Abstract
Blended learning utilizes the affordances of information and communication technology to integrate online learning with face-to-face teaching. It facilitates to meet students’ disciplinary learning needs and helps them achieve the intended learning outcomes so that they can advance in their professional study. The present study focuses on developing and evaluating a blended course implemented in the context of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) from the perspective of accountability and development, with the purpose of assessing the effectiveness of the course from three aspects: the satisfaction of students’ learning requirements, the achievement of their learning outcomes, and the ongoing refinement of the course. Data of the course evaluation survey were quantitatively analyzed by descriptive statistics and data of students’ learning reflections were qualitatively analyzed by thematic analysis. Results indicate that, firstly, students are satisfied with the course design and its implementation; secondly, the course modification should focus on adding academic presentations, teaching in English with trans-semiotising approach and consolidating the disciplinary community, which in turn activate students’ knowledge-sharing and critical thinking. The study offers a systematic framework to evaluate the ESP blended course, which also has implications for evaluating blended courses in other language curricula.
Highlights
Blended learning is an innovative teaching paradigm with technology, which seeks significantly to engage students in ways that classroom teaching and online learning are combined systematically
The present study focuses on the ways of evaluating a blended English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course, English for Agriculture and Forestry, from the scopes of accountability and development (Norris, 2016; Nunan, 1992; Tufail & Embi, 2016; Weir, 1995) to address the research questions: 1Research Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Xi’an International Studies University, Xi’an, China 2School of English Studies, Xi’an International Studies University, Xi’an, China
The effectiveness of the ESP course evaluation is viewed from the perspective of two parties, students and the instructor, and the course is evaluated from the two aspects, accountability and development, of which accountability demonstrates to stakeholders the course has achieved the intended outcomes and development provides valuable information for ongoing refinement of the course, which can be concluded as follows: Firstly, the evaluation in general shows that the course is effectively designed and implemented
Summary
Blended learning is an innovative teaching paradigm with technology, which seeks significantly to engage students in ways that classroom teaching and online learning are combined systematically This modality of integrated synchronous face-toface and asynchronous online learning provides flexibility to both instructors and learners (Garrison, 2017; Vaughan et al, 2013). Class discussion, task collaboration, and interactive activities can be realized either synchronously or asynchronously (Bower et al, 2017; Çakır & Bichelmeyer, 2016; Diep et al, 2017) Both researchers and practitioners suggest that blended learning should integrate instructional approaches and learning strategies to provide feedback on course development and students’ learning experiences (Diep et al, 2017; Hrastinski, 2019; Zacharis, 2015). To understand the course effectiveness, evaluation is inevitably addressed to answer questions such as how well the students performed, how thoroughly the course serves the requirements of learners, teachers and other stakeholders, and how the course effectively meets the learning objectives (Tufail & Embi, 2016)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
