Understanding Blended Learning and its Benefits

It is critical to provide training that engages your learners, but should that be face-to-face, e-learning, mentoring or something else?

Key takeaways:

• Blended learning is when training is delivered through multiple formats of learning to improve engagement and cater to different learning styles
• More than half of businesses agree that multiformat learning options improve engagement and accessibility
• To deliver blended learning, organisations need a compliance training platform that offers courses in multiple formats, covers both mandatory and risk-based topics, and ensures that delivery is engaging and fun

Is blended learning for you?

It’s one thing to deliver training, but you need to be confident that employees will take their learnings into their working lives. This is particularly true when it comes to compliance with laws such as GDPR, fraud prevention, cybersecurity, and health and safety. A well-informed and prepared employee is key to maintaining compliance, especially in highly-regulated sectors like financial services and insurance.

But which type of training is more effective – face-to-face, e-learning, mentoring or something else?

The answer is you don’t have to choose. Blended learning takes the best of these to deliver engaging and effective training suited to each learner’s preferred learning style.

What we will cover:

• What is blended learning?
• Benefits of a blended learning approach
• 10+ Learning engagement statistics
• Example of a blended learning programme
• Choosing a learning provider
• Blended learning FAQs

What is blended learning?

Blended learning, sometimes referred to as hybrid learning, is when employers deliver training through both online platforms and face-to-face. For example, you could provide the basics of cybersecurity training through an e-learning module, and then go into more detail through classroom-based training, with real-life examples and interactive tasks. This combination gives learners the opportunity to engage with the training material in a way that suits their style of learning – and it's more flexible.

Blended learning became the new normal following the Covid-19 pandemic, with experts calling for educators to consider blended learning models in future education courses, and ensure they’re creative and interactive. But blended learning isn’t a new approach – it dates back to the '60s when employees were sent training through character-based terminals and the ‘70s when trainers used video networks.

Today, blended learning is the norm especially with remote and hybrid roles and flexible working hours. It’s led to the evolution of e-learning platforms, which enable employers to deliver bespoke, up-to-date training courses direct to a learner’s computer or even mobile phone.

Benefits of a blended learning approach

If workplace training isn’t engaging, employees simply won’t keep their knowledge and skills up to date.
This could have big consequences for your organisation – for example, cybersecurity awareness is critical for avoiding a highly-disruptive and costly cyber-attack.

Blended learning uses two or more approaches to training to ensure your training programmes are engaging and suited to all types of learners.

Here are a few benefits:

• Improved employee engagement: With interactive tasks like end-of-module tests and in-person activities, employees can better engage with the materials and help learning stick.
• Flexibility: Blended learning improves flexibility for both trainers and employees because they can complete e-learning courses at a time that’s convenient.
• Learning styles: Blended learning enables you to cater to different learning styles, for example, some employees may prefer videos, reading or bite-sized information.
• Cost effective: By reducing the number of in-person training sessions, you could make some savings.
• Accessibility: Blended learning is great for larger teams because it can be challenging to arrange a date for them to come together, and if one person misses training, you may have to do another session.
• Reporting: You could get direct feedback from in-person sessions and use the data in your e-learning system to identify trends, test results and areas of improvement.

10+ Learning engagement statistics

As part of a recent Skillcast Culture and Compliance seminar, we surveyed more than 100 attendees to understand their views on training techniques.

Engagement

More than half (52%) of respondents agree that multiformat compliance learning improves both engagement and accessibility of training, while another 44% said it could work if it were easy to implement.

Respondents also ranked the multiformat learning styles from most useful to least:

1. Mobile-friendly bite-sized learning
2. PDFs and infographics – downloadable guides/summaries of key content
3. Video-based narrated versions of full-length courses
4. Adding 1-2 minute video explainers with full-length courses
5. Audio/podcast versions of course content
6. Chat-based conversational learning

“We are increasingly aware of the importance of appealing to different learning styles. Ultimately our job is to make sure all of our employees can access training content.”

Delivery

Almost 60% agree multiformat options should be embedded within the current course flow or delivered as optional extras within a learning management system (LMS), so learners can access training on demand.

Under 30% believe a full e-learning course on its own is sufficient evidence, while just 19% agree a policy with acknowledgement is enough.

“The key is to make it interactive. People have different ways to learn including reading, seeing, listening, doing. It’s good to accommodate this.”

Barriers

While the majority of survey respondents see the benefits of multiformat learning options, over a quarter are concerned about additional admin or IT integration.

While 7% had no concerns, others are worried about:

• Employees may feel overwhelmed or waste time (24.4%)
• Harder to track and report compliance (23%)
• Unclear equipment or completion rules (20%)

“From an accessibility perspective, the learner should be empowered to take that mandatory training in the format that best suits their learning style.”

While there are concerns around delivering multiformat training options, it offers a personalised approach because learners can engage with the materials best suited to them. A central platform like Skillcast hosts all of your compliance training in multiple formats, including:

• In-depth e-learning around 25-45 minutes
• Refresher courses
• 10-15 minute express courses
• Bite-sized animated videos – delivered standalone or embedded into courses
• Assessments
• In-course AI tutor

Example of a blended learning programme

Here's how you could deliver blended learning for GDPR compliance using different methods to ensure comprehensive coverage of the topic.

E-learning primer

Start with an e-learning introduction into what GDPR is, the key rules around data acquisition, and how it must be retained, processed and ultimately deleted.

This could include gameplay on specific subjects, such as spotting the correct consent from various scenarios and choosing the right response to requests for erasure.

Face-to-face sessions

Follow-up with an in-person session that takes a deeper look at understanding what GDPR means in practice on a daily basis. Sessions could look at:

• How data is stored
• What security measures are needed when travelling
• How to maintain data security in the office
• How to handle DSARs
• What to do when requests are received from someone other than the data subject

It could include role-playing exercises for someone wanting their data erased to highlight when the right can be exercised and when it cannot. A group session could explore how to identify if a data breach may have occurred.

Focused Mentoring

Finish it off with focused mentoring. This is one-to-one mentoring sessions for the privacy officer and senior data officers to help them understand and be comfortable with the new, more stringent requirements and the risks of greater fines that authorities can levy on firms. Also provide them with assurance over the standards of job performance in the post-GDPR world.

Choosing a learning provider

Choose a training provider who offers courses in an engaging, interactive way. For e-learning, this may include different formats of training such as quizzes and videos. Ultimately, the training needs to be fun, educational and have the right coverage, including both mandatory and risk-based topics.

At Skillcast, we are trusted by more than 1,400 companies that use our services to deliver engaging, effective training to their workforce.

As well as an award-winning LMS, access our range of compliance training services:

• Free resources such as e-learning modules, microlearning modules and more
• Comprehensive roadmaps
• Compliance Essentials Library
• Refresher courses
• Glossaries
• Compliance learning blogs

Blended learning FAQs

What is the flipped classroom approach in blended learning?

The flipped classroom approach is where learners absorb training in their own time (either through e-learning modules, videos or documents) and then attend in-person training sessions for activities, discussion, group tasks or tests.

What are the three types of blended learning?

The first approach is the flipped table, where employees absorb content on their own and then attend an in-person session to reinforce it. Next is the flex model, where most course material is delivered virtually, which is ideal for remote employees who can learn at their own pace. They can also contact the trainer if they have any questions or need further support. The final type is the rotation model, where employees rotate through different formats, such as online and in-person.

Why is blended learning better?

Blended learning is more flexible, cost effective and engaging, especially because employees can pick a learning style that they engage with best. For example, in-person group training is effective but some employees may prefer a document, so they can refer back to it.