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About the BlendKit Course

The BlendKit Course is a set of subject matter neutral, open educational resources related to blended learning and available for self-study or for group use. Periodically, these materials will also be used as the basis for a facilitated open, online course. Get on the mailing list to stay informed about BlendKit developments, including information on the next facilitated cohort.

photo of two men jumping in the air while on the phone

Dave Goodrich and colleague jump for joy to be participating in BlendKit2014 (Photo by Dave Goodrich. Used with permission)

The BlendKit Course and its facilitated cohorts (e.g., BlendKit2017) are designed to be used (or re-used/adapted) flexibly by individuals or groups seeking to advance their blended learning practice. As possible sources of inspiration for others, following are several different types of “stories” summarizing the ways in which others have made use of the BlendKit Course. Included are personal stories of individuals, snapshots of institutional stories, published accounts in the news/professional literature, and recordings/proceedings from presentations.

Have a story you want to share? Please contact Dr. Kelvin Thompson at kelvin@ucf.edu.

Personal Stories

See and hear the following colleagues share a bit of their stories in a brief video:

  • Veronica Diaz, Director of Online Programs, EDUCAUSE
  • Seema Jain, Professor, Lake Washington Institute of Technology
  • Sarah Dysart, Coordinator for Learning Technologies, Loyola University Chicago
  • Wilma Hodges, Director of Training & eLearning Initiatives, Longsight, Inc.

In a brief audio recording (below) excerpted from a conference panel presentation, Professor Seema Jain describes her experience [5 min. mp3] with a local cohort at Lake Washington Institute of Technology during BlendKit2014.

Institutional Stories

Numerous institutions have made use of the BlendKit Course materials for faculty development by linking to specific materials; redistributing materials via institutional web site or learning management system; editing/adapting materials to create institution-specific derivative works;  or using the materials as examples for new, original materials. Additionally, some institutions assemble local cohorts of faculty members to participate as a group in the BlendKit open, online courses (e.g., BlendKit2017).

Linked below are brief summaries of implementations at several higher education institutions.

faculty in computer lab watching big screen

LWTech faculty cohort meets to interact while watching BlendKit2014 webinar (Photo by Jen Dalby. Used with permission.)

Sample Institutional Snapshots

California State University Channel Islands

Fresno Pacific University

Georgia College and State University

Oregon State University

Seminole State College

University of California Davis

University of Illinois

In the News/Literature

2015

Moskal, P.D., Thompson, K., and Futch, L. (2015). Enrollment, engagement, and satisfaction in the blendkit faculty development open, online course. Online Learning, 19(4). Retrieved from http://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/555/173.

Thompson, K. and Moskal, P.D. (2015). The evolution of the blendkit course: Fine-tuning a professional development MOOC. Current Issues in Emerging eLearning, 2(1). Retrieved from http://scholarworks.umb.edu/ciee/vol2/iss1/7.

2014

Cavanagh, T. (2014, June). NGLC project profile: Blended learning toolkit. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/NGP1404.pdf.

Loble, M. (2014, July 31). Blendkit 2014: Choose your own teaching and learning adventure, The Canvas Blog. Retrieved from http://voice.instructure.com/blendkit-2014-choose-your-own-teaching-and-learning-adventure.

Sclafani, P. (2014, April 7). MOOC: How to design an amazing blended learning course, eCampus News. Retrieved from http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/mooc-blended-learning-289.

2012

Thompson, K. (2012, September 18). Spinning challenges into increased impact: The UCF blended learning toolkit. [Blog posting].Retrieved from http://nextgenlearning.org/blog/spinning-challenges-increased-impact-ucf-blended-learning-toolkit.

2011

Cavanagh, T. (2011, December 15). The blended learning toolkit: Improving student performance and retention, EDUCAUSE Review. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/blended-learning-toolkit-improving-student-performance-and-retention.

Presentations/Proceedings

Thompson, K. (2012, March 8). The blended learning toolkit: A diy platform for blended learning faculty development. Invited session within SUNY Learning Network SUNY Online Learning Summit 2012, New York, NY. Retrieved from http://mediasite.suny.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=916d9d92751b42d7a3a561706573400f1d.

Thompson, K. and Futch, L. (2012, January 23). The blended learning toolkit: A diy resource for blended learning instructors and designers. EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative webinar. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/eli/events/eli-webinar-blended-learning-toolkit-diy-resource-blended-learning-instructors-and-designers.

Have a story you want to share? Please contact Dr. Kelvin Thompson at kelvin@ucf.edu.