Comparison of five approaches to course delivery

Models	Instruction	Resources	Activities	Assessment	Problems
Classic Classroom	teacher directed lesssons (powerpoints, lectures, etc.) in addition to other activities	teacher staggers handout of material, classnotes, text & online content, sparing use of technology	individual seatwork and groupwork mainly inside classtime, focus on content, skills, and process	ongoing and potentially instant when there is time, interaction & feedback is usually face-to-face or written, variety of projects and usually tests	less flexible for students who miss class or those with certain learning styles, can be associated with “factory” model (stand and deliver, passive learning) and is locked in to a timetable, and fixed location
Flipped Classroom	lectures and raw content online or taken in on students’ own time, some from teacher, some from others	student gets instructions in class and follows up after with online content and print material, strategic use of technology	teacher-facilitated discussions and one-on-one with students. focus on skills and process	ongoing and potentially instant (key focus), interaction & feedback is usually face-to-face or written, variety of projects and usually tests	content is still teacher-directed but up to students to view; assumes students can work off-site and independently (tough for many), makes skipping easier and requires additional mechanisms to check on required learning
Distributed Learning	students are largely self-taught through generic written instructions, contact with a teacher at key junctures possible	packages of prepared content and links, support material (paper or digital), highly variable use of technology	mainly asynchronous learning, read and respond, potential for lots of choice in response or projects	some written feedback on papers (somewhat “formative” in nature), module tests provide summative marks, student can call/email Centre for help	learning is self-paced and can be monotonous, low success rate, practice work is often skipped and only work to be marked is submitted, students usually work in isolation with little ongoing feedback, social interaction, or support from peers
Online Learning	students are largely self-taught through online tutorials and lesson material. teacher contact possible	learning software (CMS or LMS) with web-based content, ubiquitous use of technology	can be synchronous (real-time) or asynchronous (self-paced), mainly read/view and respond	some written or emailed feedback on assignments, may use self-marking tests, projects can be very unique	learning is self-paced and can involve long stretches on a computer, low success rate, research can be shallow (surf-and-respond), students usually work alone with no social interaction, hard to break technology habits
Blended Learning	some direct instruction, some self-paced, some peer-taught	classroom print content, online content, strategic use of technology	mostly synchronous, including groupwork outside classtime	ongoing, some face-to-face and some written feedback, variety of projects and usually tests	requires careful planning as it has its foot in many doors, students may struggle with independent aspects of course delivery