York TEL Handbook

Blended Learning Activity Planning

Overview
This resource is intended to help you plan out your blended learning course. Developing a plan will
help you to map out the objectives for your course and identify the relationship between the online
and face-to-face components of the module.

In developing your plan you will need to:

(i) Reflect on the way that the course has been traditionally taught and the strengths and
weaknesses of this approach.

 What are the opportunities for developing more student-focused activity outside the
classroom?
 How might the learning outcomes for the course be better addressed through online
learning activities?
 How much self-study time is available for structured learning outside the classroom?

The first part of the template involves the completion of a statement of purpose, setting out the
objectives and current way that the course is delivered. If you are planning a new course, you may
wish to highlight here the programme objectives and the pre-established requirements for your
course (how it fits in within the study programme).

(ii) Think about the rationale for a blended design approach and the interrelationship between the
online and face-to-face components of your course

 How will the objectives and targeted learning outcomes for the course be addressed through
online and class-based activities?
 How will these two dimensions of the course be joined up? Will online activities feed in
directly to class-based learning (e.g. as preparation for a seminar session), or follow in
parallel to the teaching that is taking place (e.g. as part of an ongoing research project)?

The template invites you to set out the objectives for the online and class-based learning and
identify the relationship between these components of the course.

(iii) Identify the learning activities that students will perform online.

The range of activities and type of learning behaviour that you are seeking to foster online will
inform the choice of tools for your online course.

The template invites you to set out the learning activities for the online component of the course,
starting from the left with the targeted learning behaviour (e.g. referencing, researching, knowledge
sharing etc.), followed by the task (e.g. exchanging reports, reviewing documents etc.), ending up
with the choice of tool to support this activity.

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(iv) Map out the online and class-based activities within an overall course plan, determining when
activities will take place and the task and delivery methods that will be used.

The template invites you to present your course plan, addressing the timetable, activities and study
methods that will be employed.

To illustrate how the template can be used to map out a blended learning course, please view the
World Politics example, which addresses steps (ii) – (iv) of the planning process.

Current course design

Course Title:

Statement of Purpose

Objectives:

Targeted Learning Outcomes:

Structure of Course

Teaching Activities: (contact time / delivery methods)

Student Activities: (self-study hours & methods / location of learning)

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Blended approach linking objectives

Online learning
Objectives:

Activities:

Class-based learning
Objectives:

Activities:

Learning outcome-driven plan

Targeted learning behaviour Functions Online tools
(intended learning outcome) (activities to be undertaken) (tools, spaces and resources)

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Weekly plan
Course week Activity Method (online / class-
based)

Week 0

Week 1

Week 2

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Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

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Blended learning: World Politics module illustration

(Spring term 2006)

Online learning

Objectives: To encourage students to explore institutions and the practice of contemporary politics
through the analysis of diverse cases from different regions. To promote independent learning and
research skills, as well as discussion and collaborative group learning on themes of world politics.

Activities:

 Individual reading

 Group research and case writing, contributing to the upload of weekly case reports to the
module site

Class-based learning

Objectives: To provide students with an outline of theoretical approaches to the understanding of

key issues in contemporary world politics.

To engage students in seminar discussion and debate on key issues in contemporary world politics
based on evidence rather than opinion.

Activities:

 Delivery of weekly lectures, which provide outlines of the major theoretical approaches to the
week's topic, with illustrations of political frameworks.

 8 weekly seminars in which students discuss the broader themes arising from the lectures,
weekly group reports, relating the case studies to different theoretical approaches

Figure 1: Learning objectives and activities for the World Politics module

Targeted learning behaviour Functions Online tools

Reference purposes Review of instructions, Course outline

assignment timetable

Reference and revision Review of information Course content resources

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purposes resources on each weekly

theme and case study
assignment
(PPT slides; outline notes of
lectures; lecture
bibliographies etc.)

Follow-up questions to course Contact information for Staff information

lecturers course lecturers

Collaborative writing of group Uploading and downloading Group work space including
reports. Ideas-sharing and resources. Posting comments file exchange directory and
interaction on group research on group research activity. discussion board
task.

Knowledge sharing Enable exchange and reading Seminar work space including
of case reports prior to file exchange directory and
seminars discussion board.

Discovery learning – Review of case study Electronic case resources

knowledge exploration documents containing key
information and instructions
as well as links to internet
resources, journal articles etc.

Observational learning – Review of examples of weekly Good reports

benchmarking for group case study reports, as
writing activity and nominated by the group
referencing as revision aid. tutors

Awareness of plagiarism Submitting work for Safe Assignment

avoidance plagiarism detection and
discussing report

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Reference purposes Communication to cohort on Announcements

course events; composite
feedback to students on case
writing tasks

Table 1: Role of online tools in the World Politics course design

Course week Activity Method (online / class-

based)

Week 1 Induction – introduction to Computer lab

the course and VLE training
(computer lab session)

Completion of entry survey

Review of Netiquette doc. Online

Week 2 Introduction

Completion of referencing & Online

biography quizzes

Introductory lectures on
course design / case-study Plenary lectures
approach

Seminar session

Class-based

Weeks 2/3 Group research & report Online

completion

Upload to seminar work

Online
space

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Week 3 States lecture Plenary lecture

Seminar discussion on group Class-based

reports

Weeks 3/4 Group research & report Online

completion

Upload to seminar work

Online
space

Week 4 Governance lecture Plenary lecture

Seminar discussion on group Class-based

reports

Weeks 4/5 Group research & report Online

completion

Upload to seminar work

space Online

Week 5 Women & Development Plenary lecture

lecture

Seminar discussion on group

reports Class-based

Week 5/6 Group research & report Online

completion

Upload to seminar work

space Online

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Week 6 The Causes of Armed Plenary lecture

Conflict lecture

Seminar discussion on group

Class-based
reports

Week 6/7 Group research & report Online

completion

Upload to seminar work

space Online

Week 7 Intervention & Responses to Plenary lecture

Conflict lecture

Seminar discussion on group

reports Class-based

Week 7/8 Group research & report Online

completion

Upload to seminar work

space Online

Week 8 Humanitarian & Plenary lecture

Development Aid lecture

Seminar discussion on group

reports Class-based

Week 8/9 Group research & report Online

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completion

Upload to seminar work

space
Online

Week 9 Ethiopian Famine Funds Plenary

Conference

Table 2: Structure of the World Politics course: a complementary model of online and class-based
learning

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