Blended Instructional Practice: a review of literature.

Johnston, Jeff

ET-Blended learning

Brown, M. m. (2016). Blended instructional practice: A review of the empirical literature on instructors' adoption and use of online tools in face-to-face teaching. Internet & Higher Education, 311-10.

Summary:  Blended learning has been discussed and researched by academia, but the primary focus has been student-centered.  Most students enrolled in degree programs have experienced some form of blended learning practices.  What has not been researched as greatly is the impact that blended learning shifts have on pedagogy, institutional practices, student and faculty behaviors, institutional infrastructure and more.  This article reviews existing literature to identify influences on blended learning in higher education.  

Analysis/Opinion:  Rather dry empircal review of existing research regarding blended learning practices.  I found it interesting that most of the research has been driven by examining the student role, receptivity, and success in blended learning classrooms.  Very little research exists about the instructor role, particularly in higher education, and what internal and external influences exists.  The tables at the end of the article are useful in that they define the four external and two internal influences on collegiate and university instructors utilizing blended instructional practices (BIP), and point to further research which both supports, is neutral toward, and is opposed to these influences.