In this blog post, Lynn Pilkington, an Inclusion and Engagement Consultant with expertise in education and the third sector, explores how blended learning can offer inclusive, flexible solutions for students, especially those at risk of exclusion. She highlights how combining online and in-person learning fosters engagement and supports diverse learner needs. Lynn also holds a public appointment with the Scottish Government and works part-time with children.
Half and half bread. Green and red grapes. Coffee blends.
We really do enjoy having the best of both worlds.
In the College sector, blended learning is the mash-up in the spotlight.
Our students want learning online that is self-directed and asynchronous. But also, there needs to be a sense of belonging, like you would get from attending a campus, which supports an engaged learning community to socialise. We also need structure and opportunities to ask a real person a question.
Can we make blended, flexible working and learning environments work better than our historical options? Can we do it all, at the same time, well? For everyone?
With my background in inclusion, learners with barriers – whether due to poverty, age, geography, caring responsibilities, or any other protected characteristic – have always been something that I’m keenly aware of. Blended learning has the potential to support communities who were previously excluded.
Supporting learners at risk of exclusion is something that the College sector is particularly committed to. Colleges are crucial to tackling educational disadvantage, including supporting those who have lived experience of poverty and trauma. As seen in the research, ‘Pathways from Poverty: Leading With Empathy And Vision: An Insight Into West Lothian College’ individualised learning is an enabler to inclusion.
For example, the TRUST (Trauma Responsive Unique Support Tailor-made) Project is a wraparound service established to support students who have, or have had, experience of trauma in their lives. Learning tied to a fixed place and pace has been replaced by experiences that are mindful of unique barriers and circumstances
Let’s learn from each other.
Projects and research such as this are crucial for educators to share best practice. CDN, with its events, networks and training, gives ample opportunity for this. Earlier this year I attended a CDN event on ‘Effective Blended Learning’ where professionals shared top tips, while the chat was alive with the latest research on the subject. We consoled each other around common concerns, and solution-ised together.
So, are two types of learning better than one? Blended solutions go beyond an either/or dynamic. It’s multifaceted, messy and requires ongoing commitment, much like the students we serve. These are the solutions we need to be truly trauma-informed. We have the chance to improve learning experiences in a multitude of ways. Educators need support to ensure we embed good practice, rather than dilute quality experiences with unnecessary overwhelm and ongoing exclusion.
Useful resources:
Jisc Guide: ‘Beyond blended: rethinking curriculum and learning design’
Scottish Funding Council Report: ‘The Future of Learning and Teaching’
Frontiers in Education, September 2022: ‘Fail, flip, fix, and feed – Rethinking flipped learning: A review of meta-analyses and a subsequent meta-analysis’
