For example, a quick cheat sheet to help phone operators remember which questions to ask might do a better job than creating a training programme for it.

You can start with online learning in various ways. Rather than going all-in, start with something simple first. Identify one learning need or one performance gap.

Many organisations jump in and pick a tool to get started. Don’t. It’s better to have a good look at what the actual problem is, before picking a tool.

Want to take your first step? Check out this blog: if training is the answer, what is the problem.

Once you want to look at tools for blended learning, check out this blog to learn about some blended learning features.

Can’t start small? Then, spend time getting feedback on every step of your development. Set up pilot groups, test your course elements and spend time with senior stakeholders.

And when you think a learning platform or LMS will do the work for you? It won’t. The tool will deliver what you have created, and it will help you to ‘create’. But you first need to think about the design. Design first, content second.

Step 1. What should my learners achieve?
What should the learner know or do after this specific training? That decides the topics you will discuss in your training.

Step 2. How should I assess the different topics?
You’ll have to assess the newly acquired knowledge or skills before you can conclude that your training worked.

Step 3. What structure should I apply?
Think back on your learning goals, topics and assessment: is there a certain structure that you can apply to the course?

Step 4. Which learning activities would fit best?
The next step is all about designing which learning activity you want to use per topic or learning goal.

Step 5. Test your blueprint.
The basis for your course is ready. You’ve done most of the thinking, now it’s time to put it into practice.

Step 6. Design the content.
After you have fine-tuned your blueprint based on the feedback that people gave you in step 5, it’s time to start designing and developing your content.

Step 7. Start building!
Build the designed and developed learning activities in your learning system, make a scenario for your face-to-face session.

Step 8. Test and pilot.
No learning programme has been spot on from the get-go. Everything needs some fine-tuning based on user feedback.

Step 9. Let’s go live!
You have learning goals, a structure, learning activities (off- and online), searched and created the right content and piloted. Let’s go live.

Check out the blog by Roy, one of our learning experts, where he details out these nine steps to design blended learning.

Here are a few (blended learning) examples:

A training provider like 112BHV, who trains In-house emergency response officers, created a fully adaptive course that helps people only go through content they don’t know yet (perfect for recertification).

And there are training providers who add an online training and test before an in-person training takes place, making sure that participants have already mastered the theory and more time can be spent on practising (take a look at this case on how fire-fighters are trained).

Creating ‘the right mix’ of interventions leads to blended learning.

Take a look at some more examples of training providers who have developed and delivered blended learning.

Not yet ready to start but you’re curious about blended learning?

Read the interview with the trainer of the year who explains how he uses blended learning. (spoiler: he combines different learning styles to meet the needs of participants).

Which types of questions you use and when also play an important role: multiple choice questions, multiple response, hot spots, hand-in assignments, fill in the blanks, etc.Experiment with creating different types of questions and content, and ask participants about their experiences so that you can continue to improve the blended training course.Other tools you can use are related to social learning. According to the 70:20:10 rule, people learn 20% from and with each other through social learning. When your participant starts a blended training course, you can have them create their own profile, ask them to write a short introduction, let them use a forum or even have them create an introduction video through the online video creator tool.

The application of knowledge by participants is important for training providers. That’s why there are many things you can do to support this. Present a specific situation and ask participants to answer through open questions, use hand-in assignments (which can be reviewed by instructors), let participants write a report and have others review it.

It’s a cliche to say ‘the possibilities are endless’ but in the case of blended learning, there are a thousand ways in which to create a blended training course. See some possibilities, check out this blog on some of aNewSpring’s blended learning features.