The rapid growth of digital tools, combined with the shift towards more dynamic teaching methods, has made blended learning more essential. It offers learners greater control over where and when they study, while also enabling organisations to scale learning provision more effectively. In this course, you’ll learn how to create a clear, effective blended learning strategy, plan its implementation, and confidently present and review it within your organisation.
You’ll explore the core components of blended learning, from its foundational elements to cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and consider a range of innovative technologies that could be used to enrich the learning experience. Your blended learning designs will be built on a thorough understanding of your learners and their needs, while also considering the four key dimensions: time, space, materials and roles. You’ll learn how to balance flexible study schedules, design both online and in-person learning environments, select appropriate resources, and define the roles of learners and instructors.
You’ll study popular models of blended learning, so that you can use or adapt these for your context. You’ll also learn how theories of learning – how people actually learn – can help you understand what to focus on when introducing or improving your blended learning. Examples of this include aiming to enhance social interactions or empowering learners to become more independent. You’ll also explore how specific teaching strategies and technological innovations can help you achieve these outcomes, such as using digital dashboards to monitor progress, taking advantage of offline networked learning in areas where internet connectivity is limited and considering the roles of generative AI as a partner in learning conversations.
As you study, you’ll gain insights into your own teaching or training context, evaluating the appetite for change within your organisation. You’ll develop strategies to introduce and integrate innovations and consider ways to navigate any obstacles that may arise. You’ll also develop a robust approach for evaluating the effectiveness of your blended learning initiatives. Educational interventions are complex, so planning and evaluation often take a back seat to implementation. However, evaluation is an important part of quality assurance, and you’ll be supported in developing a tailored, contextualised approach, so you can be confident that the changes you make are effective and worthwhile.
Finally, you’ll prepare a tailored plan for implementing blended learning in your context and learn how to present your approach clearly within your organisation. Working out and presenting a ‘theory of change’ will help you articulate your assumptions and support others in understanding your rationale, ensuring that your final approach is well-structured and persuasive.
This short professional development course will enable educators from any sector and vocational focus to critically consider how to extend face-to-face delivery of training and teaching to a blended online and face-to-face provision. Through a combination of practical activities, global case studies, and foundational theories, this course will enable educators to learn about the latest innovations and develop their pedagogical, technological, and critical thinking skills in relation to blended learning.
Expert, confidential learner support is available when you need it from a learning adviser, who will respond directly to you. Other support is available via the course forum, dedicated website and computing helpdesk
All learning materials, exercises, study support and work-based activities are delivered entirely online.
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
There are no entry requirements for this course.
If you'd like to discuss the suitability of the course, please contact us.
The course is delivered online and makes use of a variety of online resources. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in using a computer or the internet you are advised to contact us about support which can be given to meet your needs.
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying HG090 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
| Start | England fee |
|---|
| At anytime before 31/07/2026 | £150 |
| At anytime before 31/07/2027 | Not yet available |
We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.
If this course is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could ask your employer to sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. Your sponsor just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.
The fee information provided here is valid for short courses starting in the 2025/26 academic year. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.