More than half of organisations use blended learning as part of their training strategy, according to a recent study.

Training provider Balance Learning questioned 173 training and HR professionals, to produce Blended Learning: The Here And Now.

Defined by respondents as a combination of complementary learning content, typically e-learning courses and face-to-face training, blended learning was used by 55% of the organisations surveyed.

Over half of respondents felt that blended learning saved time compared to traditional classroom events.

Almost a quarter of organisations said they delivered more than half of their training provision through blended learning – a figure Balance Learning said would rise to 35% by 2005.

When it came to evaluating their blended learning, 73% of organisations assessed the quality of the entire programme or its individual components, 64% looked at the learning gained by the students and 56% considered whether targeted results have been reached. Only 34% evaluated whether business objectives have been achieved through the learning and just 27% looked for a return on investment or other financial criteria.

The study, conducted in conjunction with Training magazine, surveyed HR and training specialists from a variety of organisations including the government, services, finance, banking, manufacturing, education and IT sectors.