Darrow et al. (2013) identified a road map for effective
implementation of blended learning. They came up with a s ix-element
strategy for planning and implementing blended learning which includes
leadership, professional development, teaching/instructional practice,
operations/administrative systems/policies, content and technology. It
offers general guidelines for educators in schools to follow in
implementing their blended learning programs. It takes in consideration
the variations that each school has in relation to students’ needs, teachers’
skills, and content variation. They assert that people, students and staff,
are the most important component for implementing blended learning so
they need to be encouraged, empowered and supported to facilitate a
more effective and lasting learning. So having consistent, collaborative,
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innovative, supportive leadership appears as the key factor in having
effective blended learning.
The crucial parts to focus on to offer an effective framework for
blended learning implementation include having vibrant and assessable
short and long term goals that are evaluated continuously, employing and
choosing the right teachers, offering ongoing tailored professional
development based on the needs of teachers and staff that focuses on
pedagogy,technology tools and content, identifying the indicators of
ongoing formative assessments that help in measuring the success of the
program, preserving and supporting the technological infrastructure and
devices available, and specifying the financial and human resources to
implement blended learning.