Reporting a Case Study on Transitioning From Traditional Face-to Face Course Instruction to a Blended Format

This case study briefly describes the journey that one professor took in transitioning from face to-face
course instruction to a blended model at the graduate level. The blended lesson format was based on
the 14 Learner-Centered Psychological Principles developed [1] and revised by the American
Psychological Association Work Group of the Board of Educational Affairs [2]. The professor
developed a student survey specifically to evaluate the blended course in areas not included in the
university’s evaluation. After the first and second semesters, data from the professor’s course
evaluations as well as the student surveys were used to improve the blended course design and
implementation for the third semester.
My challenge, as a new faculty member, was to combine best practices in a standards-based learnercentered
curriculum and concepts of educational administration using the blended approach in the
teaching of graduate students. To do so, an instructor needed a minimum level of technological skills
and the belief that the new wave of the future for teaching and learning for all students, Pre-
Kindergarten through higher education including doctorial coursework, needed to include the use of
technology. This was a tall order to accomplish with only three weeks to read the texts for the
courses, develop the syllabus for each course, learn how use Moodle for interaction with the students,
and get all the information for the courses into the blended technology format.