Blended, or hybrid, courses have often been touted as the ideal way to facilitate learning as they allow learners to interact in both face-to-face and online settings, thereby experiencing the “best of both worlds.” In practice, that ideal learning setting is more difficult to achieve. While blended courses have the potential to integrate the most beneficial aspects of each modality, such course design requires diligence to successfully navigate a balance and ensure the optimal delivery mode is considered for each learning scenario. In this article, the authors share the most current research on blended learning for adults, including benefits and drawbacks, various blended models, the results of an empirical study comparing two blended designs, and conclude with a practitioner tool to guide decision-making and achieve the appropriate balance of online and face-to-face and ultimately realize the best of both worlds for adult learners.

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There is contrary research around whether collaboration at work fosters individual learning and skill development. This study’s purpose was to examine the relationship between social characteristics of jobs on adults’ cognitive skills as measured by the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). For select industry sectors, we used a linear regression model to predict scores for PIAAC scales—literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments—based on the independent variables gender, education level, frequency of workplace collaboration, and frequency of sharing work-related information. Results showed level of collaboration at work is negatively associated with PIAAC scores, contradicting current thinking on the role of social interactions in the workplace. We conclude there may be an overemphasis on the social characteristics in job design in some industries and workplaces, leaving little support and time for other activities known to support workplace learning, like management support and time for reflection.