What is Quality in Blended Learning?

Merja Auvinen & Ari Myllyviita / Aug 28, 2015 Malaga Conference

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What is Quality in Blended Learning?

Experiences from the BL Pilot CourseTutors’ views


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Viikki Teacher Training School Helsinki University

Tasks of a teacher training school in Finland:• Basic Education (grades 1-9)

• Secondary Education (grades 10-12)

• Teacher Training (Class teachers & Subject teachers) in cooperation with the universities

• Research and research-based teacher training

• In-service teacher training


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Blended Learning platforms and tools used in Basic and Secondary Education and Teacher training in our school:

• Moodle• PedaNet• Facebook• EDU2.0• Google Applications for

Education GAFE• Office 365• Edmodo• Wikispaces

• Blogs• Wilma• Kyvyt.fi (e-portfolio)

• Classroom-based distance education since 1995 (Helsinki & Kilpisjärvi, Lapland)


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QBL Pilot Course

• January – May 2015

• Ten participants from different cities in Finland:

- one school head - one class teacher - one spec educ teacher - one ICT coordinator - six subject teachers. Four tutors

• Platforms and tools offered

and chosen by the participants:

• Blogs• PedaNet• GAFE• Wikis -> Office 365• Edmodo


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EFQM – Quality system for education


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The quality in Blended Learning

• Leadership – how to manage the group• How manage with people – choose wisely the

communication tool – should it be the one you want to learn to use• Policy – do what you need to do, not something else• Check all resources you need – what students need• The process is based on the context of the real world

• You have to try what you are studying (BL)• Don´t try just ”something”, make the real thing• Make your own timetable

• THEN WE HAVE RESULTS


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The Structure of the Pilot Course

• process = quality

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The Quality Fields /Wiener Neustadt

• 1) Institution Quality• 2) Enrollment• 3) The Course• 4) The Learning Environment• 5) Assessment and Evaluation



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Pre-course activities (December – January)

• Planning the course (coordinators, project participants, tutors-to-be)• Advertising the course• Choosing the

participants• Pre-course

questionnaire to the participants (slide)

• Comparing and choosing the best (or the optimal) online learning platform (slide)• Teaching the use of

Edmodo to all the tutors• Designing and

developing the course in detail• Delivering the pre-

material (slide)


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Pre-course questionnaire to the participants


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Comparing and choosing the best (or the optimal) online learning platform


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Delivering the pre-material


1) Face-to-face day 1 (Jan 26)

• Introductions to the QiBL Project and the Work Packages • The quality criteria in blended learning - discussion• A Webinar on the Experiences on Blended Learning

Courses (University of Applied Science, Utrecht)• Using different online tools in the classroom, case

studies / the trainers/tutoring teachers• How to use the Edmodo platform?• Working in the tutor groups

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WP 5 Quality Criteria for tutoring + materials:

• Agreeing on the practical issues of the online period, based on the quality criteria defined

• The initial plans for the participants’ own BL courses


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2) Online working period (Jan to May)

• A clearly structured programme (slide)• The participants carry out their own teaching

experiments step by step• Frequent discussions with tutors• Tutor support – group support• Cooperation


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A clearly structured programme, the language group


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• a video lecture on copyright issues given by an expert (asynchronous) followed by a webinar with the lecturer answering the participants’ questions (synchronous)

• A PP presentation on Edmodo on the role of ICT in the new curriculum reform in Finland (asynchronous) followed by online discussion in the small groups)• Process - quality


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Webinar - online - synchronous


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3) Face-face-day 2 (May 16)

Fri 15 May 2014 9.30 am to 4 pm Presenting the teaching experiments (the rticipants),self-evaluation and valuation of the course

Participants’ interviews

Quality BL criteria re-evaluated


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Evaluation of the Pilot Course 1/3


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= No answer


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Evaluating the quality criteria 1/5


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THANK YOU!