Foundation Skills/Using Moodle to engage students in a blended environment/Blended learning

Blended learning
What exactly is blended learning? In a recent research project led by Jeffery, the project team used the following definition:

“at its simplest, blended learning is the integration of classroom face-to-face learning experiences with online learning experiences” (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004, 96).

The project identified ten engagement strategies that are critical to enhancement of student learning in a blended learning setting. You may want to read more about the Strategies for engaging learners in a blended environment, which are summarised below:

Getting students started
 * Primers for getting student attention: Curiosity, relevance
 * Social presence and belonging: Teacher enthusiasm, immediacy and an inclusive environment

Maintaining engagement
 * Clear content structure
 * Clear, unambiguous instructions and guidelines
 * Challenging tasks
 * Authentic tasks
 * Timely feedback
 * Elaborated feedback

Re-engaging students who drift away or fail to engage
 * Monitoring and early identification
 * Personal contact and negotiated conditions for re-engagement