The move to online delivery for the majority of our teaching means that we need to consider how best to support students’ learning, whether they are ‘on campus’ and having a blended learning experience, or are fully digital learners. Although educators strive to create an ideal learning environment for every student, the realities of budgets, time, and talent constraints require a dose of realism. Some school systems lack the digital infrastructure, resources, or local expertise to roll out online learning. For them, the ideal remote-learning model may combine use of the mass media, simple phone-messaging apps, and paper handouts. Remote and hybrid learning are more than just digital versions of the classroom. When the pandemic struck earlier this year, many educators had little choice but to move existing classes online. Now we have the opportunity to design better solutions to maximize student learning in remote and hybrid settings.

With schools all over the world redesigning because of COVID-19, blended learning is becoming a new normal. Blended learning has been around for a while and is the combination of traditional face-to-face instruction with aspects of online instruction all while students are in the classroom with the teacher. Blended learning strives to provide students the best of both face-to-face and online learning experiences. Blended classrooms include face-to-face instruction techniques such as direct instruction or lecture, group discussions, and small-group work while also using technology to provide in-class online learning that students can do at home provided they have access to necessary technology. Online instruction is often facilitated by a Learning Management System or LMS. An LMS is where the instructor puts all the lessons and activities that students must work through to successfully complete the course.

Many schools, even before the pandemic, could point with pride to classrooms where innovative practices engaged students in interactive learning experiences solving real life problems. However, the bigger challenge remains how to move this from a few bright spots of innovation to a pervasive shift in thinking and practices that impact all learners. Changing practices requires a re-culturing for students, teachers, families and community not just changing structures and processes. The framework describes the conditions needed to mobilize Deep Learning exponentially across schools and districts including policies, practices, and actions. Deep Learning takes our best selves—a hybrid of synchronous and asynchronous, virtual and bricks and mortar which explicitly embraces effective Pedagogies, Partnerships, Environments, and Digital to allow ALL learners to access, understand, create, co-create and refine new knowledge. It is the cornerstone for a new educational paradigm and allows teachers and learners to pursue possibilities previously out of reach for all but a few learners.