Research on the Application of the New Blended Teaching Model Based on Virtual Simulation Technology in Foreign Language Teaching

Abstract

The reform of “Internet+” in higher education has been driven by the rapid development of information technology in recent years. While the blended teaching model has brought about greater openness in educational concepts and more humane teaching methods, its effectiveness in addressing students’ weak self-directed learning, lack of initiative, and insufficient practical abilities remains limited. In light of these challenges, this study thoroughly investigates the current status and primary problems of foreign language professional courses. The objective is to integrate virtual simulation technology with the traditional blended teaching model, creating a new blended teaching model for implementation in teaching practice. Two parallel classes from the 2020 English major at the researcher’s institution were selected as research subjects, with an experimental group and a control group established. The experimental group utilized the new blended teaching model based on virtual simulation technology, while the control group followed the conventional blended teaching model. After implementing the teaching methods, the effects were evaluated through two aspects: the scores of the final theoretical exams and the results of a survey. The experimental results reveal that the experimental group achieved higher scores in the theoretical exams compared to the control group, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). Additionally, the students in the experimental group demonstrated notable improvements in their self-directed learning abilities, learning attitude, and practical application skills after being exposed to the new blended teaching model. These findings indicate that the online-offline blended teaching model, which incorporates virtual simulation experiments, effectively combines the advantages of blended teaching and virtual simulation technology. Furthermore, it successfully enhances students’ academic performance. Thus, it is evident that this new teaching model caters to the individual learning needs of students and exemplifies the integration of theory and practice.