Blended teaching is a strategic combination of online and in-person instruction, designed to overcome common pedagogical challenges and improve student learning. Instructors choose blended approaches for various reasons, including improved student learning, increased access and flexibility, and increased efficiency. Blended teaching involves intentional design and planning to combine the strengths of both modalities, addressing challenges such as participation, pacing, personalization, place, personal interaction, preparation, practice with feedback, and pedagogical competencies.

To overcome these challenges, instructors can use practical examples of blended teaching and learning, such as rotating students through online instructional activities, providing flexible pathways for students to progress through the curriculum, and incorporating formative assessments to gauge student understanding.

Two research-based competency frameworks are shared in the article: the Blended Teaching Readiness Framework and the Pillars of Online Pedagogy. These frameworks focus on pedagogical skills such as integrating online and in-person instruction, using digital data to inform teaching practices, enabling personalized learning experiences, facilitating online interaction, building relationships and community, incorporating active learning, leveraging learner agency, and embracing mastery learning.

By understanding these challenges and competencies, instructors can strategically design blended approaches that meet the unique needs of their students and improve overall student learning outcomes.