Figure 1. Flowchart depicting key questions and decisions to be made during Stage I of Blended Learning Media Selection Process
If the answer to the question (1.1) is, “Yes, the TLO does addresses higher order skills or complex job-tasks,” then course designers go to Question 1.2. If the answer is “No, the TLO addresses lower order skills (i.e., knowledge, comprehension, or application according to Bloom’s taxonomy)” then BL course designers go to Question 1.3.
Question 1.2 asks, “Do any enabling objectives (ELOs) address higher order skills or complex job tasks?” In other words, do soldiers need to master any higher order skills or complex job tasks within a lesson to achieve the terminal learning objectives? To answer Question 1.2, BL designers identify and classify related enabling objectives according to Bloom’s taxonomy. If enabling objectives are not specified in lesson plans, BL designers should review related course materials to determine if any higher order skills or complex job tasks must be mastered or applied to achieve the TLO. At this point, BL course designers should also analyze related lesson materials and determine if the instructor or any aspects of the lesson spend significant time (e.g. >15-30min) covering fundamental skills. If parts of the lesson do address fundamental skills and/or knowledge, those parts should be forwarded to Question 1.3 and be considered for dL nomination. If the answer to Question 1.2 is, “Yes, ELOs address higher order skills or complex job-tasks,” then BL course designers nominate the entire lesson for f2f training and move to “B” (Stage II – Primary f2f Instructional Delivery Setting Selection). If the answer to question 1.2 is “No, ELOs do not address higher order skills or complex job-tasks,” then BL course designers go to Question 1.3.Question 1.3 asks, “Do assessments of [specified] lesson objectives require expert review or observation?” In other words, is an expert necessary to properly assess students’ achievement of the objectives or can course developers readily program a computer or computer application to make valid and reliable assessments of students’ work? If the answer to Question 1.3 is, “Yes, assessments require expert evaluation or observation,” then the lesson is nominated for f2f training and course designers go to “B” on the flowchart. If the answer is, “No, assessments do not require expert evaluation or observation,” for the lesson (or portions of the lesson under analysis) then BL course designers go to Question 1.4.
Question 1.4 asks, “Do [any] instructional events and activities require f2f interactions?” In other words, do soldiers need to interact with the instructor or with other soldiers in a face-to-face setting to complete any instructional events, activities or assignments to achieve specified lesson objectives? If the answer to Question 1.4 is, “Yes, the instructional events and activities within the lesson require f2f interactions with instructor and/or other soldiers,” then the lesson is nominated for f2f training and course designers go to “B.” If the answer is, “No, the instructional events and activities within the lesson do NOT require f2f interactions with instructor and/or other soldiers” then course designers nominate the lesson or portion of the lesson under analysis for dL and go to “A” (Stage IIa – Primary DL Instructional Delivery System Selection).