Four ways to extend the ‘fast’ blended learning student

There is often insufficient time in the fast paced world of blended learning to create these materials ‘on the fly’

Self-paced blended learning (and any type of blended learning that provides access for students to “future” learning materials) produces a wonderful “problem” – what should be done with those students who successfully complete the assigned learning quickly?

There are a number of possibilities.

The linear extension model

Linear extension allows students to progress to the next topic. This is a fairly traditional approach; allow the students to progress through the course at an accelerated pace.

Role of the teacher: In this model, the teacher does not have to do anything different; all of the topic materials simply need to be complete and available to students at the beginning of the course.

Assessment when using this model may need to be modified. It works best when the assessment can be individualized and have flexible timing. The student can then be assessed when the topic is learned/completed. Otherwise, a “fast” student may have to take an assessment task many weeks after he/she has completed the topic.