Practical experiences with blended learning

“Blended learning; it's all about the right blend of effective learning methods”

Corjan BastJune 4, 2019Examples

Practical experiences with blended learning

So, you want to get started with blended learning? You’ve read how to build a business case and how to design it, but before you start, you’d like to see some examples.

aNewSpring offers you the learning platform but it’s our customers who make the training come to life going from offline to blended learning, creating a mix of activities for ‘learning’ on the job or adding online training that precedes a field day? These are just some real-world examples of what our customers build.

Adaptive learning to increase learning efficiency

Starting with adaptive learning sounds complicated and a lot of work. But taking the first steps is really easy. Many customers (like 112BHV and NIBE-SVV) use the MemoTrainer. It’s a built-in functionality where the platform picks specific questions from a database based on the performance of the learner. Is the learner doing well on topic A, but not on topic B? MemoTrainer will make sure the learner received more questions on topic B and less on B. Because knowledge can be trained more efficiently, the actual time in a classroom can be used much more effectively.

Of course, you can also build a completely adaptive e-learning course, like 112BHV did for their Emergency Response Team (ERT) training.

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Blended learning examples to support learning on the job

Railcenter, a trainer provider for the railway sector, focuses on workplace learning or learning on the job. They’ve made their learning-on-the-job programme blended. They start with an online intake test and the participant immediately starts with a blended training course. Railcenter has radically changed their standard, lengthy, learning-on-the-job programme to a very effective learning journey by combining e-learning modules, animations, videos and assignments. Andre Japin, Learning & Development Advisor at Railcenter, says: “The various functionalities in a NewSpring, such as lessons, tests, the MemoTrainer, coaching and discussions, enable us to create a successful mix of learning activities for our participants”.

Participants complete the training programme in 6-10 weeks, as opposed to 4-6 months with the original programme. The time gain is a result of two things. First, it’s no longer required to sign up for, wait for and sit through a seven-day classroom training. The programme starts immediately after intake. Second, the online learning platform helps participants obtain the theory and guides them through various assignments.

Blended training for firefighters: online learning and offline fire extinguishing

What do you do when fire-fighters turn up on the field day, totally unprepared? That was the problem Fire-Learning had to solve. To train firefighters, they first need to learn the theory, and only after that can they put their knowledge into practice.

Fire-Learning created a blended learning solution by ensuring fire-fighters go through an online training programme before they are allowed to join the field day. Firefighters are real doers and that is why sending a book to read before a training class doesn’t work. But creating an online training course with videos and tests does work. So that’s what Fire-Learning created. You can read their complete story, here.

Since the theory of fire-fighting has been taking care of online, there’s much more time during the field day for actual fire-fighting practice. It’s a great example of an effective mix between online and offline learning.

What do you want to create?

There are lots of ways in which you can develop and deliver blended learning. What ‘the right way’ is depends on many things, as you can read about on the ‘blended learning page’. You’ll find info there on how to design blended learning, the benefits of blended learning, how to create a business case for blended learning and many other things.

Hungry for more examples? Take a look at the customer case overview.

About the author

Corjan Bast

Started asking ‘Why’ when he was three and never stopped asking, since.

On the wish-list to learn: playing the harmonica, Spanish

Feeling inspired?

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Today there are more opportunities to create inspiring learning journeys than ever before. The Inspiring Learning Cookbook will help you design blended learning concepts that outperform your traditional training program. Mix and match the ingredients and create your own inspiring learning recipe!

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The Inspiring Learning Cookbook is the perfect step in the door. It explains the basic steps of developing an online (blendeded) learning course.

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“Blended learning; it's all about the right blend of effective learning methods”

Practical experiences with blended learning

Adaptive learning to increase learning efficiency

Blended learning examples to support learning on the job

Blended training for firefighters: online learning and offline fire extinguishing

What do you want to create?

Corjan Bast

Feeling inspired?

Check out more content like this

Get more from your blended learning journeys

These are the best learning journeys of the year

What science says about blended learning

About us

The learning platform

Learning methods