What is Blended/Hybrid Instruction

This chapter provides updated background information related to K-12 online education, ranging from definitions to benefits and challenges, based on an earlier version of the document. Comparative analyses of the virtual learning landscape reveal the increasingly complex parameters by which it could be evaluated, including the range of programs, service provider types, approaches to blended learning, kinds of instruction delivery, as well as levels of interaction within cyberspace. A theoretical framework introduced in the previous version of the chapter continues to identify academic programs/curricula, student support services, and virtual program/school administration as categories that connect the relevant literature review to recommendations for future research intended to inform policy-setting efforts aimed at supporting the further development of high-quality K-12 online environments.