The ancestor to electronic distance learning began in the 1960's, in an effort to provide learning material regardless of time and space. This effort was realized in the 1990's with the wide acceptance of personal computers, and the availability of Internet access (Garrison, 2017). However, these early distance learning sessions were merely "re-packaged" lectures, providing a "one-way" street of information, with passive and individual learners. Studies showed little gain with distance learning, and student drop-out rates were very high (Garrison, 2017).

ELearning provided a different approach by combining the technological advantages of distance education, with the social advantages of face-to-face environments. Students were encouraged to work together in groups via virtual sessions and forums. Advancements in Internet technology, like Web 2.0, aided eLearning efforts by developing resources that were more seamless and user-centered (Garrison, 2017).

With the adoption and development of eLearning, face-to-face classroom teachers began to adapt their pedagogy, and accept technological resources as a means to engage group discourse. Thus, the creation of Blended Learning (Garrison, 2017).

Blending educational technology resources into face-to-face classrooms is quickly becoming the "norm", especially in higher education settings. This blending has also influenced traditional classroom pedagogy, and has encouraged the implementation of COI strategies (Garrison, 2017). For example, an educator can begin a discussion in the face-to-face classroom session, and then continue that discussion via a LMS course using forums and virtual classroom sessions. In a virtual online environment, group members often feel less intimidated by the rest of the group, and have a greater level of participation (Garrison, 2017).

Implementing Blending Learning strategies can be a rewarding challenge for face-to-face classroom educators. To assist the implementation, learning activities are segmented into four categories: Listening, Talking, Reading, and Writing. The Listening and Talking activities are more prominent in face-to-face classroom environments, whereas Reading and Writing are more prevalent in blended learning environments (Garrison, 2017). Listening, Reading, and Writing can still be individual passive activities, so the challenge is to utilize them via the COI to facilitate and support group discourse.

The Teaching Presence is critical in a Blended Learning environment in order to create and support effective Social and Cognitive presences. This must be developed in the course design in order to foster trust and group cohesion (Garrison, 2017).

For Social Presence, educators can:

• encourage participation

• be supportive during direct instruction

• encourage students to log-on to the school LMS at least three times per week

• allow the students to get to know you as a person, within reason (Garrison, 2017).

For Cognitive Presence, educators can:

• guide discussions without dominating them

• provide respectful and constructive feedback

• deal with conflict quickly and privately (Garrison, 2017).

These guidelines and examples are useful for any classes, but can be critical for blended learning environments.