The 4th (and practically last) topic of OLN is now over with another interesting topic: blended learning. It has been an interesting topic and the discussions within our PBL group were very rewarding. This topic connects very well with Topic 3 on networked collaborative learning.
Nowadays with the plethora of the available digital tools and platforms, teachers have the possibility to use them in their teaching. Using these tools can give a ‘flexibility’ in the teaching activities which can be very important, as it is also proven nowadays where campus attendance is somehow restricted. Teaching traditionally took place in campus with the physical attendance of the students. Nowadays, teaching can also take place on-line by using digital tools. Blended learning lies somewhere in between; it is a combination of traditional (face-to-face) and online learning activities and has been expanding globally (1).
Blended learning offers a lot of opportunities for teaching and learning activities and especially can give the possibility to have a tuned teaching based on the specific needs of the students. Especially combination of a student centered teaching approach with blended learning can enhance students’ experience (2). When properly applied, blended learning has been associated also with improved pedagogy, engagement in learning and added flexibility (3). Of course, switching to blended learning also has some challenges. To be able to shift toward on-line teaching, certain infrastructure and digital literacies are necessary for both the teachers and the learners. Moreover, often there might be resilience to move towards on-line teaching activities from certain departments that can pose a challenge for teachers that want to try such approaches due to the lack of support. Also it is important to prepare the students for blended learning so they can gain the most out of it. The last one was a significant part of our discussion in the PBL group and how to properly take into account the students perspective when designing such a course. One important aspect that was discussed is how to promote team building and socialization between the learners, which is often not given the proper attention that should. Specifically, we discussed on how to design courses in which a response from the learners is received. Several interesting ideas were discussed such as ‘camera questions game’, ‘bingo games’ and ‘speed dating’, as means to ‘break the ice’. Promoting collaborative learning is also an important aspect that needs consideration and more importantly on how to active students towards this rather than enforcing it. And of course, to clearly communicate the goals and expectations.
During this topic, I also got introduced to the concept of Community of Inquiry which basically summarizes the concept of collaborative learning and how this collaboration can benefit all the participants to gain knowledge. Especially the example with the six blind men and the elephant (4) clearly (and in a clever way) describes this need of collaboration between the learners (in the example the blind people) to solve a problem (in the example to describe the elephant accurately). This example teaches us that individual can have a limited perception which can often not describe reality properly. However, by openly collaborating and sharing knowledge they can draw more accurate conclusions.
A very simple form of blended teaching can be the ‘flipped classroom’, in which students can study teaching material, probably even in a collaborative way with other students, and combine with face-to-face teaching activities in which together with the teachers apply their knowledge to solve problems. Flipped classroom has been found to gain a positive attitude from the students, increase their motivation, engagement and learning and be an effective learning approach (5,6). In my own experience, flipped classroom is indeed beneficial and students most of the times find it rewarding and more engaging.
At this point, we should not forget that switching to blended learning could also be a challenge for some students. We often tend to presume that students (being most of the times young individuals) should have the necessary digital literacies and being comfortable to use such digital tools. When designing such a course, teachers should try to make sure that the learners are familiar and comfortable to use such tools and support them through the process. One important aspect, that is discussed before, is to build teams which can happen through some socializing activities at the beginning of the course.
Blended learning is gaining attention among educators and students. So far, it is shown that it can be a very promising approach to improve the engagement of students in the learning process. As it combines different learning approaches, their combination (and the ratio between traditional and on-line learning activities) can be set in an optimal way and probably be tuned based on the needs of the specific students.
References
- Hilliard AT: Global blended learning practices for teaching and learning, leadership and professional development. Journal of International Education Research 2015, 11:179-188.
- O’Connor C, Dennis M, Sue B: Blended learning: Issues, benefits and challenges. International Journal of Employment Studies 2011, 19: 63-68.
- Masalela RK: Potential benefits and complexities of blended learning in higher education: The case of the university of Botswana. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education 2009, 10:66-82.
- https://rutraining.org/2013/09/02/six-blind-men-and-an-elephant-why-we-need-learning-communities/
- Nouri J: The flipped classroom: for active, effective and increased learning – especially for low achievers. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education 2016, 13:33.
- Gilboy MB, Heinerichs S, Pazzaglia G: Enhancing student engagement using the flipped classroom. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 2015, 47:109-114.
