and standortunabhangig (independent from location) teaching, the EJI understands Blended Learning as a mix between synchronous (virtual classroom lectures) and asynchronous (permanent availability of learning material in the virtual space. Due to the specific composition of the scholars as academics and in consideration of the different curricula at different universities, the approach here is to spare physical presence at all, but not face to face visual contact. Through video connection, a learning group can be created face to face and still in totally in virtuality.
In so doing, people get personally connected and attached to other scholars, the teaching staff or presenting guests, which enables to form research alliances and strategic collaborations.

In addition to this method of teaching, automatic production of knowledge for sustainable learning accompanies the concept. For more information about it, please click here.

A first piloting project with this regards has been organized starting in April 2016 located at Freie Universität Berlin. For more information, click here.