Blended learning continues to grow in the US
Online publication Campus Technology’s 2017 Teaching with Technology Survey found that across the US, 73% of higher education faculties are using blended learning on their courses, which combine online with face-to-face education. The figure is 2% up on 2016. Other findings include that 15% of faculty members still teach exclusively in person, while 12% are now fully teaching through online means. Of those surveyed, 76% stated that all or some of their classes are blended, with 9% considering using it. However, concerns were raised about cheating and identifying the individuals completing coursework using digital methods.

Teaching with Technology Survey

Survey: Blended Learning on the Rise

Most faculty in our second annual Teaching with Technology Survey said they employ a mix of online and face-to-face instruction, and many are using the flipped model in their courses.

In a nationwide survey on the use of technology for teaching and learning, an increasing number of higher education faculty members said they employ a mix of online and face-to-face learning in their courses. A full 73 percent of respondents said they use the blended model — that's up from 71 percent in 2016. And while 15 percent of faculty are still teaching exclusively face-to-face, 12 percent have gone fully online (an increase from 10 percent teaching online in 2016).

Those findings came out of Campus Technology's 2017 Teaching with Technology Survey, in which we asked faculty to dish on their approach to teaching, use of technology, views of the future and more.

Diving deeper into the topic, we asked faculty both about the extent of their use of blended learning and about their plans for exploring that mode in the future. Seventy-six percent of respondents said all or some of their classes are blended (a notch up from 75 percent last year), while 9 percent plan to use the blended model in the next year or are considering the option.

One faculty member in West Virginia brought up a particular issue that could discourage some from moving to blended or online instruction: cheating. "The biggest challenge I see to technology in the classroom, especially with online classes, is the verification of the identity of the individual doing the work. In my online classes — and even the on-campus classes — cheating has become increasingly found among students."

In a related question, we asked faculty if they are flipping their classrooms — having students review recorded lectures or course content on their own and using class time for hands-on, active learning activities. Sixty-one percent of respondents said all or some of their classes are flipped (up from 55 percent in 2016). Twenty-four percent plan to use the flipped model in the next year or are exploring the idea.

A faculty member in Connecticut pointed to the flipped model as a way to make learning more engaging: "Technologies that will improve learning will engage students in doing more thinking. So much of what we see now is making learning more convenient, but not really increasing student engagement in and responsibility for their own learning. Flipped classroom models are moving in the right direction, asking students to engage with course content in creative and productive ways."

The full results of the Teaching with Technology Survey appear in the July digital issue of Campus Technology. Highlights from the survey will also be posted on this site over the coming months. You can check back for ongoing coverage in our Research section.

Who Responded Our survey polled 232 faculty members across the country about their use of technology in the classroom, their likes and dislikes, their predictions for the future and more. The majority of respondents (68 percent) come from public institutions, with 28 percent from private nonprofits and 4 percent working at for-profit schools. Seventy-two percent work at four-year colleges or universities; 26 percent are at community colleges (the remaining 2 percent designated their institutional level as "other"). Respondents represent institutions of a range of sizes, with about one-third (32 percent) working in colleges or universities with 2,500 to 9,999 students. Just under half (45 percent) of respondents are from institutions with 10,000 students or more. Our respondents are veterans of higher education: The largest group (47 percent) has more than 20 years of experience, with 81 percent logging at least 11 years in the field. The top three most common school and college types among our respondents are education (22 percent), business/business administration (17 percent) and liberal arts (12 percent). But overall, respondents work in a wide range of disciplines, from engineering and medicine to humanities and fine arts. The top 10 states with the most survey respondents are New York, Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Illinois, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.