Guidance for Students

Introducing the Blended Learning Service

The University is proud to announce the launch of its brand new Blended Learning Service, designed to enable and support staff and students to engage with emerging technologies and practices within education. This marks a significant milestone in the University's commitment to delivering exceptional education in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. It also builds upon the existing work performed by the Technology Enabled Learning Service (TEL) as we grow our resources and aim to offer wider benefits to our community.

The Blended Learning Service will provide:

  • a vision for digital and blended education at Cambridge and advice on appropriate strategic objectives
  • a range of opportunities for staff development, training, and demonstrations
  • 1:1 support with service staff to discuss, develop and evaluate blended learning challenges and opportunities
  • a regularly updated suite of resources and guidance for their own autonomous professional development 
  • collaborative opportunities to develop blended education with staff and students
  • alignment and networking across multiple services in support of education (e.g., Teaching Learning & Assessment Systems, Cambridge Centre for Teaching & Learning, and Accessibility & Disability Resource Centre)
  • forums for discussion with and between disciplines, Colleges, students, and professional services about effective use of technology within Cambridge
  • advice on the adoption and development of good practice in blended education

As the service continues to grow, new opportunities to engage with staff and students will inevitably emerge and allow us to fully support the University in providing an outstanding educational experience. There is much more to follow in the coming months so be sure to check the website regularly for updates and consider joining our Blended Learning Cambridge community on Viva Engage to be a part of the conversation.

To get in touch with the Blended Learning Service and discuss how we may be able to support you, your colleagues, and your students, please email info@blendedlearning.cam.ac.uk

Recent Projects

Blended Learning Guiding Principles & Priorities

At the heart of the new service are the Blended Learning Guiding Principles & Priorities. These principles serve as the cornerstone of the University's approach to blending traditional and digital learning methodologies, ensuring an integrated and effective educational experience for all students. Informed by several research projects, previous successful initiatives, and valuable contributions from staff and students, the Principles and Priorities present a strategic approach to enabling our University to enhance our approaches to blended teaching, learning, and assessment.

Undergraduate Student Experience Research

To ensure that the Blended Learning Service caters to the unique needs of its diverse student body, we conducted a qualitative study providing valuable insights into the preferences, challenges, and aspirations of our undergraduate learners. The results of this research will be integral in shaping the vision for blended learning and services in support of a student-centric approach to education. This project has already begun to inspire more in-depth investigations into how we as a University can support students and enable them to make the most of their time here.

Institutional Guidance for the use of Artificial Intelligence

The University of Cambridge recognises the transformative potential and rapidly emerging impact artificial intelligence (AI) will have on education for the future. To begin supporting staff and students and embrace these new technologies we have released institutional guidance for the appropriate use of AI in education at Cambridge. These guidelines aim to provide potential use-cases for both staff and students whilst respecting the academic integrity of education and safeguarding the interests of all involved. Due to the rapid developments in this sector, this guidance will be updated regularly to ensure accurate guidance for our institution.

    Latest News & Updates

    What do we mean by Blended Learning?

    The concept of blended learning is broadly seen as the purposeful design of face-to-face and online teaching & learning, with effective and appropriate integration of technology-enabled components to enhance the educational experiences. The intent here is a key factor in working towards successful blended learning as any digital or remote activities or experiences need to be thoughtfully designed into a curriculum as integral components, rather than added in as an after thought. Simply adding technology into a programme of study often leads to ineffectual use from both staff and students and a lack of commitment to developing their potential, whereas looking to use technology to support and augment existing experiences can increase flexibility, promote further academic collaboration, and improve modes of interaction, whilst mitigating risks of arbitrary workload increases.

    Over the years blended learning has become an umbrella term to encompass a broad range of teaching, learning, and assessment containing some technology-enabled or digital elements. Whilst use of the term might vary, the main takeaway is to understand that it is a spectrum of experiences that enable educators to explore vast possibilities within their curricula. 

    Terminology (A-Z)

    • Asynchronous learning that does not occur in the same place or at the same time for a whole cohort. Students can access resources and communicate at any time and are not restricted to accessing this learning at any specific time. Enables students to learn at their own pace in their own time. Building a Taxonomy for Digital Learning
    • Blended Learning is the purposeful design of face-to-face and online teaching & learning, with effective and appropriate integration of technology-enabled components to enhance the educational experiences.
    • Digital Learning/eLearning indicates any potential use of technology within an education context but typically refers to computer-based activities. This does not specifically imply a location for education so could represent in-person computer-based activities both independent and collaborative, or activities intended to be completed away from the classroom either synchronously or asynchronously.
    • Digital Literacy refers to an individual's capacity and ability to use digital information and technologies to find, evaluate, create and communicate effectively. Required digital literacy will vary depending on role (in the case of staff) and course or subject (in the case of students). Where increased literacy is required for study or as part of a role, there should always be relevant support provided either by Department, College, or Central Services.
    • ePortfolios represent a body of work created by students using digital tools and platforms to share and submit assignments. Students can engage with multiple forms of media (e.g., blogs, reflective journals, images, videos, podcasts, websites, and more) and evidence when developing their own portfolio.
    • Flipped Learning refers to the provision of content or information in a digitally accessible format prior to an in-person session to elevate discussions and allow room for interactive collaboration between and with students. A typical approach is to provide a short topic video, pre-recorded lecture, assigned reading, or podcast to students ahead of a scheduled session, then design a session where students delve deeper into the content with one another in a structured and scaffolded experience.
    • Hybrid Audience is a more passive learning experience in which students are required to observe and consider delivered materials with little to no interactive engagement. You can read more detail regarding Hybrid models here.
    • Hybrid Teaching & Learning isan interactive and participation focused session with a higher demand for technology and resources to facilitate effective engagement and presence. You can read more detail regarding Hybrid models here.
    • Lecture Capture is the recording of a live lecture (in-person or online) to be uploaded either as a video or podcast for students to view, either in real-time or after the lecture has finished. The University of Cambridge supports Panopto as our centrally managed lecture capture platform. Currently the primary method of lecture capture provided by central services is scheduled video recording. We do not currently provide services for manual lecture capture or audio-only recordings.
    • Online/Remote Learning is the facilitation of teaching and learning experiences (e.g., lectures, assignments, supervisions, quizzes, seminars etc.) using online platforms such as Moodle, Teams, or Panopto or designed in such a way that students are able to effectively engage whilst away from a physical classroom or campus.
    • Synchronous learning that takes place with participants all engaging with material in real time, although not necessarily in the same place (for example, some students may participate onsite while others may participate remotely, both at the same time). Building a Taxonomy for Digital Learning
    • Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) are platforms designed for supporting teaching, learning and assessment and provide a space for educators to facilitate online engagement through resources and activities. VLEs can simply be used as information repositories but can be more effectively utilised to augment learning experiences for students through a wide range of tools. The University of Cambridge supports Moodle as our VLE
    • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are an internationally recognised set of recommendations for improving web accessibility. They explain how to make digital services, websites and apps accessible to everyone, including users with impairments to their vision, hearing, mobility, and thinking and understanding. Many of these recommendations are implemented as standard in platforms such as Moodle and our Drupal websites, however, some do require individual input such as captioning videos and providing descriptions for images. Find out more on gov.uk and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
    • Webinars are online learning or training activities using video conferencing tools such as Microsoft Teams to provide an interactive workshop or seminar. They are typically synchronous to maximise engagement and augment the experience beyond simple information delivery. Webinars can easily be recorded and made available for reference after the live session.

    Be informed

    Know whether recordings will be offered, how they complement the teaching on your course, and how to access them. All courses publish a statement outlining their approach to teaching and learning, and what you can expect.

    You are not alone

    Recordings can’t replicate the social benefits of attending teaching in person. Sharing insights and challenges with your peers boosts confidence and builds support mechanisms.

    Recordings are only one piece of the puzzle

    Lectures alone don’t give the full picture on a topic, so neither do recordings; don’t spend hours rewatching or taking verbatim notes. Combine recordings with your independent learning and formulate your own ideas and understanding.

    Maintain structure

    Your course has been structured in a specific way to maximise learning. If you do miss a live session, try to catch up as soon as you can; bingeing or cramming is not effective, and you may miss key connections.

    Get help

    Explore resources on using recordings and improving your study skills through the links below. If you need extra support, your College or Course Organiser is here to help.