Blended learning and higher education in India

The pandemic-induced shift from traditional face-to-face teaching methods to technology-driven teaching finds traction in the post-pandemic times. This has led to major policy changes accommodating blended learning in educational transactions in most countries including India. Yet, there is scepticism about accepting and implementing blended learning due to less-than-ideal experiences of emergency remote teaching during the pandemic. As researchers, we need to focus now on the post-pandemic, converting the hurdles into viable opportunities for practising blended learning. This highlights the need to begin from the basics, the definition to strengthen our understanding of the meaning of ‘blended learning’. This chapter clarifies the term blended learning in the higher education context and examines the challenges and inconsistencies in the blended learning framework as we get ‘NEP 2020-ready’. The chapter provides insights into developing a sustainable framework for effective blended learning in the Indian educational landscape. The chapter delves into the intricacies of these issues, shedding light on the need for a comprehensive understanding of blended learning methodologies. The chapter further illustrates certain best practices, mainly in India, for the local context while discussing those followed in other countries that could be adapted locally. The chapter concludes with best practices in blended learning and sounding a knell for avoidable mistakes.