Inter-school blended learning programme

Objectives

Duration: August 2025 – July 2026
Status: Completed
Education level: Upper secondary education – Vocational education and training
Topic: AI
Keywords: Blended learning, Moodle, commercial education, DipFund, commercial schools

Background

The new training ordinance for commercial employees (Federal VET Diploma) changes the examination schedule for students at commercial schools who complete a full-time work placement during their final year of training. The final examinations for the Federal VET Diploma, previously held before the placement, now take place afterwards. At the same time, new teaching and assessment formats centred on operational competencies are being introduced. This new context increases the challenge of preparing students at commercial schools for the qualification procedure. This development increases the need for flexible solutions that support distance learning during the placement year while ensuring structured and individualised guidance.

Objectives

The project aims to design a blended learning pathway for students at the French-speaking commercial schools in the canton of Bern during their placement year. As they are away from school during this time, they need to prepare for the qualification procedure that takes place after the placement. The approach combines an interactive LMS platform with targeted in-person sessions to support motivation, progress and individualised guidance. It was developed jointly with three schools (ESC La Neuveville, ESC Bienne, CEFF Commerce) and is designed to be transferable to other institutions.

Implementation

The project was implemented in three phases. In the first phase, the pedagogical and organisational needs were analysed and a suitable LMS platform was then selected. Moodle was chosen, particularly for its flexibility, its options for didactic adaptation and the ease of exporting and importing content, which facilitates sharing between institutions. In the second phase, a pilot teaching scenario was developed directly on the platform. This prototype was tested at one of the three partner schools to assess its effectiveness, usability and alignment with the training objectives. The third phase involved training teachers from the three schools, improving the scenario based on feedback from the pilot and developing new content by teachers from the three schools. Particular attention was paid to the factors that promote learner motivation on the platform. The approach was then introduced in the three partner institutions, with the aim of ensuring its long-term sustainability and transferability.

Results

The project enabled the development of a structured teaching scenario that is ready for use and meets the requirements of training during the placement year. The blended learning pathway provided on Moodle now offers a clear and accessible framework for preparing for the qualification procedure, despite students being physically away from school. Collaboration between the three schools also made it possible to share resources and harmonise teaching practices. Teachers now have tools for monitoring and guidance that enable them to support students in a more individualised way.

Potential use in other schools

Thanks to the choice of Moodle, the approach is easily transferable and reusable in other institutions, paving the way for wider adoption of the model.

Next steps

The approach will be rolled out more widely in the three partner schools and integrated into all relevant classes. A detailed review will be conducted at the end of the school year to assess its impact on learning, student motivation and teaching practices. Based on this review, adjustments and updates will be made to the scenario and content. Collaboration between the institutions will continue to strengthen resource sharing and the continuous improvement of the project.

Participating schools

École supérieure de commerce de Bienne (ESC Bienne), École supérieure de commerce de La Neuveville (ESC La Neuveville), ceff COMMERCE