Educators have always been at the forefront of leveraging technology to make learning more accessible, fun and engaging. Today, with an abundance of digital tools available, blended learning is a powerful way to combine the best aspects of traditional in-person instruction with innovative digital learning methods.
Blended learning gives students greater flexibility and a more personalized educational experience.
At the same time, educators face a number of challenges in setting up a blended learning model. Let’s explore what’s involved and the steps to take to make blended learning possible within your school or training program.
What is Blended Learning Software?
Blended learning software is a technology-driven educational platform that brings together the hybrid learning process of in-person instruction with digital learning tools. These platforms combine various teaching methodologies, content delivery systems, and student engagement tools to create a more personalized learning experience.
At the heart of blended learning software is the SIS or Student Information System. This type of system can manage and synchronize various pieces of information necessary for schools and training programs to work more efficiently. Maestro SIS, developed by BocaVox, is one such system that has been developed specifically to support and improve blended learning goals. Here are some of the many outstanding features that BocaVox brings to schools and programs large and small.
Comprehensive Course Management
Having a detailed overview of courses is crucial in a blended learning environment. With students participating both online and in-person, faculty need robust tools to organize classes, sections, and students and get them enrolled quickly and efficiently. BocaVox’s Maestro SIS offers a complete suite of tools to help faculty stay organized. The platform includes several options including:
- A flexible gradebook
- An intuitive calendar
- A variety of communication tools
- Pre- and Co-requisites
- Streamlined enrolling based on a variety of conditions
Faculty can post assignments and share materials with students, track attendance and academic progress, record disciplinary events and outcomes, and much more. A powerful automation system keeps students in the loop with timely notifications and reminders, while detailed chat logs capture every interaction so that nothing falls through the cracks.
Seamless LMS Integration
A successful blended learning program is only as good as its integrations. A SIS is different from an LMS (Learning Management System), but both platforms need to communicate with each other seamlessly in order to make the blended option work.
Maestro SIS integrates with leading LMS platforms, such as Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, and more, making it easy for students and faculty to enjoy the convenience of secure single sign-on to their LMS (or other content provider) directly from within Maestro. Grades and scores recorded in the LMS automatically sync with Maestro in real time, ensuring accurate and efficient data management.
Intuitive Attendance Tracking
Blended learning requires flexible attendance tracking to accommodate the many different instructional methods. Maestro SIS supports a number of different attendance options, including:
- Manual classroom attendance
- Online attendance directly from the LMS
- Clock hours
- Offline attendance
- Student ID cards
Administrators can mark absences as excused or unexcused and document absence reasons with comments, giving parents and guardians(for students under age 18), as well as faculty and administrators, a deeper insight into student participation.
Automatic Notifications and Academic Pacing
Keeping students on track is crucial in blended learning environments. Maestro SIS gives administrators and faculty the ability to view a student’s academic progress in real-time as well as segment the progress by groups, letting staff spot issues and make timely interventions.
The system can send personalized message templates to at-risk students reminding them to stay up-to-date with their assignments.
Administrators can also set up automated enrollment messages to go out at a set frequency to target student groups based on specific criteria.
Several Ways to Keep in Touch and Stay Informed
Maestro SIS offers several easy ways for students, staff, faculty and parents to stay in touch, including internal and external email with complete HTML functionality, SMS texting and an online announcement board. Every action within Maestro is captured and logged, including communications, so users can access a student’s communication log to see messages at any time. Administrators can also track teacher and advisor contact with each student, and alerts can be set up to check in if it has been awhile since a teacher has contacted a student.
Customizable Reports
Maestro SIS is backed by superior analytics, making it easier than ever for schools and training programs to use data-driven decisions to improve student and trainee outcomes. Its customizable reporting tools deliver real-time analytics to help administrators and staff monitor important performance metrics such as academic performance, attendance and engagement.
Having real-time insights into these areas give administrators the foresight they need to identify at-risk students early and take proactive steps toward personalized interventions. With detailed report generation, schools can track everything from cumulative attendance to financial data, helping them to be more effective as an institution while still staying strongly committed to student success.
Interested in Learning More? Schedule a One-on-One Demo Today
BocaVox’s Maestro SIS offers a comprehensive, best-in-class solution built to support the unique needs of both online learning and blended learning environments. With seamless LMS integration, flexible attendance tracking, automated notifications, and robust data analytics, schools and training programs can streamline student information management like never before.
We invite you to learn more about what’s possible with Maestro SIS by contacting us to schedule a free, no obligation demonstration of the program. We’ll work with you to address your school or program’s unique challenges while showing you how easy, convenient and intuitive Maestro SIS is to use. You can also see what other schools, universities and training programs are saying about this unique blended learning SIS, as well as subscribe to our blog and podcast to learn more about distance learning, blended learning and new advances in technology.
