Principles of Blended Learning

Abstract

The rapid migration to remote instruction during the Covid-19 pandemic has expedited the need for more research, expertise, and practical guidelines for online and blended learning. A theoretical grounding of approaches and practices is imperative to support blended learning and sustain change across multiple levels in education organizations, from leadership to classroom. The Community of Inquiry is a valuable framework that regards higher education as both a collaborative and individually constructivist learning experience. The framework considers the interdependent elements of social, cognitive, and teaching presence to create a meaningful learning experience. In this volume, the authors further explore and refine the blended learning principles presented in their first book, Teaching in Blended Learning Environments: Creating and Sustaining Communities of Inquiry, with an added focus on designing, facilitating, and directing collaborative blended learning environments by emphasizing the concept of shared metacognition.