I Just Don't Want Coffee – Caedmon's Call (1997)

I am in the midst of a minor marketing mind-mangle.

The Oxford Princeton Programme has historically referred to its process of combining instructor-led classroom instruction (our public courses and workshops) with web-based training to enhance the learning experience and reinforce mastery of content as "blended learning." I trust the term's origin stems from the notion that you can mix milk or creamer, even a sweetener, into your morning cup of Joe and that is a good thing. I remember growing up in Asia to a popular brand of instant coffee called Blend 45 which was a bestseller due to its distinct local flavor (blend of beans) and ease of preparation.

The terminology seems ubiquitous enough in the corporate training arena for end-users to associate its benefits of cost effectiveness of mastering material as well as time and location flexibility (particularly for the web-based component). As clients now consider installing our web-based courses onto their Learning Management Systems the term is also bandied about and suggests more of an integration of their various e-learning tools into a corporate-defined curriculum.

My question is whether the term is passé or am I just noticing that other training providers are trying to break away from the mold and are now using fancy surrogates like "hybrid learning," "mixed learning" and my favorite, "multidimensional training?"

I do believe in the additive strength of various methods of instruction and that is what we offer. But what terminology best represents it?

Jobert E. Abueva
Global Marketing Director