Blended Learning

Over the past week, I have spent a few late nights indulging in 50 cups of strong coffee wondering whats all the fuss about blended learning and why in theory it sounds easy but applying and sustaining it aint so. Like my coffee, the blend is everything. In a nutshell, I believe success has more to do with how a learning department is structured and staffed and what focus they put on instructional design across multiple channels. It is not a once-off effort but a strategic imperitive that demands resources and new skilsets to rollout and maintain. Other than consistent instructional design and creative thinking, you need what I call a Channel Facilitator. Someone needs to hand-hold users and trainers on how to utilize these cool new tools. Virtual Classrooms, Virtual Worlds, Mobile Platforms, LMS, Social Networks all demand time, effort, patience and understanding in a future looking learning Team. Finally, don't forget content. Who will review all content objects so that they fit to the new learning channel mix? What about a Content Plan? Formats? Tagging? Updates? Did I say it was going to be easy? No pain no gain as they say. Time for another coffee. Decaf this time.