In our June 2005 issue (see Blended Learning: Sleeping Giant), we introduced the notion that blended learning is a “sleeping giant” because of its potential contribution to the shifting higher education landscape. Since then, some of the educators who participated in the Sloan-C Workshop on Blended Learning and Higher Education have conducted case study research of pedagogical practices on their campuses. The combined efforts of this group have been fruitful. Their research contributes to our understanding of blended learning, a new research strand within ALN, and also extends our thinking in terms of conceptual frameworks.

At the University of Illinois at Chicago, faculty members in health sciences have adopted a blended model for courses in human physiological anatomy. A key reason for offering this option is to increase access since the campus has limited physical space to accommodate these large enrollment courses that serve students from several colleges across the institution. William Rainey Harper College's chemistry department similarly uses a blended model to teach a very dynamic introductory course. As an important foundation course in the curriculum, careful attention has been given to the determination of the blended mix and which aspects of the course would convey well in an online environment. Olin College offers a blended experience to all students by using the Capstone Business Simulation in their “Foundations of Business and Entrepreneurship” course. This has been a very successful teaching tool and one that easily lends itself to a blended environment. Students combine team and individual work as they interact online with the simulator.

On a somewhat larger scale, the Rochester Institute of Technology has initiated a campus-wide blended learning pilot project that encompasses multiple disciplines. Their mixed mode courses, such as “Their Immigrant Voices in American Literature,” reflect the many ways in which faculty are reexamining their teaching methods and critically thinking about student-centered learning. At University of Maryland University College, blended degree programs have been part of the inventory for several years, in both executive programs and the MBA.