Blended Learning

For several years now, studies have shown that at large state universities and community colleges blended courses, or courses that combined online and classroom instruction more effectively engaged students and produced higher learning outcomes than wholly online or classroom-based courses.  Our research over the past two years shows that a blended approach not only provides similar benefits in the smaller, more intimate setting of a liberal arts college, but that it also supports the LAC approach to higher education by enriching faculty-student interaction and freeing up class time for activities known to effectively engage students and promote deep learning.

However, the "start-up costs" involved in developing a blended course -- that is, the time it takes to research available materials, learn how to use them, and figure out how to effectively integrate them into a course -- are daunting. The problem is compounded in some fields and in courses beyond the introductory level material in almost any field by a dearth of suitable materials. This site is designed to help reduce those start-up costs by making it easier for faculty to find and share information about materials and techniques that work for blended learning in a liberal arts college setting.