Blended Learning - Neither Shaken nor Stirred

Abstract

Blended learning (BL) is a logical extension of the continuum that began with the use of a single instructional medium in a curriculum to the use of multiple media and methods of delivery in instructional units. It has enormous potential for improving learning and it brings with it several challenges regarding its appropriate use and its proliferation. The primary factor in the emergence of blended learning has been the proliferation of personal computers and computer workstations in the workplace coupled with the availability of new computer applications that have greatly improved the ability to produce and deliver quality training interventions to a broad audience. The benefits of adopting a BL approach to training are many and obvious but the challenges involved in shifting to BL are also numerous. This paper explores the promise and the costs of adopting a Blended Learning approach for equipment training in the semiconductor manufacturing environment