6 Foolproof Ways to Improve Engagement with Blended Content

Many instructors shy away from digital content strategies out of fear that they will completely remove a learner’s engagement from the class. At the same time, many learners greet strictly in-person training sessions with hesitation. At the crossroad, blended content learning strategies offer the conveniences of digital content melded with social and instructional interactions that may not lend themselves to strictly digital delivery. A blended content strategy is a transitional opportunity between face-to-face and fully digital learning that can improve engagement.

Blended content creates a more collaborative and innovative learning environment – something difficult to implement in a completely digital strategy. Training centered around blended content can spur engagement for both learners and trainers. Finding the right recipe for your blended content strategy is just the start to improving engagement among learners.

Personalized Training Experiences to Improve Engagement

Recipe:  1 part digital resources, 1 part in-class Q&A

One of the main reasons blended content engages more with learners is that it offers customized training with personalized feedback. As a trainer or instructor, you can grant access to supplemental online resources, like outlines or handbooks. And because learners can view digital documents or stream videos from anywhere, limitations about scheduling are eliminated. In-person sessions can become a time for you to discuss the material and answer follow-up questions. As a result, more in-class time can be devoted to blended activities or exercises that cater to performance goals.

Immediate Feedback

Recipe:  A dash of online assessments, fold-in data tracking

Online assessments with built-in grading rubrics benefit both trainers and learners. Since an online assessment automatically does the grading, there is more time for you to do what you’re supposed to:  train. Because your schedule is freed up from grading, you can devote training time to engaging and extending your reach with learners.

Additionally, most learners want to know their feedback immediately, something that online assessments can provide. As a result, learners will spend less time mulling over what their score could be and rather focus on the content being taught in the present. Based on a class’s results, you can choose which engagement exercises will be most beneficial and which can be modified to further certain areas of skill development.

Increase Flexibility

Recipe:  A spritz of multimedia, a handful of in-person delivery

Flexibility is a central component of a personalized training experience. Blended content increases training flexibility and offers the convenience of how and when learners complete training. Some subject matter is best presented in multimedia formats, like videos or podcasts. Learners can choose to engage with these pieces of digital content on an ad hoc basis. More complex topics can be presented in depth in the classroom. Questions can be answered and you can take the liberty of adding further explanations in areas where learners show struggle.

Flip The Classroom

Recipe:  Add digital, reserve room, blend

Some trainers choose to teach in a flipped classroom. A flipped classroom is a training model that autonomously imparts skills and knowledge outside of the classroom. In other words, learners engage in digital learning materials outside of the classroom at their own pace. The goal is that by the time they enter the classroom, they have already learned the session material. This reserves class time for hands-on, more detailed tutorials where learners can apply their knowledge into practice.

Serve Multiple Learning Styles

Recipe:  Mix mediums and techniques

The reason why blended content translates to better engagement is because it covers lots of learning styles. Trainers and instructors have the liberty to offer a variety of different learning mediums and techniques that cater to lots of different learning styles. Likewise, you’ll have the liberty to pump the brakes or accelerate with the amount of digital or hard copy content based on real-time engagement and performance.

Serve Your Blended Content with Mimeo

Recipe:  Create content, pour over digital and print

What’s blended content without a great delivery? As a trainer, the last thing you should be engaging with is a copy machine. Mimeo helps save you valuable time by creating and distributing training materials to learners. With content as the backbone of your training strategy, you can create unlimited variations of a master document for digital or print distribution. This means you’ll be able to spend more time engaging with your learners while improving your blended content strategy.