Using Blended Learning Software

Purpose: To enhance live instruction and personalize student learning, this list highlights key factors for implementing a blended learning software that aligns with program goals and student needs. Use this list to guide the integration of digital tools into your tutoring program.

Overview: Blended Learning

Blended learning combines live instruction with digital tools to provide students with independent practice opportunities. High-quality blended learning integrates adaptive software, which modifies content based on student performance to personalize instruction.

Blended learning allows students to engage with tailored activities that support different learning modalities (e.g., kinesthetic, visual, auditory, and tactile), ensuring more individualized learning experiences. It offers real-time data insights for tutors, allowing them to identify student strengths and gaps, adjust instruction accordingly, and deliver more targeted support.

Considerations for Implementing Blended Learning Software 
Before Live Sessions
  • Train tutors on all relevant features of the software.
  • Restrict student access to only required applications in in-person settings to maximize focus.
  • Ensure students can navigate the software independently before beginning tutoring sessions.
During Live Session
  • Use student performance data from independent practice to inform live instruction.
  • For small-group tutoring, routinely regroup students based on software-generated insights about their strengths and struggles.
  • Consider a rotational model, where half the group works independently on the software while the other half receives live instruction, switching roles in the next session.
  • Ensure students spend adequate time with tutors to reinforce concepts introduced in the software.
  • Tutors should make explicit connections between software activities and live instruction to reinforce learning objectives.
After Live Sessions
  • Have a plan in place for students with limited digital access at home.
  • Provide on-demand support for students experiencing technological or instructional challenges when using the software independently.