Blended Learning and Online Tutoring: Planning Learner Support and Activity Design - Softcover

Macdonald, Janet

Softcover

ISBN 10: 056608841X ISBN 13: 9780566088414

Publisher: Routledge, 2008

Synopsis

Provides the flexibility to accommodate the varied requirements of pedagogies, disciplines and levels of course, together with the needs of a wide variety of learners. This book adopts a pragmatic and commonsense approach to blended learning. It offers practical ideas for the successful implementation of blended strategies.

About this title

Review:

'An excellent and practical guide for novices and experienced practitioners alike...the author has done an outstanding job in explaining all the concepts and termonologies...I strongly recommend this book as a powerful resource for anyone looking for an encouraging yet pragmatic read on blended learning...The global perspective enriches the content and makes it invaluable for course designers and tutors alike to gain a realistic understanding of what blended learning and supporting students is all about. Stella Lee, Athabacsa University, Edmonton, Canada, Open Learning 'The applause now is just as great-she needs a second edition, but has not cut much of value from the first...Macdonald does a great job in helping to provide that focus and encouragement to step back, by her still thoughtful approach to the theory and practice of being an online tutor. The first edition was very good value as well as being important-this one is even better (not least as the price is unchanged). British Journal of Educational Technology 'Overall, this is an accessible book which can be recommended for teachers and staff developers new to blended learning and online tutoring and those who are more experienced and wish to review and develop their practice. The additions in the area of learning activity design in part III are particularly helpful in updating the text.' Dr Deborah Lee, Nottingham Trent University Reviews of the first edition: 'This book is a pragmatic and useful guide for educational and training practitioners new to blended learning and online tutoring. Janet MacDonald's experience as a student, tutor and staff developer in e-learning, gives this guide an authenticity and provides advice that can be directly applied in practice. ...This is a book that meets the needs of its target audience and represents an up-to-date practical and pragmatic introduction to blended learning for tutors and trainers.' Industrial and Commercial Training 'For a book containing such a lot of detail it was surprisingly easy to read...This would be a really useful read if you are involved in designing, or setting up, e-learning. There are constructive questions, handy techniques, frameworks, anecdotes and comments that could save a lot of time in reinventing the wheel. Indeed, much of it would be applicable in business learning situations, as it is very pragmatic and takes into account the human experience of e-learning.' Training Journal 'Overall, I found the book easy to read, full of practical advice, while challenging me to reflect on my own practice. The book is clear about the challenges involved in blended learning and online learning and offers suggestions of best practice and 'bright ideas' as possible solutions. It is a very useful introduction to the subject.' Ariadne 'This is a very useful book ... It too is a blend, and a very effective one-of relevant theory and the actual practice of being an online tutor. ' British Journal of Educational Technology "...This book addresses 'practitioners who are contemplating blended learning and online tutoring for their course,' as well as 'staff developers who wish to encourage others'...This text is a thorough introduction to many of the key components of blended learning.' Hannah Lavery, University of Sheffield

Synopsis:

"Blended Learning" provides the flexibility to accommodate the varied requirements of pedagogies, disciplines and levels of course, together with the needs of a wide variety of learners. However, anyone concerned with the integration of online tutoring to support students appropriately may need to reassess current practice.This book adopts a pragmatic and commonsense approach to blended learning, by situating the use of online media within a well-grounded teaching and learning strategy. It provides practical ideas for the successful implementation of blended strategies, including good practice in both asynchronous and synchronous tutoring, appropriate assessment design for developing successful blended learners, and innovative approaches to professional development for distance tutors. It is illustrated with a wide variety of examples and comments from students and practitioners in both distance and campus based environments in thirteen different countries.Since the first edition was published in 2006, there has been great interest in Web2 technologies and their potential for use in an educational environment.

This second edition has therefore incorporated many new examples of good practice, making use of a combination of tried and tested tools as well as blogs and wikis for supporting students. There has also been a recent rise in the use of activity based learning and interest in its potential for supporting students in distance and online environments. The new edition incorporates many new exemplars of learning activity design in Part Three, to illustrate approaches to the development of critical and independent learners.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 056608841X
• ISBN 13: 9780566088414
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 224