Dear Haruni, please see the embedded link to a brief Google Scholar search. It also includes a few publications that are available on ResearchGate.

I also include a link to more 'informal' information about blended learning. Enjoy!

https://scholar.google.co.za/scholar?as_ylo=2012&q=blended+learning+and+characteristics&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

http://www.scoop.it/t/creative-teaching-and-learning?page=1&q=blended+learning

Haruni:

As the blended learning champion for my department, I am sharing my experience in our School of Education as well as my recent data set on flexible learning environments (to include BL) that I hope can be helpful to your question.

Best regards,

Debra

Conference Paper Championing Blended Learning in Higher Education: Reflection...

Data Flexible Learning Environments-Theories-Trends-Issues

Hi Haruni

A  paper that I co-wrote on delivering a blended learning module in Geography may be of interest. The reference is: Moore, N., & Gilmartin, M. (2010). Teaching for better learning: A blended learning pilot project with first-year geography undergraduates. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 34(3), 327-344.

However you will find it on my profile as well. Personally, one of the key texts that I would recommend for a range of reasons is:

Garrison, D. R., & Vaughan, N. D. (2008). Blended learning in higher education: Framework, principles, and guidelines. John Wiley & Sons.

It is very easy to read and very comprehensive from a theoretical and a practical perspective. Best of luck with it, Niamh

The important features of blended learning environment are: 

• Increased student engagement in learning
• Enhanced teacher and student interaction
• Responsibility for learning
• Time management
• Improved student learning outcomes
• Time flexibility
• Enhanced institutional reputation
• More flexible teaching and learning environment
• Offers 24/7 access to training resources.
• Track employee performance and skill development.
• Reduction in training costs.
• Provides personalized training experiences.

Hi!

An important thing is that you should try to keep the learning environment coherent and unified. What do I mean by that? If you see the "blended" as a combination of a physical and an online space, like a mix of classroom and LMS, you easily end up in a course of "ad-hoc", "bolt-on" or the "course and a half" syndrom. One environment is stacked as an addition to the other. Furthermore, for both teacher and students it easily becomes very much of "logging in and logging out" of one environment for then visiting the other, a kind of unnecessary dualistic feeling, This way it also easily becomes very content-related, we think of what "stuff" to distribute in which environment, etc - and it is hard to keep it together as a holistic course. 

The trick is to reach an integration of new environments/tools/whatever, so that the description "blended" soon feels just irrelevant. "Blended" will show to be a historical phase in instructional design, good as it has been an important experiment platform, enabling teachers to do experiments on the margins of their safety zone. But do we really want to keep it "blended", don't we instead want to integrate ICT "whatever" as a natural x in the course, as once the printed book was integrated in an oral university culture. This is much easier if we just drop the "place" thinking altogether - the studying/learning is for the student distributed over a range of very different places anyway, and has never been confined to defined school environment/spaces. 

Change perspective! It is much easier to think of time (instead of place) and process (instead of transfer of stuff) when "blending". Think of our old traditional blend of synchronous and asynchronous modalities / phases in the course instead (classroom lecture+homework basically), and how old analogue tools (book, classroom, etc) can be used together with new ones (video conference, LMS, etc etc) in designing of a customized process that can function in the whole range from a campus course to a "distance course" in one and the same ICT-enabled "blended" setting. The ICT-integrated course, no more, no less. Time is only one alternative perspective. Another is "enveloping" whcih I will describe in another post. For the time perspective, etc, see attached papers.

Article A time based blended learning model

Research A back-to-basics thought experiment about blended learning

Conference Paper Time-Based Blended Learning

Are you moving your definition of blended learning a little away from the pure LMS model to include mobile learning?  If not, you really should consider doing that.

I have used blended learning a bit and the student response has been mostly favorable. I have noticed that the "arduous" stuff should be done online such as readings and coverage of those materials and reserve class time for discussions, interaction, and other tasks where the personal touch is appreciated or important. Here are some articles that you might find helpful:

http://www.asianvu.com/bk/UAQ/UAQ_WORKSHOP_PACKAGE/new/Appendix%20B%20-%20blended-learning.pdf

http://www.click4it.org/images/a/a8/Graham.pdf

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=355476&fileId=S0958344005000224

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1096751604000156

Hi! Check out some new twists on blended learning in this recent doctoral thesis

Thesis From blended learning to learning onlife - ICTs, time and ac...

Dear Anders

Thank you for sharing. Indeed there are some new twists. 

Kind regards

Flexibility is one key feature of blended learning that allows learners to fit learning into their busy schedule as oppose to showing at a fixed time in a F2F class. See the attached for more elaboration on this feature.

Best regards,

Debra

Data Flexible Learning Environments-Theories-Trends-Issues

Hello, please have a look at the description of our chapter and if interested, we can share it with you privately. 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316123308_The_i2Flex_Methodology

Regards,

maria

Chapter The i2Flex Methodology:

Hi 

Belended learning is a leading where the traditional way of face to face teaching mixed with digital mediated environment. It is simply as stated by Wikipedia  is an education program (formal or informal) that combines online digital media with traditional classroom methods. It requires the physical presence of both teacher and student, with some element of student control over time, place, path, or pace.

The attached link may be useful to you. 

https://www.powerschool.com/3-characteristics-effective-blended-learning/

Liqaa 

Looks like blending learning will be the new normal in education according to some authors, Prof. Haruni Machumu

Please check the following external post and graph:

https://blog.edx.org/blended-learning-new-normal

I concur with Liqaa Habeb Al-Obaydi regarding this question.

You're absolutely right, Pedro L. Contreras E. Pedro L. Contreras E.. It's actually the normal thing now.

Yes, Prof. Adam Rahman, thank you.

And that implies more developments in LMSs to include those in blending learning.

Universities are switching now, offering longer courses than traditional MOOCs, for example, 8/9 weeks courses using almost a total virtual approach.

I fully agree with you P. Contreras. Thank you!

Flexibility. Blended learning classes offer flexibility for teachers in how they present material and for students in the pace and variety of the learning approaches they experience. https://www.imaginelearning.com/blog/2018/09/5-benefits-blended-learning

Blended learning combines some form of online learning with some type of offline learning. Instructor involvement – Those who take online learning from home can interact with their trainers online through message boards and emails. https://strengthscape.com/characteristics-of-blended-learning-solutions/

Blended learning combines some form of online learning with some type of offline learning. Instructor involvement – Those who take online learning from home can interact with their trainers online through message boards and emails. https://strengthscape.com/characteristics-of-blended-learning-solutions/

Hi dear doctor,

I concur with colleague doctor P. Contreras answer.