BLENDED LEARNING – THE SOLUTION TO EDUCATION DURING

PANDEMIC IN INDIA
Ms Nalini Kantha Chukka, Research Scholar, Mysore University
Designation: Assistant Professor
Name of the Institution: East Point College of Higher Education,
Mr Subramanian B
Designation: Assistant Professor
Name of the Institution: East Point College of Higher Education

ABSTRACT

Nowadays, the trend of e-learning is increasing day by day and one of the tools to implement this
concept is through Blended Learning. Blended learning method refers to “mixing of different
learning environments”. It combines traditional face-to-face classroom methods with more
modern computer-mediated activities using internet and other advanced technology. Traditional
teaching method is most popular method of teaching in Indian school and colleges. Traditional
teaching is a must where there is face to face interaction and cannot be eliminated from Indian
education culture. Online learning, web based learning, intelligent tutor systems are the new
technologies in education. Online learning has unique abilities to provide students with enriched
learning experiences, to extend learning beyond the school day, and to support more successful
differentiated learning strategies that personalize students’ educational experiences Web based
learning has the advantage of learning through animations, multimedia, videos and chats etc.
Blended learning is the teaching practice that combines teaching methods from both face-to-face
and online learning. The objective of this paper is to explain basics of blended learning, elements
and procedure for blended learning and how it benefited the students during pandemic. However,
very little research has actually been done on the effects of online education or blended learning
in Indian continent education environments.

Keywords: Teaching, Learning, Online Learning, Blended learning, Web based learning, Virtual
Collaboration
Introduction

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has affected day to day life and is slowing down the global economy.
This pandemic has affected thousands of peoples, who are either sick or are being killed due to
the spread of this disease. The most common symptoms of this viral infection are fever, cold,
cough, bone pain and breathing problems, and ultimately leading to pneumonia. COVID-19 has
rapidly affected our day to day life, businesses, disrupted the world trade and movements.
Identification of the disease at an early stage is vital to control the spread of the virus because it
very rapidly spreads from person to person. Most of the countries have slowed down their
manufacturing of the products. The various industries and sectors are affected by the cause of
this disease; these include the pharmaceuticals industry, solar power sector, tourism, Information
and electronics industry. This virus creates significant knock-on effects on the daily life of
citizens, as well as about the global economy.

The impacts of COVID-19 in daily life are extensive and have far reaching consequences. These
can be divided into various categories:

A) Healthcare

o Challenges in the diagnosis, quarantine and treatment of suspected or confirmed cases

o High burden of the functioning of the existing medical system

o Patients with other disease and health problems are getting neglected

o Overload on doctors and other healthcare professionals, who are at a very high risk

o Overloading of medical shops

o Requirement for high protection

o Disruption of medical supply chain

B) Economic
 o Slowing of the manufacturing of essential goods

o Disrupt the supply chain of products

o Losses in national and international business

o Poor cash flow in the market

o Significant slowing down in the revenue growth

C) Social

o Service sector is not being able to provide their proper service

o Cancellation or postponement of large-scale sports and tournaments

o Avoiding the national and international travelling and cancellation of services

o Disruption of celebration of cultural, religious and festive events

o Undue stress among the population

o Social distancing with our peers and family members

o Closure of the hotels, restaurants and religious places

o Closure of places for entertainment such as movie and play theatres, sports clubs,
gymnasiums, swimming pools, and so on.

o Postponement of examinations

Impact of Covd19 on Education

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected educational systems worldwide, leading to the near-total

closures of schools, universities and colleges. Most governments decided to temporarily close
educational institutions in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. According
to UNICEF monitoring, 23 countries are currently implementing nationwide closures and 40 are
implementing local closures, impacting about 47 percent of the world's student population. 112
countries' schools are currently open.

At the height of the COVID lockdown, more than 160 countries had mandated some form of
school closures for at least 1.5 billion children and youth.  School closures impact not only
students, teachers, and families but have far-reaching economic and societal consequences.
School closures in response to the pandemic have shed light on various social and economic
issues, including student debt, digital learning, food insecurity, and homelessness, as well as
access to childcare, health care,  housing, internet, and disability services. The impact was more
severe for disadvantaged children and their families, causing interrupted learning, compromised
nutrition, childcare problems, and consequent economic cost to families who could not work.

Number of students enrolled in each country, by school closure status (date: March 27,
2020)

COVID-19’s effects on education could be felt for decades to come , not just causing a loss of
learning in the short term, but also diminishing economic opportunities for this generation of
students over the long term. Due to learning losses and increases in dropout rates, this generation
of students stand to lose an estimated $10 trillion in earnings, or almost 10 percent of global
GDP, and countries will be driven even further off-track to achieving their Learning
Poverty goals – potentially increasing its levels substantially to 63 percent, equivalent to an
additional 72 million primary school aged children.

As economic conditions force families to make difficult decisions on household spending,

concerns about student dropout rates have grown.  

In response to school closures, UNESCO recommended the use of distance learning programmes

and open educational applications and platforms that schools and teachers can use to reach
learners remotely and limit the disruption of education. Colleges have scrambled to find creative
solutions to teaching students online, in-person but socially distant, or in a hybrid format.

Online learning has become a critical lifeline for education, as institutions seek to minimize the
potential for community transmission. Technology can enable teachers and students to access
specialized materials well beyond textbooks, in multiple formats and in ways that can bridge
time and space.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools across the world began conducting classes
via video telephony software such as Zoom, Google classroom and/or Google Meet.

Even before COVID-19, there was already high growth and adoption in education technology,
with global edtech investments reaching US$18.66 billion in 2019 and the overall market for
online education projected to reach $350 Billion by 2025. Whether it is language apps, virtual
tutoring, video conferencing tools, or online learning software, there has been a significant surge in
usage since COVID-19.

In response to significant demand, many online learning platforms are offering free access to
their services, including platforms like BYJU’S, a Bangalore-based educational technology and
online tutoring firm founded in 2011, which is now the world’s most highly valued edtech
company. Since announcing free live classes on its Think and Learn app, BYJU’s has seen a
200% increase in the number of new students using its product, according to Mrinal Mohit, the
company's Chief Operating Officer.
 Tencent classroom, meanwhile, has been used extensively since mid-February after the Chinese
government instructed a quarter of a billion full-time students to resume their studies through
online platforms. This resulted in the largest “online movement” in the history of education with
approximately 730,000, or 81% of K-12 students, attending classes via the Tencent K-12 Online
School in Wuhan.

Other companies are bolstering capabilities to provide a one-stop shop for teachers and students.
For example, Lark, a Singapore-based collaboration suite initially developed by ByteDance as an
internal tool to meet its own exponential growth, began offering teachers and students unlimited
video conferencing time, auto-translation capabilities, real-time co-editing of project work, and
smart calendar scheduling, amongst other features. To do so quickly and in a time of crisis, Lark
ramped up its global server infrastructure and engineering capabilities to ensure reliable
connectivity.

Some school districts are forming unique partnerships, like the one between The Los Angeles
Unified School District and PBS SoCal/KCET  to offer local educational broadcasts, with separate
channels focused on different ages, and a range of digital options. Media organizations such as
the BBC are also powering virtual learning; Bitesize Daily, launched on 20 April, is offering 14
weeks of curriculum-based learning for kids across the UK with celebrities like Manchester City
footballer Sergio Aguero teaching some of the content.

Blended Learning

Blended learning is an approach to education that combines online educational materials and
opportunities for interaction online with traditional place-based classroom methods. It requires
the physical presence of both teacher and student, with some elements of student control over
time, place, path, or place.

Blended learning is again circumstance-dependant, but usually involves:

 A portion of the learning occurs online, with the student being able to manage the pace at which
they learn
 Another portion of the learning is instructor-led, usually conducted through webinars, allowing
remote learners to engage more easily

Essentially, through blended learning, online and instructor-led training is complementary and
creates an integrated learning environment. In the past decade, teachers at higher and lower
educational institutions have organically adopted blended learning as a meaningful learning tool
in and out of the classroom. Luckily, corporate learning is catching up.

The success of blended learning is due to five main benefits:

 

1. Accounting for Everyone

Blended learning takes every type of learner into account, whether they prefer the familiar
traditional classroom, would rather learn online, or try a mixture of both. Without the limitations
of a classroom or all-online course, blended learning utilizes a variety of methodologies so the
content can be customized to the learner and optimized for the subject matter. While not all face-
to-face training is easily translated to digital content, it’s possible to re-engineer existing content
for online delivery in a way that complements the existing training. 

2. Learning Trends and Feedback

Blended learning uses online and offline technologies in tandem, allowing instructors to
quickly adopt the latest learning trends and modalities into the curriculum. Instructors can
also use built-in reporting features in most LMS software programs for deeper, data driven
insights into student progress and success. 
 For learners, blended learning also offers the unique opportunity to discuss, model, and practice
their new skills in a safe space, so they’re not just watching or hearing—they’re doing. By
applying the new knowledge shortly after they’ve left the physical or virtual classroom, learners
retain what they’ve learned.

3. Lower Costs 
In-class training may seem like a cheaper option when compared to eLearning development, but
consider the true cost of face-to-face sessions: Time away from work, paying instructors, and
flying in remote employees can eat up a significant amount of the L&D budget. A blended
eLearning approach cuts down on travel costs and can be used again and again, which reduces
instructor time as well.

4. Fun and Engagement

Blended learning is an interactive experience in every sense of the word. Learners reinforce the
offline lessons by practicing online through a variety of different content media, each geared to
suit a certain learning style. Learners can choose which type of content they want to interact
with, practice what they learn, and communicate with instructors and other learners any time and
on any device. The community experience keeps learners engaged and informs teachers about
their progress and areas needing more attention.
 
5. Reach and Personalization 
Global organizations face the challenges of making learning universal, no matter the branch
location. Language interpretation and travel can also be concerns, both of which are easily
addressed by blended eLearning that brings training to all employees, whether they work in
another country or from home.
 Diverse reach also means diverse individuals. If all learners have different levels of
understanding and expertise, then why force them into the same training program? Blended
eLearning creates a buffet-style approach to training, allowing learners to lead and choose how
and when they interact with the material. Being able to test out of a familiar topic or listening to
the same podcast a few times means each learner gets the training they need (and want).

Blended Learning Models

When you’re teaching a diverse group, it’s almost impossible to tailor the learning experience to
suit every learner—or is it? A blended learning model can help you personalize your subject
matter for time considerations, learning techniques and even personal preferences, but
implementing a blended learning model it requires big changes to how the way you think about
training.
 
1. Station Rotation Blended Learning
Station-Rotation blended learning is a: “…model (that) allows students to rotate through stations
on a fixed schedule, where at least one of the stations is an online learning station. This model is
most common in elementary schools because teachers are already familiar with rotating in
centers and stations.
Primarily characterized by: the fixed schedule that guides the ‘blending’

2. Lab Rotation Blended Learning

‘The Lab Rotation’ model of blended learning, similar to “Station Rotation,’ works by
“allow(ing) students to rotate through stations on a fixed schedule…in a dedicated computer lab
allow(ing) for flexible scheduling arrangements with teachers…enabl(ing) schools to make use
of existing computer labs.”
Primarily characterized by: the use school computer labs in new ways

3. Remote Blended Learning (also referred to as Enriched Virtual)

In Enriched Virtual blended learning, the student’s focus is on completing online coursework
while only meeting with the teacher intermittently/as-needed.
This approach differs from the Flipped Classroom model in the balance of online to face-to-face
instructional time. In an Enriched Virtual blended learning model, students wouldn’t see/work
with/learning from a teacher on a daily basis face-to-face but would in a ‘flipped’ setting.
Primarily characterized by: students completely coursework remotely and independently.

4. Flex Blended Learning

The ‘Flex’ is included in types of Blended Learning and its model is one in which… “a course or
subject in which online learning is the backbone of student learning, even if it directs students to
offline activities at times. Students move on an individually customized, fluid schedule among
learning modalities. The teacher of record is on-site, and students learn mostly on the brick-and-
mortar campus, except for any homework assignments. The teacher of record or other adults
provide face-to-face support on a flexible and adaptive as-needed basis through activities such as
small-group instruction, group projects, and individual tutoring.”
Primarily characterized by: its versatility to meet the needs of a variety of formal and informal
learning processes (schools, organizations, homeschooling, etc.)

5. The ‘Flipped Classroom’ Blended Learning

Perhaps the most widely known version of blended learning, a ‘Flipped Classroom’ is one where
students are introduced to content at home, and practice working through it at school supported
by a teacher and/or peers. In this way, traditional roles for each space are ‘flipped.’
Primarily characterized by: the retention of traditional learning forms in new contexts (i.e.,
studying at school and learning at home)

6. Individual Rotation Blended Learning

The Individual Rotation model allows students to rotate through stations, but on individual
schedules set by a teacher or software algorithm. Unlike other rotation models, students do not
necessarily rotate to every station; they rotate only to the activities scheduled on their playlists.”
Primarily characterized by: the personalization of student learning as determined by individual
schedules that have the chance to better meet the needs of each student.

7. Project-Based Blended Learning

Blended Project-Based Learning is a model in which the student uses both online learning—
either in the form of courses or self-directed access—and face-to-face instruction and
collaboration to design, iterate, and publish project-based learning assignments, products, and
related artifacts.
Primarily characterized by: the use of online resources to support project-based learning

8. Self-Directed Blended Learning

In Self-Directed blended learning, students use a combination of online and face-to-face learning
to guide their own personalized inquiry, achieve formal learning goals, connect with mentors
physically and digitally, etc. As the learning is self-directed, the roles of ‘online learning’ and
physical teachers change, and there are no formal online courses to complete.
In Self-Directed blended learning, one challenge for teachers is to be able to judge the and
(somehow) success of the learning experience without de-authenticating it.
For students, the challenge is to seek out models of products, processes, and potential that can
provide the kind of spark that can sustain learning while being self-aware enough to know what’s
working and why, and to make adjustments accordingly. Some students need very little to soar,
while others need support through very clear pathways that they can guide themselves through
with autonomy and self-criticism.
Primarily characterized by: the exchange of traditional academic work for student-centered
inquiry

9. Inside-Out Blended Learning

In Inside-Out blended learning, experiences are planned to ‘finish’ or ‘end up’ beyond the
physical classroom, but still require and benefit from the unique advantages of both physical and
digital spaces.
In both the Outside-In and Inside-Out models, the nature of the ‘online learning’ is less critical
than the focus on platforms, spaces, people, and opportunity beyond the school walls. (The
‘online’ components could be self-directed inquiry and/or formal eLearning courses and
curriculum.)
Because the learning pattern is ‘outward,’ Project-Based blended learning is an excellent
example of the Inside-Out learning model.
As with Outside-In blended learning, there is a need for expert guidance, learning feedback,
content teaching, and psychological and moral support from face-to-face interactions on a daily
basis.
Well-designed, each of the three ‘areas’ plays to its strengths and complements the other two.
Primarily characterized by: student movement between digital and physical spaces

10. Outside-In Blended Learning

In Outside-In blended learning, experiences are planned to ‘start’ in the non-academic physical
and digital environments students use on a daily basis, but finish inside a classroom.
This could mean traditional letter grades and assessment forms, or less traditional teaching and
learning that simply uses the classroom as a ‘closed-circuit’ publishing ‘platform’—a safe space
to share, be creative, collaborate, and give and receive feedback that grows student work.
Well-designed, each of the three ‘areas’ plays to its strengths and complements the other
two. While the pattern is Outside-In, unlike Remote blended learning there is still a need for
guidance, teaching, and support from face-to-face interactions on a daily basis.
Primarily characterized by: student movement between digital and physical spaces; the potential
authenticity of student work

11. Supplemental Blended Learning 

In this model, students complete either entirely online work to supplement their day-to-day face-
to-face learning, or entirely face-to-face learning experiences to supplement the learning gained
in online courses and activities.
The big idea here is supplementing—critical learning objectives are met entirely in one space
while the ‘opposite’ space provides the student with specific supplementing experiences that the
other did not or could not provide.

12. Mastery-Based Blended Learning

Students rotate between online and face-to-face learning (activities, assessments, projects, etc.)
based on the completion of mastery-based learning objectives.
Assessment design is crucial in any mastery-based learning experience; the ability to use face-to-
face and digital assessment tools is either powerful or ‘complicated’ depending on the mindset of
the learning designer.

Benefits of blended learning

A blended learning model is undoubtedly a great way to augment the learner’s experience, but its
advantages go beyond that. Whether you’re training employees, partners, customers or
 planning compliance training, organizations using blended learning will reap many rewards.
Let’s take a look at some of the benefits for learners and organizations:

Benefits for learners

 Blended learning offers the learner convenience and flexibility; they have the ability to control
their learning pace and learn remotely.
 Academic research suggests that blended learning gives learners a more comprehensive
understanding of the course content.
 Because blended learning allows learners to interact with instructors and fellow learners, social
learning is supported.

Benefits for organizations

 Blended learning reduces face-to-face training costs, such as travel, accommodation, and printed
training materials.
 Companies can use varying eLearning methods, such as webinars, gamification, etc., which
result in better learner engagement.
 Because blended learning is a more efficient and cost-effective way to train, you’ll see a quicker
and greater return on investment.
 It’s also easier to track exactly who has, or hasn’t, completed training

Conclusion

Blended learning in educational research refers to a mixing of different learning environments. It

combines traditional face-to-face classroom methods with more modern computer-mediated
activities. Online learning environment can facilitate the success of students because they can
review materials when they want and are more comfortable asking teachers for help.

Blended learning, which typically extends classroom instruction online, is giving new
approaches and strategies for addressing the challenges they face and for taking advantage of the
exciting new learning opportunities that are now available.

The effectiveness of online learning approaches appears quite broad across different content and
learner types. Online learning can be enhanced by giving learners control of their interactions
with media and prompting learning reflection. Some researches proved that providing several
online options in addition to traditional classroom training actually will increase what students
learn, also the student interaction and satisfaction improved, along with students learning more,
in courses that incorporated blended learning.

Looking towards the benefits of blended learning and to overcome the current limitation and
challenges, education institutions should take initiatives to incorporate blended learning strategy.
Also wherever possible universities and autonomous institutions should also try to adopt blended
learning environment and should create require framework and policy for implementation. In
current situation of gadget world, Institutions leading with blended learning environment will
remain sustainable for long duration with successful academic achievement.

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