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Report:DefiningBlendedLearning
NormFriesen,August2012 EXECUTIVESUMMARY: Themeaningofblendedlearninghaschangedovertime;onlydefinitionsfrom2006and lateraretobeconsideredcurrent.Consequently,asuggestedcompositedefinitionis: BlendedlearningdesignatestherangeofpossibilitiespresentedbycombiningInternet anddigitalmediawithestablishedclassroomformsthatrequirethephysicalcopresenceof teacherandstudents. Thecoherenceandconsistencyofthisdefinitionisillustratedthroughexamplesfromthe literature,andviaadecisiontreeofferedasaheuristic. BlendedlearningappearstohavebeeninusesincethepopularadventoftheInternetandtheWorld WideWebinthelate1990s.However,likemanyotherInternetbuzzwordsaroundthistime(e.g.,new economy,elearning),itspreciseconnotationshavechangedandsubsequentlyconvergedand stabilized.From2006tothepresent,blendedlearninghasbeenunderstoodasacombinationoffaceto faceandtechnologymediatedinstructionalformsandpractices.Atthesametime,thephrasesfaceto faceandtechnologicalmediationthemselvesmaygenerallybenefitfromfurtherdefinitionand contextualization.Asaresult,thispapertracesouttheetymologyoftheevolvingmeaningoftheterm blendedlearning,anditalsomapsoutanalyticallythesignificanceoftheopposedtermsthathave cometobeseenasblendedinit.Itofferstheseetymologicalandanalyticalaccountsinorderto provideclarityonthecurrentmeaningofblendedlearning. PartI:HistoryandEtymology a. OriginandDivergence:19992004 Thepreciseoriginofthetermblendedlearningisuncertain.However,oneofthefirstoccurrences thathavebeenidentifiedisitsuseina1999newsreleasefromEPICLearning,anAtlantabased computerskillcertificationandsoftwaretrainingbusiness: Thecompanycurrentlyoperates220onlinecourses,butwillbeginofferingitsInternet coursewareusingthecompany'sBlendedLearningmethodology[sic].Selectcourseswill continuetoofferthetraditionalcoursecontentonline,butwillalsoofferliveinstructionand othercollaborativecomponents,allfromthestudent'sdesktop.(PRNewswire,March5,1999, n.p.;emphasisadded) Thedefinitionofblendedlearningimpliedinthisannouncementisambiguous:Doesliveinstruction suggestthephysicalcopresenceofinstructorandstudent?Ordoesitmeanthattheinstructorisonline

2 atthesametimeasthestudent?Isthestudentsdesktopaliteralplace,orisitthevirtualonesimulated onacomputerscreen? Questionsofthesekindsaremultipliedwhenother,relativelyearlydefinitionsofblendedlearningare consulted.Fortheyears20022003inparticular,manyeclecticdefinitionsofblendedlearningseemto beavailable.Forexample: Blendedlearningv.[sic] 1. Tocombineormixmodesofwebbasedtechnology(e.g.,livevirtualclassroom,selfpaced instruction,collaborativelearning,streamingvideo,audio,andtext)toaccomplishan educationalgoal. 2. Tocombinevariouspedagogicalapproaches(e.g.,constructivism,behaviorism,cognitivism) toproduceanoptimallearningoutcomewithorwithoutinstructionaltechnology. 3. Tocombineanyformofinstructionaltechnology(e.g.,videotape,CDROM,webbased training,film)withfacetofaceinstructorledtraining. 4. Tomixorcombineinstructionaltechnologywithactualjobtasksinordertocreatea harmoniouseffectoflearningandworking. Thepointisblendedlearningmeansdifferentthingstodifferentpeople.Thismayappeartobean academicpointbutinrealitythesedefinitionsillustratetheuntappedpotentialofblendedlearning. (Driscoll,2003,p.1) Blendedlearning,inotherwords,isalmostanycombinationoftechnologies,pedagogiesandevenjob tasks.Itincludessomeoftheoldestmechanicalmedia(e.g.,film)andtheoriesoflearning(e.g., behaviourism),aswellasthenewest.ItisthereforenotsurprisingthatEPICLearning,havingreferenced blendedlearningmethodologiesearlier,foundthemselvestryingtoclarifytheirownuseoftheterm. Inawhitepaperwrittenspecificallyforthispurpose,anotherexampleofadefinitionisquotedthis timefromtrainingsectorexpertElliotMasiewhichissobroadastoagainincludenearlyallformsof learningandinstruction: Whatisblendedlearning?Itistheuseoftwoormoredistinctmethodsoftraining.Thismay includecombinationssuchas:blendingclassroominstructionwithonlineinstruction,blending onlineinstructionwithaccesstoacoachorfacultymember,blendingsimulationswith structuredcourses,blendingonthejobtrainingwithbrownbaginformalsessions,blending managerialcoachingwithelearningactivities.(from:Clark,2003p.4) Thiswhitepapergoesontodefineblendedlearningasamixappropriatetotrainingandjob performance,onewhichwouldincludeperformancesupporttechnologies,knowledgemanagementand onlinetrainingtechnologies. Itislikelythattheverybreadthandinclusivityofthesedefinitionsofblendedlearning,asDriscoll suggests,initiallyhelpedmakethetermpopularasabuzzword.Althoughtheseearlydefinitionsprovide

3 littleclarityinincludingorexcludingcoursesinblendedlearning,thewaythetermisdefinedor describedindicatesatleastthreethingsaboutthistypeoflearning: 1. First,incontradistinctiontotheDriscolldefinition,blendedlearningisanounoranounphrase (agerund),notaverb.Thisunderscoresthatitisnotsomuchaboutstudentsactivity(asin: Imblendedlearningtoday),asitisamethodofinstruction,ofgreaterconcernto instructionalandinstitutionalpersonnel. 2. Althoughblendedlearningcaninvolveacombinationofanynumberoftechnologiesand techniques,mostexamplesincludeonlytwo,forexample:classroomwithonline,onlinewith coaching,instructionaltechnologywithactualjobtasks,etc. 3. Finally,thecombinationofclassroomwithonlineactivitiesormodalitiesisconspicuousinthe twodefinitionscitedabove(andinotherexamplesfromthistime;e.g.,Singh&Reed,2001; Orey,2003). b.ConsolidationandClarification:20062012 Themiddleofthefirstdecadeofthe21stcenturymarksashiftintheuseofthetermblendedlearning: Theimportanceofthisterminthehighereducationcontext(ratherthanindustryandtraining)became clear,asdidabroadlyconsensualunderstandingofitsmeaning.2006istheyearofthepublicationof thefirstHandbookofBlendedLearning,(Bonk,Graham,Cross&Moore),andayearlater,thebook BlendedLearninginHigherEducation:Framework,Principles,andGuidelinesbyRandyGarrisonand NormanVaughanappeared.ThefirstofthesebookswasintroducedwithachaptertitledBlended LearningSystems:Definition,CurrentTrends,andFutureDirections,byCharlesGraham.Thischapter workstowardsadefinitionofblendedlearningthathascometobewidelyaccepted;anditdoessoby firstreviewingtheverybroadkindsofdefinitionscitedabove,andthenconcluding: thesepositionssufferfromtheproblemthattheydefine[blendedlearning]sobroadlythatthey encompassvirtuallyalllearningsystems.Onewouldbehardpressedtofindanylearningsystem [orcombinationofmethods]thatdidnotinvolvemultipleinstructionalmethodsandmultiple deliverymedia.(Graham,2006,p.4) Speakingspecificallyofblendedlearningsystems(fromasystemstheoryratherthanatechnical perspective),Grahamthengoesontodefinesuchsystemsasonesthatcombinefacetoface instructionwithcomputermediatedinstruction(p.5).Hejustifiesthisapproachasfollows: Th[is]workingdefinitionreflectstheideathat[blendedlearning]isthecombinationof instructionfromtwohistoricallyseparatemodelsofteachingandlearning:traditionalF2F learningsystemsanddistributedlearningsystems.Italsoemphasizesthecentralroleof computerbasedtechnologiesinblendedlearning.(2006,p.5) Grahamsdefinitionandexplanationareparticularlyhelpfulinthattheyreferencetraditions,practices andnormswithwhichmanyeducatorswillbelongfamiliar.Thesearepracticesandnormsofthe physical,bricksandmortarclassroomontheonehand,andofdistancedelivery(presumablyincluding

4 postalcorrespondencethroughteleconferencetofullyonlinemethods)ontheother.Grahamcontinues thisdifferentiationbyexplainingthatblendedlearning ispartoftheongoingconvergenceof[these]twoarchetypallearningenvironments.Ontheone hand,wehavethetraditionalF2Flearningenvironmentthathasbeenaroundforcenturies.On theotherhand,wehavedistributedlearningenvironmentsthathavebeguntogrowandexpand inexponentialwaysasnewtechnologieshaveexpandedthepossibilitiesfordistributed communicationandinteraction.(2006,p.5) GarrisonandVaughan,fortheirpart,citeGrahamsdefinitionintheir2007book,andportrayblended learning,thusdefined,ashavinganaturalplaceinhighereducationcontexts.Furthermore,in distinguishingbetweenonlineandclassroomsettings,GarrisonandVaughanemphasizetheparticularly textualnatureofmanyonlinecontextsasopposedtotheoralcommunicationtypicaloftheclassroom: Recognizingtrueblendedlearningisnotobvious.Blendedlearningisthethoughtfulfusionof facetofaceandonlinelearningexperiences.Thebasicprincipleisthatfacetofaceoral communicationandonlinewrittencommunicationareoptimallyintegratedsuchthatthe strengthsofeachareblendedintoauniquelearningexperiencecongruentwiththecontextand intendededucationalpurpose.Althoughtheconceptofblendedlearningmaybeintuitively apparentandsimple,thepracticalapplicationismorecomplex.(2007,p.5)

Indevelopingtheiraccountofblendedlearning,GarrisonandVaughanhaveinmindaparticularkindof onlinelearningexperience:thatoftextbased,threadedcommunicationforumswhichareoftenusedto holdclassorgroupdiscussions.Despitethisemphasis,however,theirunderstandingofblendedlearning isbroadlyconsistentwiththatofGraham.TheexampleofGarrisonandVaughanisalsofollowedby othersfromthehighereducationsector,whosimilarlybeginaffirmingandelaboratinguponthesame definition,seeingitashavingclarifiedearlierconfusion.Forexample,ina2009IntroductiontoBlended LearningPractices,StaceyandGerbicobserve: Cross(2006),alsofromthecorporatetrainingsector,writesthatinthiscontextblended learningisonlyatransitoryterm,itisatermwhichhasgainedongoingcurrencyandaroused greatinterestinthehighereducationsectorandappearstobesurvivingitsbuzzwordstatus andtakingitsrightfulplaceassignifyingaparticularideaorpractice.(p.2) StaceyandGerbicgoontoexplainthatsinceblendedlearninghascometosignifyspecificideasand practices,itcanbedescribedintermsofacontinuum,alongwhichaseriesofvariationsinpracticeand thinkingcanbearranged:Blendedlearningcanbeplacedbetweenfullyonlineandfullyfacetoface courses,andoneofthedefinitionalissuesiswherethismightbeonsuchacontinuum.Blended learning,toadaptStaceyandGerbicsphrasing,designatesthemanypossiblecombinationsof instruction,informationandinteractionthatcanoccurintheclassroomcontextofphysicalcopresence togetherwithvariousformsoftechnical(generallyonlineanddigital)mediation.Byindicatingthatthese combinationsareonacontinuum(asdomanyothers,e.g.MorteraGutirrez,2006;Watson,2008;

5 Jonesetal,2009),StaceyandGerbicanticipateoneoftheprincipalchallengestowhichthiswidely accepteddefinitiongivesrise: Whereonthecontinuumofpossiblecombinationsistherenotenoughofeitheronlineorface tofaceactivitytomeritthedesignationblendedlearning?Or,toputitanotherway: Whenisonlinetechnologysopervasiveinacoursethatphraseslikefacetofaceorbricksand mortararemetaphoricalratherthanliteralinsignificance? Providinganswerstothesequestionsistheprincipalintentofthesecondpartofthisreport,whichshifts fromanetymologicaltoananalyticalemphasis. PartII:CurrentUseandElaboration Havingstabilizedmiddecadeinthehighereducationcontext,onecansaythatblendedlearningasa termdependsonthedifferences,similaritiesandcompatibilitiesevidentbetweentwosetsofterms: Theseare(toborrowfromGraham)F2Fanddistributedsystems,modesorformsofinstruction.To answerthequestions,posedabove,abouttheminimalacceptablequantitiesofeachofthesetwoforms inblendedlearning,thispartofthereportanalyzesthreeexamples: a. Examplesoftheinstructionalformsandpracticesthatareopposedtooneanotherindefinitions anddiscussionsofblendedlearning,andtoclarifythemeaningofeachset. b. Anexampleofananalysisandtaxonomyofblendedlearningformsfortheprimaryand secondaryeducationalsectors. c. Anexampleofadecisiontreedevelopedforthisreportthatcombinescommondefinitionsof blendedlearningtogetherwithotherwidelyaccepteddefinitionsofothercoursetypes. a. OpposedForms,ContextsandPracticesinBlendedLearning Thetablebelowlistscommonexamplesofthetwosetsofopposedtermsthataregenerallysaidtobe blendedinblendedlearningcourses.Withineachset,thetermslistedshouldbeviewedasbeing broadlyinterchangeableorsynonymous.Thus,physicalcopresence,inclassinstructionandfaceto facehavegenerallythesamemeaning,andthetermonlineisgenerallyconsideredinterchangeablewith thetermsvirtualanddistributed. PhysicalCoPresence TechnicalMediation FacetoFace(F2F)(Graham,2006;Stacey &Gerbic,2009) Oralcommunication(Garrison&Vaughan) Inclassinstruction(Chase,2012) placeoftheclassroom(Friesen,2011) Bricks,mortar(Schulte,2011) asupervisedbrickandmortarlocation awayfromhome(Staker&Horn,2012) Online(Graham,2006;Stacey&Gerbic) Writtencommunication(Garrison& Vaughan,2007) Distributedlearning(Graham,2006) spaceofthescreen(Friesen,2011) Clicks,virtual(Schulte,2011) onlinedeliveryofcontentand instruction(Staker&Horn,2012)

6 Ofthevariousopposedexpressionsandphrasesusedinthistable,onlyoneortwohavebeendefinedin amannerthatisrigorousandformalized.Thetermsfacetofaceandtechnicalmediationareboth widelyusedandarediscussedinformaltermsintheliteratureof(mediated)socialinteraction,Internet communication,andalsobusinesscommunication.Forexample,anarticleonmediatedsocial interactionintheInternationalEncyclopediaofCommunicationoffersthefollowing: Mediatedsocialinteractionreferstotheinteractionbetweentwoormoreindividuals,normally separatedintimeand/orspace,enabledbyvariouscommunicationtechnologies.Mediated socialinteractionmaytakevariousforms,dependingonhowmanypeopleareinvolvedin messageconstructionandreception[andon]whatkindsofmodalitiesarebeingused(e.g., textvs.fullmotionvideo);andsoforth.(Lee,2008,p.3034) Mediationcanthusinvolveawiderangeofmodalitiesortechnologies,includingvideoconferencing separatedbyspace,videorecordingandplaybackseparatedbytime,andformsofamorequotidian nature,suchasasynchronousemailorsynchronous(i.e.realtime)chat.FacetoFace,ontheother hand,isactuallyonlyrarelydefinedinsuchexplicitterms.OneexceptionisprovidedintheMicrosoft ComputerDictionary,whichexplainsthattheabbreviationF2Fsimplymeansinpersonratherthan overtheInternet.FurthercontextisprovidedbyanarticleinthebusinessliteraturetitledACost BenefitAnalysisofFacetoFaceandVirtualCommunication: manyobserversarguethatthereisnoreplacementforfacetofacecontact,regardlessofhow fartechnologyhasevolved.Forexample,facetofacecontactfacilitatesthetransferoftacit knowledgeorknowledgethatisnotwrittenordefinable,butgainedthroughexperience.When communicatingfacetoface,thespeakercandrawonvisualcuesfromtheaudiencetogain quick,immediatefeedbackandmakerapidadjustmentsasnecessary....Visualcuesandsocial presenceinfacetofacedialoguealsoenablememberstomoreeasilylearnaboutoneanothers background,skills,experiences,andareasofexpertise.Thesecuesbuildtrustwithingroupsthat interactfacetoface.Althoughorganizingandplanningforfacetofacecontactcanbedifficult andcostly,thisinitselfcansendamessageofvaluetotherecipients.(Heller,2010,p.9) Facetofacecommunicationthustakesplaceintheformofbothoralandnonverbalcommunication, butnotinwrittenform.Significantly,thisdescriptionalsoindicatesthatnonverbalcommunicationin facetofacesettingscanextendtoandencompassaspectsofthecontextthatthespeakersinhabit, sincethiscontextissharedbyspeakersforaperiod,howeverbrieforlengthy.Atthesametime,this accountoffacetofacecommunicationalsosuggeststhatoralcommunication,andevensomekindsof nonverbalcommunication,doesnotneedtooccurstrictlyinafacetofacesetting.Thiscommunication cantakeplacethroughthemediationofaudiotechnologiessuchasteleconferencingoraudio/visual mediasuchasSkypeorH.323videosystems.Inthesecases,communicationisbothoralandmediated, renderingproblematicthisparticularpartoftheGarrisonandVaughandefinitionofblendedlearning,as quotedabove.

7 b. ATaxonomyofBlendedLearningForms Oneparticularlydetailedmodelofblendedlearninghasbeenrecentlyformulatedfortheprimaryand secondaryschoolsectorsinareportfortheInnositeInstitute(StakerandHorn2012).Thereportbreaks downthecontinuumofpossiblecombinationsoftheseblendedlearningformsintofourdiscrete combinationsormodels.Atleasttwoofthesecombinations(1and4)areofdirectrelevancetohigher education,whiletheothersshowthekindsofcombinationsthatareeducationallyfeasible,butprobably bestsuitedforK12settings.Thesemodelsmovefromrelativelyclassroomintensivecombinationsto onesthataremoredependentononlinemediation: 1. Therotationmodel,inwhichonlineengagementiscombinedorrather,embedded,withina rangeoffacetofaceformsofinstructioninacyclicalmanner; 2. Theflexmodel,inwhichmultiplestudentsareengagedprimarilyonline,butunderthe supervisionofateacherwhoisphysicallypresent; 3. Theselfblendingmodel,inwhichstudentschoosedifferentcoursestotakeindependently, butdosoinasettingwhereasupervisingteacherandotherstudentsarecopresent; 4. Theenrichedvirtualmodel,inwhichonline,virtualexperiencesareseenasbeingenriched onlyperiodicallythrougharrangementsofphysicalcopresence.(pp.815) Thefirst,rotationmodelcanbeseenasinvolvingarrangementsinwhichaclassandacohort(who spendthemajorityoftheirtimeinthesamespace)aregivenopportunitiestogoonlinetoengagein instructionalactivities.StakerandHornexplainthattheseopportunitiescanbeprovidedinthe classroom,atanearbycomputerlab,orathome,andtheycanbearrangedaccordingtoastudents individualneeds.Becauseofthegeneralcolocationofstudentsandteacherinanongoingfacetoface coursesetting,theseactivitiesarepresumablyrelatedtoaccessingmaterials(e.g.podcastsofteacher presentations)orcommunicationopportunitieswiththoseoutsideoftheclassroom(e.g.withexpertsor withstudentsinotherlocations). Thesecond,flexmodel,suggestsproctoringorsupervisionarrangementsthatarelikelytobeoflimited useinhighereducationsettings,asisthecaseforthethird,selfblendingapproach.Inbothmodels, studentstakeoneormorecoursesonline,allthewhilebeingsituatedwithaphysicallycopresent teacherandotherstudentswherethisworkcanbesupervised.Althoughapproacheslikethisproven successful,includinginoneK12settingintheBritishColumbiaInterior(Khelouiati,2012),theemphasis oninstructorsupervisioncentraltobothislikelynottobesuitableforhighereducation.Gathering adultstogetherinasinglespacetosupervisetheirlearningonanongoingbasiswouldgenerallynotbe seenasappropriate;inaddition,nooneteacherwouldbeabletoadequatelyadvisestudentstaking coursesindifferentdisciplines. Thisleavesthefourth,enrichedvirtualmodel,whichislikelyofgreatestrelevancetohighereducation, andinvolvesoneormoreoccasionsofthephysicalcopresenceofateacherandstudentstoenrichan otherwisevirtualexperience.Thereareawiderangeofpossiblecombinationsthataffordthiskindof contact:theteachermaytravelduringthedeliveryofacoursetovisitsmallgatheringsofstudentswho

8 constitutepartsofagivencohort;thecohortasawholemaymeetatwiththeinstructoratthe sponsoringinstitutionforameetingtokickoffagivencourse;orsuchmeetingsmaybeheldwith somewhatgreaterfrequency,forexample,atthebeginning,middleandconclusionofacourse. c. CombiningtheOptionsinaDecisionTree ThetaxonomyprovidedbyStalkerandHorn,togetherwiththeotherdefinitionsandcontextsprovided abovecanbecombinedinadecisiontree.Theprocessitdescribesisassumedtoapplytocourseswith significantonlinecomponents,anditmaythusserveasaheuristicfordeterminingwhetheracourseis blendedorofanotherkindaltogether.Atthesametime,itmayfulfillamoreanalyticalpurpose:to isolatethedecisionpoints,ortheoccasionsofconvergenceordivergence,thatmayoccurindefining blendedlearningordeterminingtheblendedstatusofagivencourse.

9 Theinclusionofthefirstandfourthmodels(rotationandenhancedvirtual)ofStalkerandHornin thefinalstagesofthedecisiontreediagram(above)isnotabsolutelynecessaryfordetermininga coursesblendedstatus.However,theintegrationofthesetwomodelsinthisdiagramismeantto demonstratetheoverallcoherenceofthesuggesteddecisionprocesswiththerelevantandaccepted vocabulary.Asimilarintentionisexpressedthroughtheinclusionofadistinctionbetweenselfpaced andcohortbasedonlinecourses,akindofdifferentiationcommonintheliterature(e.g.,Russelletal, 2009)andidentifiedinthefirsttwoterminator(roundedrectangular)elementsofthedecisiontree. PartIII.Conclusion Eventhoughblendedlearningisadesignconstructratherthanonepropertostudentsorlearners,in anydeterminationofacourseasblended,thebenefitsaccruingtostudentsshouldbeofprinciple concern.AsthecostbenefitanalysisfromHeller(2010)quotedaboveindicates,organizingandplanning forfacetofacecontactcanbedifficultandcostly;however,itsprevalenceasacomponentincomplex communicationswhethertheyoccurinbusinessorinotherknowledgeintensiveareassuggeststhe valueofthistypeofcommunicationfortheseundertakings.Thisvalueshouldbebalancedwithasecond mainstudentconcern,accessorflexibility.Likeblendedlearningitself,achievingabalancebetween thesetwoelementsasalongacontinuumextendingfrommaximumflexibilitytomaximumqualityor valueisthegoalofeducationalproviders. References: Bonk,C.J.,&Graham,C.R.(2006).Thehandbookofblendedlearningenvironments:Globalperspectives, localdesigns.SanFrancisco:JosseyBass/Pfeiffer. Chase,C.(2012).BlendedLearningCombiningOnlineTechnologywithClassroomInstruction:1of3 MakeEdtechHappen.http://chipchase.com/2012/03/21/blendedlearningcombiningonline technologywithclassroominstruction1of3/ Clark,D.(2003).BlendedLearning:AnEPICWhitePaper.http://www.scribd.com/doc/84278560/Clark DBlendedLearning Driscoll,M.(2003).BlendedLearning:LetsgetBeyondtheHype.IBMGlobalServices.http://www 07.ibm.com/services/pdf/blended_learning.pdf F2F.(1997).MicrosoftPressComputerDictionary,3rded.Redmond,WA:MicrosoftPress. Friesen,N.(2011).ThePlaceoftheClassroomandtheSpaceoftheScreen:RelationalPedagogyand InternetTechnology.NewYork:PeterLang. Garrison,D.&Vaughan,N.(2008).Blendedlearninginhighereducation:Framework,principles,and guidelines.SanFrancisco,CA:JohnWiley&Sons.

10 Graham,C.R.(2006).Blendedlearningsystems:Definition,currenttrends,andfuturedirections.InC.J. Bonk&C.R.Graham(Eds.),Thehandbookofblendedlearning:Globalperspectives,localdesigns (pp.321).SanFrancisco:JosseyBass/Pfeiffer. Heller,R.(2010).ACostBenefitAnalysisofFaceToFaceandVirtualCommunication:Overcomingthe Challenges. http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrs/research/whitepapers/upload/Spring10Mtng_CostBenefitVirtual Comm.pdf Jones,N.,Chew,E.Jones,C.&Lau,C.(2009),"Overtheworstorattheeyeofthestorm?"Education+ Training,51(1)622. Khelouiati,E.(2012).LocalizedOnLineLearningataRuralHighSchool:ACaseStudy.Unpublished Thesis.ThompsonRiversUniversity,Kamloops,Canada. Lee,E.J.(2008)Mediatedsocialinteraction.InternationalEncyclopediaofCommunication.Malden,MA: Blackwell. MorteraGutirrez,F.(2006).FacultyBestPracticesUsingBlendedLearninginELearningandFaceto FaceInstruction.InternationalJournalonELearning,5(3),313337.Chesapeake,VA:AACE. http://www.editlib.org/p/6079 Orey,M.(2003).DefinitionofBlendedLearning.http://mikeorey.myweb.uga.edu/blendedLearning/ PRNewswire.(March5,1999).InteractiveLearningCentersAnnouncesNameChangetoEPICLearning. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Interactive+Learning+Centers+Announces+Name+Change+to+EPIC +Learning.a054024665 Russell,M.,Kleiman,G.,Carey,R.,&Douglas,J.(2009).Comparingselfpacedandcohortbasedonline coursesforteachers.JournalofResearchonTechnologyinEducation,41(4),443466. Schulte,B.(2011).ClicksgetBricks.HarvardEducationLetter,27(4)http://hepg.org/hel/article/506 Singh,H.&Reed,C.(2001).AWhitePaper:AchievingSuccesswithBlendedLearning. http://chriscollieassociates.com/BlendedLearning.pdf Stacey,E.&Gerbic,P.(2009).EffectiveBlendedLearningPractices:EvidenceBasedPerspectivesinICT FacilitatedEducation.In:IntroductiontoBlendedLearningPractices.HersheyNY:IGIGlobal. Stalker,H.,&Horn,M.B.(2012).ClassifyingK12blendedlearning.MountainView,CA:Innosight Institute,Inc.http://www.innosightinstitute.org/innosight/wp content/uploads/2012/05/ClassifyingK12blendedlearning2.pdf Watson,J.(2008).Blendedlearning:Theconvergenceofonlineandfacetofaceeducation.TheNorth AmericanCouncilforOnlineLearning. http://www.inacol.org/research/promisingpractices/NACOL_PPBlendedLearninglr.pdf