It’s Freaky Friday, when we give you some input from a student, Bri Richard.
Though I haven’t had a true blended learning course, my journalism class came pretty close.
Blended Learning Class: The Time
The class had the normal meeting times, but about 1/3 of our classes were reserved for working on articles and papers, so those days were optional.
Blended Learning Class: The Place
The class took place in a computer lab. Some teachers may think that is annoying or distracting, but in this case it helped us reach our goals. When a new article was assigned, class finished early so instead of having to walk back to my room or find a computer lab, I could start researching right away.
Blended Learning Class: The How
On the days we did not have to be in the classroom, we had weekly assignments to work on. They were from the book, sometimes answering questions or giving feedback on a section. We handed the assignments in online through Desire2Learn (our class website portal). This was also how our articles and papers were handed in.
That was probably my favorite part of the whole class. It was pretty nice not having to walk across campus to hand in a paper only to leave right after. Every once in a while the class site would malfunction and not receive our submitted work and that got frustrating. However, the professor would merely push the due date back so no one’s grade suffered due to a technical issue.
My Take on Blended Learning
After experiencing a class that was set up somewhat like a blended course, I think I would enjoy a “real” blended learning course.
Why?
I enjoy the comfort of online work; you can do it (practically) anytime, anywhere. But I believe that having face-to-face meetings is important. A blended learning course gives you the perfect balance of both of these.
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Guest blogger, Bri Richard, is a Senior English major at Millersville University. Currently she is an intern at Applied Educational Systems, mainly working with the Development Department.
