Progettare e condurre l 'apprendimento in rete: un corso blended per futuri insegnanti

What are the main issues connected with the design and development of distance learning courses? How to plan effective courses taking into account the context requirements, the contents to be delivered, the learning needs, the resources available? This paper analyses the instructional design decisions and the delivery strategies of a blended course in Educational Technology, run by ITD-CNR for the local Postgraduate School for Secondary Teaching. The course designers developed criteria for harmonising and integrating the face-to-face and the online course components, with the aim to take advantage of their specific features. These criteria derive from a model that comprises four dimensions: the cognitive dimension, focused on the course themes and contents; the teaching dimension, focused on the teaching and learning strategies; the social dimension, focused on the interaction among participants, and the meta-cognitive dimension, focused on the reflection on the learning path and the teaching profession.