Blended Learning vs. Flipped Classroom Models

Blended learning combines both online teaching and instruction with face-to-face, or traditional classroom-based instruction. This can take a number of forms, but in general, students have some control over the place, path, and place of learning. Additionally, according to the National Education Association:

• Learning typically occurs through an integrated curriculum.
• Many activities are presented before class so student can engage in both the online and in-classroom environments.
• During instructor-led sessions, the educator directs student activities to ensure learning goals are met
• Post-learning activities help the instructor determine the next assignments to meet educational goals.

In addition to providing instructors and students with more in-class time for engagement and discussion, for many instructors, a flipped classroom also enables lectures to be re-used from semester-to-semester, simplifying instructor preparation for the course.

Flipped classrooms are defined as “a type of blended learning in which direct instruction moves to the asynchronous learning space and the synchronous learning space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive environment.”

In-class time is spent on other activities, such as discussion, hands-on learning, and individual and small-group work. The lesson or lecture portion of the classroom experience occurs predominantly online, while the homework portion of the course is more likely to take place in a group classroom setting.

When Is a Blended Learning Model Best?

Blended learning is a flexible option for any college or university with access to lecture capture and video content management tools. Instructors can incorporate as much or as little online learning as they would like into a traditional course. Blended learning may simply enable students to review lecture capture recordings and ask questions online, while a more intensively blended course might integrate some elements of flipped classroom structures.

Blended learning provides instructors and students with an ideal transition to flipped classrooms, but can also enable traditional classrooms to make use of new tools and technology. This facilitates learning for students with special needs, non-traditional students, and those who need extra support.

When Should Instructors Flip Their Classes?

A flipped classroom provides students with increased interaction with one another and with an instructor. This can enable improved understanding and engagement for students, as well as improved attendance. Instructors in flipped classrooms can use their in-class time to efficiently meet the needs of their students, to focus on project-based learning, to encourage small and larger group interaction, and to respond to student questions and assist with assignments.

In addition to providing instructors and students with more in-class time for engagement and discussion, for many instructors, a flipped classroom also enables lectures to be re-used from semester-to-semester, simplifying instructor preparation for the course.

Expand Learning for Students

Blended learning and flipped classrooms have only become more popular as instructors work to provide flexibility to learners. No matter which methodology an instructor chooses, it should be focused on creating an engaged, connected audience with support for students when they need it.

Creating Screen-Reader Friendly Resources

Screen readers work by reading aloud text content presented on a screen, and they may be used in combination with other assistive technologies like a screen magnifier. Most screen readers are software-based, and offer a number of features. They are controlled via keyboard commands, using a standard or Braille keyboard and can identify the cursor’s position, read text, locate particular words or text in a set color, and perform other key tasks. Screen readers can also work with Braille display technology.

When users are using a screen reader to understand a website, they need an array of information, including what language is being used; however, they may not need as much information when they’re reading documents. 

Making Documents Accessible to Screen Readers

While video content is often quite accessible to users, either through carefully describing what is on the screen or integrating audio descriptions along with a video file, text-based files may pose additional challenges for users with vision impairments.

Learning how to create screen reader-friendly documents can enable you to improve accessibility for users. The tips here apply to a variety of document types, but are most relevant for the types of documents content owners are likely to provide to users, including .PDF, .DOCX, and .PPT files.

“Including headings and subheadings in your content is important, as 67.5% of screen reader users jump through headings as their primary way to navigate content.”

• Create a logical underlying structure. This typically relies upon tags. These tags, just like tags in a website, help the screen reader software to understand the correct order of information in a document.
• Provide alternate text (or alt text) information about image and graphics. For instance, if you have presented an image of a red car, driving down a highway alongside the beach, the alternate text should enable the user to listen to the screen reader to understand that there is a picture on the document and the content of that picture. Longer alternate text descriptions may be needed for some graphics.
• Incorporate navigation aids, such as a table of contents or bookmarks to improve the ease of navigation for all users.
• Avoid the use of unusual or specific fonts. These can confuse screen readers, leading to difficulty for users.
• Keep paragraphs short. The most common way to read content is by paragraph, so keeping paragraphs short enables users to go back and re-read content on a page more easily.
• Incorporate headings and subheadings. Screen readers can jump to headings, which is a primary way users navigate pages  (67.5%), according to WEB Aim’s Screen Reader User Survey.

Provide Accessible Digital Documents for All Users

In classrooms and offices, many people rely upon documents in both paper and digital formats, whether these are meeting minutes, supports for multimedia presentations, or other course materials. To meet the needs of students who use screen readers, consider providing content prior to the meeting or providing the document in a digital form. The YuJa Enterprise Video Platform enables:

• The ability to upload a variety of file types directly into a media collection, which makes documents available to every user.
• Math equation support for screen readers. Math equations can be read aloud to users, including equations embedded in documents and included in images.
• The ability for content owners to upload documents directly associated with a particular media file. These documents can be viewed while viewing the media or can be downloaded for a later or separate review.

Listed are some of the most effective ways institutions can supplement media-based learning and information sharing while providing users who need screen readers and other assistive technologies with an improved understanding of content.

Challenging Advanced Students With Differentiated instruction

“Differentiation has become a ubiquitous term and a much discussed concept in education.  Educators everywhere realize that students have diverse needs, and there has been a push to ensure that teachers are using strategies and supports to meet the needs of all students,” a report by Teachers Pay Teachers said. 

The same report found that more than 95% of educators view differentiated instruction as important to student achievement. Providing educational support to advanced learners not only engages students, but also more actively involves them in the learning process.

DIFFERENTIATING EDUCATION FOR HIGH-ACHIEVING LEARNERS

YuJa makes it easy for teachers to provide varied work to meet the needs of high-achieving students. 

Carol Tomlinson, an expert in the field of differentiated instruction, notes that “a chief objective of differentiated instruction is to take full advantage of every student’s ability to learn.” Differentiated instruction provides all students with learning opportunities they need, but can be especially helpful for advanced learners. 

Ideas to help challenge advanced students include:

• Offer more challenging work to students who already have the basic competencies. Students can work independently or in groups. 
• Offer a variety of assignment options. For instance, students could be offered the option of a PowerPoint presentation, an essay, a poster, or a video project.
• Break up classroom projects into different portions to allow students to focus on their strengths. Assign high achieving groups research tasks to increase their interest level.

Some of the top strategies for differentiation, according to the TpT report, include individual/small group instruction, leveled activities, scaffolded lessons, formative assessments, offering multiple learning styles, flexible timing, options to show learning and providing student choice. 

BUILDING SKILLS FOR HIGH ACHIEVERS

YuJa enables students to engage and interact to build new skills and maximize the educational experience. Some high-achieving students, while successful academically, may struggle with social engagement or have other challenges.

• Real-time discussions enable in-depth conversation about class topics, enabling students who may be less likely to speak up in class to engage online.
• Auto Captioning offers a readable and searchable transcript, facilitating learning for students who do best with visual, rather than auditory learning.
• Students who feel anxious in large group settings may find video presentations less stressful than in-person presentations.

Five Advantages of Asynchronous Learning

Asynchronous Learning is Flexible 

Flexibility is particularly important for students who have a myriad of other responsibilities during when lectures would usually be scheduled. Materials are available in a specific place, so students can log in and complete learning modules when they have the time. When learning is made convenient, students are more likely to stay on course, active and engaged.

Interactivity Can Be Built In and Encouraged Through Asynchronous Learning

Just because asynchronous learning isn’t in real time doesn’t mean it can’t be interactive. YuJa video enterprise solutions has features like in-video comments that allow users to share their thoughts and see other comments as they view; video quizzing in which if a student answers wrong the content is recapped; and interactive assessment capabilities within the video experience including creating video quizzes, inserting related documents, and making interactive comments.

Asynchronous Learning Helps Remove Technology Barriers 

It would be a mistake for institutional leaders to assume that all students have access to reliable, high quality internet. Solutions like YuJa have accounted for this, creating a strategy to ensure all students can take advantage of asynchronous learning. Technology like adaptive bit-rate streaming and allowing students the ability to download content when they have a solid internet connection and then watch it later are just some of the strategies universities can use to ensure student success. Instructors also can revoke permissions to content, which will then automatically be deleted from devices where it’s downloaded. This ensures content remains managed and secure. 

Flipped Classrooms 101: A History, Benefits and Tools for the Learning Model

Seven years later, two high school teachers in Colorado learned about some software that would record lectures live. Jon Bergmann and Aaron Sams committed to pre-recording their lectures for the following year, dubbing the experiment “pre-broadcasting.” Students who didn’t have internet at home were given USB drives containing lectures if they had a computer at home, or DVDs burned with lectures if they didn’t have a home computer.

Since then, the flipped classroom pedagogy has taken off. But what is it, and what are the benefits in education?

Unlike in a traditional classroom setting, in a flipped classroom, lectures happen outside of class, using video learning technology. Scheduled time in class is used for exercises, projects and discussion.

Benefits

Flipped classrooms offer a host of benefits for students, teachers and parents alike. Some of the biggest advantages include:

Students can spend more 1:1 time with instructors during class. Rather than teaching the lesson during the instructional period, the teacher can provide extra help to those who need it.

Students can learn at their own pace. Because students can watch the lecture as many times as they need, as well as pause and rewind along the way, they have more control over the pace of their learning.

“Technology like captioning helps to support visual learners, those who are hard-of-hearing, and English language learners.”

No more missing out. If a student is sick or has to miss class for another reason, they can still watch and learn from their teacher in the same manner as their peers.

Parents can more easily help their children through video learning. Rather than reading the book and trying to figure out how to teach the material, if a parent has a child struggling, they can simply watch the lesson from the teacher and provide assistance.

Software can help identify areas where students are struggling. This makes the model itself a helpful diagnostic tool.

Tools to Facilitate Flipping Classrooms

Flipped classrooms require access to lecture capture tools and video content management systems. Instructors need to be able to easily produce lecture capture for a flipped classroom session and make it accessible to their students via computer, tablet or mobile device.

With the YuJa Enterprise Video Platform’s Software Capture application, teachers can record lectures using nothing more than their on-board webcam and an inexpensive headset microphone.

In a college or university, podium computers or hardware capture provide the opportunity for high-quality recording of lecture content. This can be integrated into the organization’s existing LMS to help students access content in a familiar way.

Whether an instructor is using their own laptop computer for lecture capture or a podium computer, they can integrate Smart Boards, document cameras, and screen recording to produce a full-featured lecture capture for their students.

10 Online Video Platform Features You Didn’t Know Your Organization Needed

And while these features are paramount, there are hundreds of other elements that can move the needle significantly when properly deployed. 

Prevent Accidental Data Loss with Deep “Undo” Capabilities

The YuJa Enterprise Video Platform recognizes that it is natural for users to make mistakes when using technology. As a result, we have extensively researched instances in which human error could arise and created “undo workflows” that allow users to correct their mistakes without having to expend time making corrections. Users can undo or replace slides, already published videos or other media and video edits.

The Benefits of Captured Lectures and Lessons in Traditional Classrooms

Captured lectures are accessible both to students in real-time (live) and for future use (captures), enhancing flexibility for students, while also helping improve learning and increase course material understanding. 

How Do Captured Lectures Benefit Students in Traditional Classrooms?

Traditional students can take advantage of lecture broadcasts to rewatch a difficult concept, catch up if they were unable to be in class, review their notes, and to prepare for tests. In fact, a 2019 study conducted by Computers & Education found that “students make significant use of lecture recordings, throughout the academic session, and place great value on recordings for note-taking, more in-depth understanding or clarification, and assessment preparation.”

Lecture Capture Can Help Meet the Needs of All Learners

Lecture broadcasts, complete with multimedia integration, can meet the needs of different types of learners, including visual and auditory. 

According to the Visual Teaching Alliance:

• The brain processes visual information 60,000 faster than text.
• Visual aids in the classroom improve learning by up to 400 percent.

Recording lectures also is one way to improve learning experience for auditory learners, who can focus on listening closely and processing information during class and then listen to the recording later to take notes on the most important information. 

For students with special learning needs, lecture broadcasts can take the place of notes or low-quality in-class recordings, and improve a student’s ability to learn. Providing captions and audio can help students with hearing or visual impairments. 

Research has suggested that many students found access to lecture capture to be empowering because it enables them to take control of the learning process. Exploring lecture capture can enrich both online and in-person learning for students and offer faculty new ways to improve learning and retain students.