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Improving the Quality of Distance and Blended Learning. Brief No. 8

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Improving the Quality of Distance and Blended Learning. Brief No. 8
Language: English
Authors: Gallagher, H. Alix, Cottingham, Benjamin, EdResearch for Recovery Project, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, Results for America, Stanford University, Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE)
Source: EdResearch for Recovery Project. 2020.
Availability: EdResearch for Recovery Project. Available from: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. 164 Angell St., 2nd floor, Providence, RI 02906. Tel: 401-863-7990; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://www.annenberginstitute.org/recovery
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 9
Publication Date: 2020
Sponsoring Agency: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Document Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Descriptors: COVID-19, Pandemics, Elementary Secondary Education, Distance Education, Blended Learning, School Closing, Access to Education, Learner Engagement, Social Development, At Risk Students, Access to Computers, Teaching Methods, Small Group Instruction, Feedback (Response), Planning, Time, Faculty Development, Interpersonal Relationship, Student Needs, Educational Quality
Abstract: This brief is one in a series aimed at providing K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students during and following the novel coronavirus pandemic. It addresses one central question: How can schools provide high-quality distance and blended learning during the pandemic? To answer this question, the brief breaks down the issue into four points: (1) With the abrupt end of in-person schooling in the spring of 2020, learning opportunities available to students varied enormously with some students receiving almost no distance instruction and others engaging in meaningful learning; (2) Student engagement in available distance learning opportunities was uneven and inequitable in the spring, partially but not entirely due to students' challenges in accessing online learning; (3) The move to distance learning reduces opportunities for many of the crucial social aspects of learning; and (4) Early elementary children and vulnerable student populations are most at risk from the move to a distanced setting. Based on these points, the brief provides six strategies to consider and two strategies to avoid.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2020
Accession Number: ED607718
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:This brief is one in a series aimed at providing K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students during and following the novel coronavirus pandemic. It addresses one central question: How can schools provide high-quality distance and blended learning during the pandemic? To answer this question, the brief breaks down the issue into four points: (1) With the abrupt end of in-person schooling in the spring of 2020, learning opportunities available to students varied enormously with some students receiving almost no distance instruction and others engaging in meaningful learning; (2) Student engagement in available distance learning opportunities was uneven and inequitable in the spring, partially but not entirely due to students' challenges in accessing online learning; (3) The move to distance learning reduces opportunities for many of the crucial social aspects of learning; and (4) Early elementary children and vulnerable student populations are most at risk from the move to a distanced setting. Based on these points, the brief provides six strategies to consider and two strategies to avoid.