In our final meeting of the LEaDER Journal Club in 2022 we explored the report on the Blended Learning Review conducted by the Office for Students.  Picking up on some of the themes explored in our November meeting, the report considers the development of online learning during the pandemic, as well as looking towards the future of blended learning through a series of recommendations.

With attendees representing a variety of types of expertise – including lecturers, learning technologists, and academic developers – we had a rich discussionabout the role of online and in-person pedagogies.  We discussed the importance of having a clear pedagogical rationale for the use of learning technologies, picking up on the report’s finding that student engagement is higher if they understand why a blended approach is being used.

As well as considering the relationship between pedagogies and technologies, we also discussed the report’s recommendation that both students and staff be supported with developing their digital literacies, considering what this might look like in practice.  The report’s consideration of the “attendance paradox” also provided a valuable point for discussion, with reflections on how to best facilitate a return to in-person learning post-pandemic.

Our discussion also engaged with hybrid learning and was enriched by insights from the Teaching Here and There podcast series, which explores the challenges of teaching online and in-person simultaneously.

Our next session will be held on Thursday 19th January at midday and will explore playful learning.  We will be considering the following papers:

• Secker, J., & Morrison, C. (2022). Playing with copyright: Transforming copyright education through games. Journal of Play in Adulthood, 4(2), 106–125. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.719171123623402
• Whitton N. (2018). Playful learning: tools, techniques, and tactics. Research in Learning Technology, 26. https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v26.2035

Please book your place using this form.  We hope to see you there!