Blended Learning with Virtual Labs

By: David Hand, VP of DevOps Sales at Orasi Software

Learning and education have taken a new form in the digital age. Classrooms have become virtual. Learning has become more flexible. Discussions have become instantaneous, and collaboration has become significantly enhanced.

Today, practical learning and experimentation stay crucial aspects of learning. Therefore, blended learning is gaining mainstream significance as a learning genre that can integrate technology and in-person learning in a smart and balanced way.

When one opts for blended learning, one can tap the latest tools for gaining speed, elasticity, and agility in learning. Students and instructors can benefit from the convenience of learning anywhere, anytime, and from anyone. And one can leverage the face-to-face experience at the right stages of the course to get some specific aspects covered.

Advantages of blended learning:

1. Quick resolution of issues
2. A deeper understanding of topics
3. Easy and frictionless avenues for debate and exploratory discussions on areas that may not be aptly covered with virtual sessions
4. Specific practice in context of the application
5. Seamless and immersive hands-on lab exercises
6. Certification-based tasks
7. In-depth and first-hand application of concepts and theories
8. Practice and strengthening of domain knowledge
9. Job-oriented learning

Therefore, virtual labs are the best options that fit both the instructor and the learner for blended learning.

Advantages of virtual labs

When added with innovative technology, labs can amplify the impact for a learner, especially for complex subjects where practical understanding is of vital importance. That is precisely why virtual labs empower both sides – learner and instructor – with a host of advantages:

1. Combination of instructional technology with actual tasks of a training course or a job.
2. Intermittent course assignments combined in precise ways with remote learning.
3. Customized lab work and assignments for the learner.
4. Availability of realistic environments for deeper learning goals.
5. Scope for self-directed blended learning by students with pre-defined goals.
6. Amenable benefits for both inside-out and outside-in learning.
7. Complementary designs and personalized classrooms.
8. Master Classes for various topics supplemented with over-the-shoulder features.
9. Cost-reduction and scalability by using Cloud-based delivery models.
10. Fast-track and customized assessment centers that make learning seamless and affordable for all learners.
11. Supplemental material and support as required as built-in features.
12. Presence of efficiency through cloud-native models and on-demand features.
13. Support of reusable templates, easy configuration, and instruction-friendly interfaces.
14. Learning via experiments that have a hands-on and engaging quality.

When one uses blended learning in a virtual lab, he/she achieves three outcomes simultaneously:

1. Better knowledge retention,
2. Active learning (instead of passive learning), and
3. The ability to practice what one has learned.

That’s how learning should be in a new age. Simple, actionable, and smart.