Blended Learning in a Liberal Arts Setting (A NITLE Shared Academics Webinar)

Blended learning has been widely adopted at large universities and community colleges, and learning sciences research has shown that this approach can increase student engagement, performance, and persistence in those settings. Liberal arts colleges, however, have been much slower to explore blended learning, in part due to uncertainty about its value and appropriateness in a smaller, more intimate setting. In 2011–2012 Bryn Mawr College, with funding from a Next Generation Learning Challenge Grant, began studying the impact of blended learning approaches—defined loosely as courses in which students both participate in face-to-face classes and work through computer-based, interactive tutorials and quizzes that provide customized learning and instant feedback—within a liberal arts environment, with a focus on introductory science and mathematics (STEM) courses. In this seminar, Dr. Jennifer Spohrer, Educational Technologist at Bryn Mawr College, will share findings of this study, as well as ongoing and future research of this initiative and lead a discussion of how best to integrate blended learning approaches in a liberal arts context