In Pursuit of the Right Mix: Blended Learning for Augmenting, Enhancing, and Enriching Flexibility

Abstract

Blended learning, which has emerged as a mainstream approach for bridging onsite and online learning, promises flexibility to stakeholders in the educational process. This paper argues that blended learning can be understood as a process that combines onsite and online learning by blending the strengths of one modality and neutralizing the weaknesses of the other to provide flexibility to learners, instructors, and educational institutions. This flexibility can be afforded to time, space, path, and pace through sequential or parallel designs. In blending modalities and pedagogies, it is important that technologies are properly utilized in achieving the required systematic approach to get a right mix. This paper draws attention to the issues of confusion in terminology, the need to apply a theoretical and conceptual approach to blended learning, the empowerment of educational technology with a suitable pedagogy, the development of liquid curricula to increase flexibility, the extension of the boundaries of blended learning, and the application of blended learning to social contexts as well as to pedagogical contexts.