Just before the arrival of digital technology, the origin of blended learning lies in distance learning through correspondence courses. The growth of personal computing in the eighties and the advent of the worldwide web in the nineties stimulated the development of new models of the learning process at different levels of education (Bryan 2016).
In the early days of blended learning, the term was broadly defined and could mean ‘almost any combination of technologies, pedagogies and even job tasks. Bryan (2016) posit that a good way to understand what blended learning means is to refer to the definitions presented by experts in the field, as follows:
- Procter defined blended learning in 2003 as ‘the effective combination of different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of learning’
- According to Chew, Jones and Turner, ‘blended learning involves the combination of two fields of concern: education and educational technology’
- An influential early definition was that of Graham, who proposed that ‘Blended learning systems combine face-to-face instruction with computer-mediated instruction’
Blended learning has become more popular today, both face-to-face and online learning environments have a variety of positives and negatives. It becomes imperative to blend these learning environments to maximise the advantages of both instructional modalities and minimise the disadvantages. Different approaches are used to combine these instructional modalities in order to produce optimal learning outcomes (Driscoll, 2002; Boyle, et al., 2003; Dziuban, Hartman, & Moskal, 2004) cited by Caner, (2012).
Kudrik, Lahn, and Morch (2009) as cited by Caner (2012) categorise the types of blended learning practices under two main categories, which are concept based blended learning and collaboration-oriented blended learning. In concept based blended learning “the online part is concept training and meant for individual use (e.g., self-paced e-learning), and the face to face part is collaborative learning (e.g., scenario simulation, work groups, small seminars)”, whereas, in collaboration-oriented blended learning “the online part is computer-supported collaborative learning (e.g., virtual communities), and the face to face part is individual oriented (e.g., conventional classroom instruction, PowerPoint presentation, mentoring)”.
Blended learning might include a wide variety of simple to complex approaches in education. This could range from making online resources and materials available to students outside of class, to the use of sophisticated technologies and rich online learning tools.
There are many benefits of blended learning that have been identified in literatures, with the most common benefit being flexibility. Other benefits include opportunities for students to work at their own pace, accessibility and availability of the course learning management system (LMS), the use of games, tutorials, videos, and such that can support learning at different levels.
However, blended learning is not without challenges. A few significant issues with blended learning have been identified as follow: sustaining student engagement in the online component of the course when students prefer the face-to-face sessions, the extended time required to learn new technology tools, a lack of support for learning critical functions of the LMS, the complexity nature of blended learning, where students are expected to engage in and complete tasks in two environments; staying disciplined and on track in the online activities; and struggling with technology issues.
Reference
Bryan A. (2016). Blended Learning: Definitions, Models, Implications for Higher Education. Bulletin of the South Ural State University. Ser. Education. Educational Sciences. 2016, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 24–30
Caner, M. (2012). The Definition of Blended Learning in Higher Education. In P. Anastasiades (Eds.), Blended Learning Environments for Adults: Evaluations and Frameworks (pp. 19-34). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-0939-6.ch002
Shrand, K. & Glassett, S. (2018). The Art of Blending: Benefits and Challenges of a Blended Course for Preservice Teachers.
