A qualitative analysis of student experiences of a blended learning course

Peter Ruijten,Eline Hooijman

doi:10.4995/head19.2019.9473

Abstract

Blended learning has become a popular topic in higher education. A blended learning course combines face-to-face instructions with computer-mediated instructions in any possible ratio. Even though studies have investigated effects of blended learning on education costs and student performance, not much is known about how students experience a blended learning course. The current study provides insights into student experiences in a blended learning course in which all materials were available online, and a minimum number of face-to-face meetings was organized. Three students of the course participated in an in-depth interview, and all fourteen students of the course provided answers to questions during four face-to-face tutorials. Findings indicate similarities in their needs, but differences in their perception of the flexibility that was given to them in the course. A possible explanation for the differences in perception of flexibility could be the students’ self-efficacy. Future studies should be designed to investigate which factors contribute to a positive student experience of blended learning.

Highlights

In 2003, blended learning emerged in the industry of knowledge delivery (Rooney, 2003)
Questions reflected the perceived usefulness of a blended learning course, the perceived ease of use of the Learning Management System (LMS) that was used for the course, the attitude students had towards the course, the intention to participate in other blended learning courses, and which factors are important to make a blended learning course successful
Students mostly agreed about the needs they had regarding blended learning, but they differed in their experiences regarding the flexibility of the course

Summary

Introduction

In 2003, blended learning emerged in the industry of knowledge delivery (Rooney, 2003). Dean, Stahl, Sylwester and Peat (2001) explored the effectiveness of a specific distance education program for physicians at the University of Tennessee This program was considered a blended learning program since it used a mixed-mode delivery of information. A metaanalysis regarding the effectiveness of online and blended learning showed a significant increase in performance with blended learning compared to face-to-face learning (Means, Toyama, Murphy, and Baki, 2013). These findings should be interpreted with caution, because blended learning tends to be paired with additional learning time, instructional resources, and encouragement of interaction among learners, which was not controlled for in the study (Means et al, 2013)

Methods

Results

Conclusion