Blended Teaching Method Research Articles

Improving Higher Education Student Learning through a Table of Learning

Web-based or “online” learning commonly known as e-Learning which makes use of internet technologies has been widely used by many education institutions around the globe. Higher education institutions have been using Learning Management system (LMS) as a part of their campus-based and distance teaching. To date, very little research has been carried out to investigate whether the uses of LMS actually contribute to student learning. In this paper, we present a higher education blended teaching method for improving student learning. By blended teaching, we mean the combination of face-to-face teaching and the uses of a LMS for learning, teaching and assessment activities. Student’s learning progress is guided and gauged by Shulman’s (2002) table of learning. The LMS that we use at La Trobe University is Moodle. To demonstrate the usefulness of our method, we also present in this paper the results of applying it to teaching a third year software engineering subject, CSE3MQR (Metrics, Quality and Reliability).

Implementation of instructional methods and learners’ views in online/offline business English classes.

This study explores the participants’ views on online and offline learning, and effects of blended learning in business English classes. Participants were sixty three university students in Korea, and the study was conducted in two general English classes. The materials used for online and offline teaching were the online website, “Global Business English for Jobs” which provided various and interesting business content. Two different instructional methods were applied in both classes. Students in one class previewed the online materials before they came to the class. In contrast, students in another class learned the content together in the class; then reviewed the materials again online at home. To verify the effects of each type of instructional method, the quizzes students took every class were analyzed through descriptive statistical analysis. Moreover, three questionnaires and in-depth interviews were administered. The findings revealed that most participants were quite satisfied with the blended learning teaching methods, and previewing instead of reviewing was considered as a preferable learning method for improving their language skills in the blended learning situations. Pedagogical implications and limitations are discussed.

The Effect of Using an Interactive Multimedia Courseware within a Collaborative Learning Environment on the Learning of Pre-Algebra Concepts among Pre-University Engineering Students

Students enrolled into an engineering programme are expected to have good grasps of mathematical concepts and procedures as mastery of mathematics is essential to succeed in engineering based programmes. However, many new engineering students do not possess adequate mathematical skills and as a consequence, engineering teachers often have to spend time on remedial work in the first two semesters of the programme which is counter productive for all. Even with remediation, the outcome is not always satisfactory. To enhance the effectiveness of our teaching and learning efforts we tested the use of a blended teaching and learning method (CDiCL) where a specifically designed courseware based on the Herman Brain Dominance theory was used within a collaborative learning environment. The courseware provides opportunities for individually paced drill and practice while the collaborative learning environment provided opportunities for social learning support from peers. We compared the CDiCl method to three other methods, namely using the courseware only (CD), using collaborative method only (CL) and using the conventional method. We found out that the CDiCL group performs similarly to the CD group but was superior to the CL group. Affective factors like attitude and motivation played major roles towards this outcome.

Some Elements of American Indian Pedagogy from an Anishinaabe Perspective

In 2005 I published an article discussing the teaching method we used for an introduction to American Indian studies course at Iowa State University.1 As might be expected, since the publication of that article my career and teaching have continued to develop. I am no longer at Iowa State but have moved to the Department of Native American Studies at Montana State University— Bozeman. Under these circumstances, a pedagogy based on American Indian approaches has become that much more appropriate. Additionally, I have more years worked with the teaching method in question, and as a result, I have refined the technique some, although the basic approach remains intact. In my previous piece, I did not delineate the elements that go into an American Indian pedagogy. I will address that issue here. Because I am most familiar with Anishinaabe culture, I will primarily limit my remarks to that nation. My article about teaching American Indian studies explained a blended teaching method we used at Iowa State University that drew from American Indian pedagogical approaches as well as methods traditional to the academy. I discussed the history of the teaching method and the theory informing the technique; briefly outlined some elements of American Indian pedagogy and the logistics of the class; and ended with some observations on the effectiveness of the technique. For this article, it is important to have an understanding of the course assignments. Students are required to write a fourto five-page paper about their family, community, and place and about their interest in and/or knowledge of the course topic and how it developed. Students are encouraged to talk with their family members in order to get material. The material from the paper is given in an oral presentation. Students are informed they will all receive an A for the oral presentation. The idea is to allow students to be the complete authority in the classroom when they do their respective

Chunking, priming and active learning: Toward an innovative and blended approach to teaching communication-related skills

Possessing communication-related skills is vital to student success within and beyond college. The utilization of these skills, or being considered socially competent, has been linked to personal, relational, and occupational success. But how do we teach the necessary social skills to today's students? Building on research from education and cognitive psychology on chunking, priming, and active learning, we propose an innovative, blended teaching method (Concept Keys), the utility of which is in its capability to present complex skill sets in manageable units of information, thus allowing students time to reflect on and incorporate such information into their schema of what it means to be socially competent. A case study is presented to establish the potential for this approach and to propose a call for further research.

Using asynchronous discussions to enhance student participation in CS courses

As Computer Science (CS) educators, we are involved in teaching a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses such as database management systems, networking, software development and web development courses. In addition to the traditional classroom environment, we use online and blended teaching methods to enhance student participation and improve the achievement of learning objectives. Typical online supplements to classroom instruction include posting homework, links to external resources, lecture notes and exams online. Asynchronous discussions and synchronous chat sessions provide additional forums outside the classroom for strengthening interaction and enriching the learning experience for students. This paper focuses on how asynchronous discussions can be used to enhance student participation in CS courses; increased participation leads to learning effectiveness, rich involvement with the course content, and student satisfaction.