In the clamour to incorporate digital processes and technological solutions into higher education, many commentators and curriculum developers have forgotten that curiosity and experimentation still form the solid foundation on which future digitalisation efforts are built. In the case of GIBS, our business school was an early adopter of online tools and already had a comprehensive digital strategy by as early as 2002. This legacy of experimentation and innovation served GIBS well in 2020 amid the Covid-19 lockdowns, and continues to define how we approach the use of blended learning for our corporate clients.
Blended learning is a term bandied about quite a bit at the moment. However, as digital learning professor Stefan Hrastinski from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden tells us, there is some ambiguity about what we actually mean by “blended learning”. Hrastinski writes that there is “general agreement that the key ingredients of blended learning are face-to-face and online instruction or learning”. In other words, the combination of in-person learning opportunities with classes or interactions held online, often through platforms like Zoom and MS Teams.
The problem with this broad definition is that simply by adding a digital element to any traditional learning approach, it can automatically bill itself as “blended”.
We would argue, however, that the real magic lies in the mix, and not in the delivery mode. In other words: the design of the programme is as important – if not more so – than the technology used to deliver the learning solution.
It’s in crafting an impactful learning framework that the GIBS corporate education blended learning team really comes into its own.
A niche, client-facing team
GIBS blended learning sits within the broader corporate education team, which delivers an impressive range of custom programmes for corporate clients and open enrolment students. While GIBS blended learning plays the role of creating digital sessions and online courses, and enabling the blend of asynchronous and synchronous learning, these are tailored to meet the specific needs of corporate clients.
Clients can’t buy these customised learning interventions off the shelf. They are tailored to a particular company in a select industry, operating in a defined region or geography, and they are created to address a precise need as part of that company’s leadership development and corporate strategy.
Just like an expertly tailored suit, our corporate education solutions are designed to ensure a perfect fit, based on the requirements set out by the client and unpacked through early engagement with the value creation team. Very often, our clients will stipulate the use of blended techniques in their programmes before they fully understand the implications and how to leverage impact. That’s where we come in.
Using blended learning to transform corporate education
As part of our design process, GIBS blended learning builds in two types of learning: synchronous and asynchronous.
Synchronous learning refers to real-time learning, where instructors and students interact at the same time, often through live lectures or discussions. Asynchronous learning does not happen in real time. Instead, these learning elements are completed by a student at their own pace, using study materials and lectures, and completing assignments.
The optimal combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning in our programmes depends on the needs of the client, and can range from a 60-40 or a 70-30 split in favour of asynchronous learning, to a 40-60 blend, where synchronous in-class interactions dominate. This weighting differs from the traditional delivery of business school classroom programmes, which tend to follow a 20-80 balance in which real-time, synchronous learning is distinctly favoured.
In corporate education, the ultimate recipe is determined by the type of audience and their comfort with using digital technologies. If the employees on a particular programme are not tech savvy or don’t have access to laptops, smartphone or WiFi, then the blend would need to favour an in-class approach. We experienced this dilemma recently when designing a course for mineworkers, who only had computer access in a centralised space. The programme design took these constraints into account.
Similarly, when designing more senior executive-level programmes it is important to prioritise a blend that considers the demands placed on these leaders. Going into a full-day online session is challenging for senior executives, who benefit rather from a hard barrier that clearly blocks out time for learning interventions. In such instances, two-to-three-hour power sessions for focused online learning have more weight and impact on leaders who are already being pulled in all directions. We also deploy a few psychological techniques to create buy-in and help to nudge individuals through the learning journey, which can be as simple as booking time for online learning in the leader’s diary.
The blend balance also has a lot to do with a client’s openness and willingness to experiment, which can be influenced by the size of the cohort or the geographic footprint of the company. Recently, we worked with a client with a global workforce that spans South America, Europe, Australia, and South Africa. It would have been too costly to bring all the participants together, so in this instance a fully digital approach worked really well.
Similarly, corporate culture plays a role in determining how learning interventions can be shaped. Very often we are told that our clients want self-directed learners and an asynchronous approach, only to have them baulk when they learn this will be conducted online and not in the classroom. So, on occasion, walking a client through our design process also offers some interesting internal reflection around their existing beliefs and learning biases. This includes the issue of costs.
While upfront digital production costs can be expensive, the advantage is that the online assets can be re-used, re-tweaked and re-customised for the client. The way the content is rolled out as part of a programme can also be adapted to enable our corporate clients to make the best use of their employees’ time and in a way that extracts the most value from the process.
Most importantly, by making innovative use of all the tools and techniques available to the modern learning programme designer, it is possible to create fun, unique and impactful interventions that keep individuals engaged. As most corporations know, it’s hard to train people. However, by harnessing new and evolving technologies, and wrapping them in a skilled curriculum design framework, the learning experience can offer the flexibility and improvement that companies crave while still sparking creativity and curiosity among participants.
Tricks of the trade: The GIBS blended learning framework
The corporate education journey which many of our GIBS students undertake is not based on a randomised, cookie-cutter approach to adult learning but is part of a deliberate design process embracing specialist techniques.
Just consider the offline exercises and reading required of many blended learning interventions. Those foundational sessions can be undertaken in the student’s own time, and are reinforced in class where space is set aside for debates and interrogation. In this learning scenario, the faculty member becomes a facilitator of the conversation, bringing deeper insights and energy into the process in a different way than if they were presenting in front of a class for a full day.
This approach places different requirements on both the individual student and the faculty member, through a design methodology intended to extract the best from both parties.
We call this the GIBS corporate education blended learning framework.
This design approach permeates the processes we go through to find the optimal magic in the mix. In the process, we consider the learning strategy, the social learning context, the delivery channel, and the client’s needs. We then build that all into an active learning experience that keeps students engaged and interested. No more data dumps for the student to absorb, but instead a truly experiential journey that offers practical insights and creates opportunities to share ideas and discuss impressions. These essential interactions can take a number of forms, from small group breakaways, study groups, and cohort learning, where students sit together in the classroom.
Designed for a South African pharmaceutical company in 2021 — at a time when the world was coming out of the Covid pandemic and the value of social and community considerations were critical — the GIBS blended learning framework is a way to align learning to corporate strategy, create a foundation on which to build a developmental pipeline, and encourage a continuous learning focus.
Among the compelling drawcards for clients is the tracking and reporting that can be built into a digital learning approach. This feedback can be used to support the learner’s development journey, enhance the design in the next iteration, to track skills pre- and post-intervention, and build a solid overview of the impact of the learning approach.
A collaborative design approach
As with all investments, what a client puts into the design process is what they will ultimately extract. A customised learning intervention requires upfront involvement from clients, whose buy-in around intention, desired impact, and strategic alignment is essential. This helps to focus the intervention, without falling into the trap of getting sucked into new trends or technologies. It also provides an opportunity to reflect on the volume of content that learners would be exposed to, in order to guard against detrimental cognitive overload.
Once the client and our blended learning team have agreed on a clear plan of action, it takes about four weeks to put the first design together. This design is discussed at length and once sign-off is received, the detailed design takes a further four weeks to produce. Only once client approval is secured can the development process begin, which includes selecting suitable faculty members, scheduling studio time, creating content, and performing editing. This production phase adds another four weeks per content topic. A good blended learning product requires at least three months (12 weeks) to set up. We can then adopt a rolling content development approach, developing each topic sequentially as the programme progresses. It’s ideal when clients need to launch the programme without waiting the usual nine to 12 months for full content development.
Did you know?
While technology can be a powerful tool to support learning, it is no substitute for the sound principles of andragogy (the science of helping adults to learn) and programme design. Technology should enhance the learning experience, not overshadow the content or the learning goals. One way to use technology effectively, without casting off the positives of traditional in-class experiences, is to apply a blended approach.
A blended learning approach works well when students are:
- tech savvy
- able to access data, WiFi, laptops, or smartphones.
This method allows them to integrate learning seamlessly into their daily lives with the flexibility to access resources anytime and anywhere. This not only enhances engagement but also boosts completion rates among participants.
A blended approach favours clients who:
- are open to new methods
- manage global learning cohorts
- encourage self-directed learning
- seek to invest in long-term, recurring leadership development (two years or longer)
- are willing to give employees dedicated, uninterrupted learning time each week.
Angelique Maré
Angelique Maré is senior manager of blended learning at GIBS Corporate Education. She is passionate about creating engaging and impactful learning experiences for leaders across various industries. A GIBS MBA and PDBA alumna, Maré worked in the finance sector for 12 years before joining the GIBS team. At GIBS, she has designed, managed, and delivered several leadership development programmes for clients in the mining, banking, IT, telecoms, and FMCG sectors.
Robyn Shirley
Robyn Shirley is professional learning design manager at GIBS Corporate Education. She has extensive experience crafting and implementing strategic learning programmes for top corporate brands. Her career highlights include leading innovative blended learning projects at GIBS, designing transformative learning solutions for Johannesburg Business School, and spearheading critical learning initiatives for Sun International. With a background in sociology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Shirley holds multiple certifications in project management, appreciative inquiry, and instructional design.
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