The Blended Course Design Workbook: A Practical Guide

by Kathryn E. Linder, Kevin Kelly

Overview

This user-friendly workbook equips faculty and administrators with best practices, activities, tools, templates, and deadlines to guide them through the process of revising traditional location-based courses into a blended format.

Providing a step-by-step course design system that emphasizes active learning and student engagement, this book walks readers through the development of course goals and learning objectives, assignments, assessments, and student support mechanisms with an eye toward technology integration. New to this edition are the most up-to-date research on blended courses, fresh templates, tips on the latest pedagogical trends related to artificial intelligence, and two additional chapters on facilitation strategies and group work and collaboration. The authors engage in equity-minded approaches to supporting student success throughout and address the needs of specific groups, such as students with disabilities, working students, and students who are parents or caregivers.

Offering detailed instructions for each stage of course design, this book is a must-have for college instructors looking for a blended course design blueprint.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781040038161
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/06/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	282
File size:	717 KB

About the Author

Kathryn E. Linder is Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Innovation and Strategy at the University of Colorado Denver, USA.

Kevin Kelly is Educational Consultant and Lecturer at San Francisco State University, USA.

Table of Contents

1. Fundamentals of Blended Teaching and Learning 2. Mapping Your Blended Course 3. Writing Course Goals and Learning Objectives 4. Assessing Student Learning in Your Blended Course 5. Online Assessment Tools with Linda Bruenjes 6. Designing Effective Learning Activities 7. Creating Social Presence in Your Blended Course 8. Effective Facilitation Strategies 9. Group Work and Collaboration in a Blended Course 10. Getting to Know Your Learning Management System with Crystal Gasell 11. Mobile Devices, Apps, and Social Media 12. Finding Resources Online 13. Creating Multimedia Resources 14. The Blended Course Syllabus 15. Preparing Your Students for Success 16. Conclusion: Getting Ready to Launch

Editorial Reviews

"This thoroughly revised and updated second edition of The Blended Course Design Workbook should be on the 'must-read' list for every postsecondary educator."

Joshua Kim, Director of Online Programs and Strategy, Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning, USA

"Since The Blended Course Design Workbook we first released in 2016, there has been a seismic shift in what 'blended' even means. We’ve gone from mixing two modalities—location-based and asynchronous online—to a myriad continuum of offering modes that shade into each other—co-located, live remote, hyflex, hybrid, blended, asynchronous, and dozens more.

Drs. Linder and Kelly are here to guide you with the second edition of The Blended Course Design Workbook, which has been expanded by almost 50% to incorporate new and current considerations, including effective facilitation strategies across the spectrum of modalities, how to foster group and collaborative work, and how to align your blended offerings into your existing programs and curricula.

The authors are trusted experts in the distance-education field: they’ve been instructors and thought leaders in the space for more than 20 years, and their new edition of The Blended Course Design Workbook should be required reading in every college and university faculty-development and design-staff unit." 

Thomas J. Tobin, Author of Evaluating Online Teaching

"Linder and Kelly’s The Blended Course Design Workbook, Second Edition, is a practical and up-to-date resource for faculty embracing blended learning in any of its post-pandemic variations. The authors are mindful of the needs of faculty for whom technology-mediated teaching/learning is not a field of study but a craft. Faculty and faculty developers alike will find many practical tools for use in their professional practice."

Kelvin Thompson, Vice Provost for Online Strategy and Teaching Innovation, University of Louisville, USA

"The Blended Course Design Workbook takes a complex and challenging task—namely, (re)designing a course to include both online and location-based elements—and makes it comprehensible and do-able. Concise explanations of key concepts and related research provide the theory, and reflective questions and step-by-step guides support putting theory into practice. If you are looking to design a blended course for the first time or to support others in doing so, this book is a great aid. The second edition incorporates new references, updated information on tools, and timely guidance on topics such as the hyflex modality and generative AI."

Marsha C. Lovett, Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning Innovation and Teaching Professor, Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, USA

"This second edition of The Blended Course Design Workbook is timely—in light of the expansion of blended approaches since the publication of the first edition, in the context of emergent issues such as generative AI, which the authors address, and in the wake of many faculty members’ recent explorations of digitally-based or enhanced teaching during the pandemic. This smart, practical workbook continues to offer educators a sound and helpful guide for developing blended courses that keep students’ learning and experiences at the center." 

Leslie Ortquist-Ahrens, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Berea College, USA

"The online learning landscape has evolved considerably over the last decade. Kelly and Linder have been charting this trend, and continue to do so with this workbook, which provides an expansive and comprehensive exploration of blended learning. The book toggles effortlessly between research, reflection, and action. Kelly and Linder provide instructors with clear strategies for how they might facilitate blended courses and share updated research that supports these strategies. The book addresses contemporary challenges in blended teaching, such as assessing student learning in various formats and facilitating student interaction between modalities. Anyone looking to use high impact practices to design high-quality blended courses will find this book to be an essential guide."

Sharla Berry, Associate Director, Center for Evaluation and Educational Effectiveness, California State University, Long Beach, USA

"The perfect mix of theory and practice, The Blended Course Design Workbook equips you to teach your first blended course, re-design an existing class to be more effective, or even launch an entire blended program at your institution. All the tools and resources are there to create inclusive, effective courses that meet students’ needs and foster their success."

Bonni Stachowiak, Producer and Host of Teaching in Higher Ed

From the Publisher

"For the faculty member transitioning a course from face-to-face (F2F) to an online or blended learning environment, Kathryn Linder’s workbook is a wonderful resource. After opening with chapters reviewing the key components of backward course design, developing appropriate course learning objectives, and assessment, the remaining chapters provide a step-by-step guide for an instructor to convert a course from a physical to a virtual teaching space.

The book’s main strength is its highly practical nature, highlighted by the ready-to-use worksheets, templates, and checklists for every step in the process. Not only does it explain the desired resources, it usually gives real-life examples of how the tool was used in a blended classroom effectively.

Given the practical nature of this workbook and its many ready-to-copy worksheets, it is strongly recommended for faculty members transitioning a classroom course to a blended or online delivery format. Likewise, academic deans leading a group of faculty through a similar transition process will find this a one-stop resource, especially if they are able to partner with an educational technologist.

Reflective Teaching (Wabash Center)

The Blended Course Design Workbook: A Practical Guide is a very useful guide for instructors transitioning from traditional to blended delivery. Linder explains how to write course goals and objectives, how to assess students online, and how to design effective learning activities. She also explains how to use technology to support learning, how to access suitable online resources, how to organize blended courses, and how to support online learners.

I find the step-by-step guides, templates, and checklists to be very useful, particularly as they build on one another. In addition, Linder’s references to theories and principles at the start of each chapter give instructors a sound footing on which to design their blended courses. The book’s tone is encouraging, which makes for an easy read.

Technical Communication

Katie Linder’s Blended Course Design Workbook is a solid, practical resource for faculty embracing blended learning. Linder is mindful of the needs of faculty for whom technology-mediated teaching/learning is not a field of study but a craft. Faculty and faculty developers alike will find many practical tools for use in their professional practice.

University of Central Florida - Kelvin Thompson

The perfect mix of theory and practice, The Blended Course Design Workbook equips you to teach your first blended course, re-design an existing class to be more effective, or even launch an entire blended program at your institution.

Vanguard University and host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast - Bonni Stachowiak

Katie Linder has written practical, smart, and even compassionate book on blended course design. Drawing on both research and experience, she walks readers through the process of creating blended courses that will challenge and engage students, providing plenty of examples and tips along the way. This is the essential guide we need to ensure our students will be successful in blended courses.

Elon University - Peter Felten