Understanding blended and supplementary learning

August 18, 2021

It has been estimated that the education of 297 million learners in Africa have been affected by COVID-19 regulations, seeing as schools were closed to contain the spread of the virus.

With already limited access to physical classes, finding an alternative to complete courses, training and school work could be hard especially when taking into consideration that the traditional approach to education has changed forever. Class times and numbers in attendance may also be limited if allowed at all under lockdown regulations, but thanks to new technology, alternative learning methods are available and may even enhance your learning experience.

In this article, we lay down the basics of blended and supplementary learning and the benefits of each. At the end of the day, it comes down to your schooling preference but learning of the benefits may release some doubt about the online learning environment.

Supplementary Learning

Supplementary learning is the act of using an online schooling system, usually through the use of Learning Management Systems (or LMS for short), to supplement that which is being taught or presented in a physical classroom.

Using an online environment may have many advantages to traditional education and training methods.

<ol>

<li>Additional resources</li>

</ol>

Through supplementary learning, the student or trainee usually gets access to additional online resources, or supplementary material, that aren’t necessarily part of the curriculum but do provide the student with extra information, should they need a broader understanding of what is being presented.

This is usually provided when there aren’t any facilitators or trainers available to further explain a subject or provide additional information. It boils down to empowering students to be in a position to achieve success. In today’s world, schools, universities and corporations may have fallen behind with their curriculums. Thus, time if of the essence and having the chance to upload extra material for own reading online, can be a tremendous help to those in training and education roles.

<li>Conveniently paced courses </li>

</ol>

Even though attending a course online you still have a completion date, you do have the option to complete modules at your own pace. Because you are not sharing a physical environment with other students or trainees you get to spend more time on certain areas that you may have some trouble with to ensure that you fully understand before moving on.

This also allows for time to do additional research, especially when supplementary resources have been provided by the lecturer themselves. Not having to keep up with the rest of your classmates at all times may also lift some weight off of students’ shoulders to ensure that all of their attention is focused on understanding the material rather than just moving on to keep up.

<li>Advanced learning materials</li>

</ol>

Having all of your learning materials and resources online allows for a wider variety of content in the form of videos, graphical diagrams, animations, interactive lessons and more. Having graphical and engaging content helps to simplify difficult-to-understand concepts through visual stimulation. This will also ensure that students stay motivated and engaged in the courses that they are enrolled in.

In a traditional classroom, there might not be enough time of equipment available for each and every student to access these materials while the class is being presented.

Blended learning

Blended learning is the act of combining online learning with physically presented classes. Basically, it is the best of both worlds as you get personal interaction with an educator or trainer that you otherwise would have missed out on if education is presented solely on a remote basis. Classes may be streamed online and recorded for after-class revision. All online resources are the exact same materials that are physically available, thus students without online access are not at a disadvantage.

<ol>

<li>Instructor-led classes</li>

</ol>

Most students and trainees prefer attending a physical instructor-led class where they are in an educational environment to avoid distractions and questions may be asked and topics that may be further explained, but having a class full of students makes it hard to keep up with the pace.

Having the option to go back and watch the recorded class and review the given materials online to revise what one may have misunderstood in class, could be a crucial step to ensure that students and trainees fully understand the class and don’t fall behind. It is most important to focus on understanding your classes to advance to the next module.

<li>Time efficiency</li>

</ol>

We know that in today’s world, being able to attend a class every day could be hard as time constraints may be limited. Other than that, some students might not be able to return to physical classes just yet due to COVID-19 fears and concerns.

Having the option to live stream a class is not only time-efficient but also cost-efficient. Not having to travel between classes and residences every day or having to take time off of work and cancelling life events to get to classes, could save students money whilst still having the option to attend in person. Balancing personal life and education by using one's time and valuable resources efficiently helps to keep students motivated and engaged and may reduce stress in the process.

From a business perspective, it could help to cut costs that are involved with presenting training or teaching. This is because a class only needs to be presented once, whereafter it can be made available online. Thus, those who cannot attend the physical training can access the same material online. The company does not need to arrange multiple sessions to accommodate all students.

<li>Reporting and statistics</li>

</ol>

Facilitators also have the option to get proper analytics on their students’ performance to see where they are struggling or excelling. Proper adjustments may be made to optimize the content for your students to ensure they get the best out of their classes in real-time and online. Having these statistics available makes it easy for the facilitator to reach out to a student or trainee to ensure that they stay on course and don’t fall behind.

<li>Visual enhancement</li>

</ol>

Having the learning materials that were discussed in class in a visual format may make it easier to simplify difficult-to-understand concepts. Visual stimulation also keeps students engaged and gives them a different perspective through video, animation, etc to keep them captivated and to provide a different approach to understanding difficult topics.

The future of education

In many respects, the world has changed forever since 2020. Education and training is not unaffected by this. Now, it is more important than ever for corporations and institutions to tap into technology that is available to save on their teaching and training costs. Other than that, the future of education is one where students will have the opportunity to study partly online or, at least, have access to resources provided by facilitators digitally to review them on their own time. Social distancing will be with us for quite some time to come still and all industries must adapt in this regard.

The most popular and efficient way in which both blended and supplementary learning is provided is through the use of a reliable learning management system and stellar learning content.

SOCO_ED is a new online learning environment that not only provides a fully adaptive LMS, but also provides a variety of content creation services to clients. This positions them as a true partner in education, as they are a one-stop destination for all your remote learning needs. Their system has been uniquely designed to accommodate the needs of blended and supplemental learning, thanks to their use of advanced technology and the latest in e-learning features. For more information on the benefits of e-learning and what we provide, visit our website here <a href="https://www.socoed.com/">https://www.socoed.com/</a>.

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Understanding blended and supplementary learning

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