Blended Learning Format Research Articles

MOOCs Integration into Campus-Based Curricula: The Case for Russia

Massive open online course (MOOC) is a relatively new format of online learning; despite this, it is actively integrated into the educational process of universities. Using data from publications, regulatory documents of universities, official websites of educational institutions, as well as data from expert interviews, this paper summarizes the experience of Russian universities on MOOC integration into campus-based curricula. The main models of MOOC integration into the educational process were highlighted: (a) embedding the MOOC into the blended learning format, (b) replacing part of the offline courses of the academic program with MOOCs, (c) creating an online master’s program with MOOCs.

Complementary Learning: Piloting a Blended Format for Canadian Composition Courses

This paper describes a pilot blended learning format for a first-year genre-based Canadian composition course. It measures responses to the online learning materials and hybrid class schedule by comparing student writing skill perception questionnaires, teaching evaluation questionnaires, and written assignments for control and experimental groups. Findings suggest that a blended approach can offer flexibility for a wider range of learners, address larger class size concerns, and provide additional learning materials, all of which add options for composition delivery in the as-yet sparsely researched Canadian context.

Modified recommender system model for the utilized eLearning platform

The recommender system has been designed to impose a degree of order into the content management of e-courses accompanying subjects on geography, history and culture of English-speaking countries within the Management of Tourism bachelor study programme. The article discusses blended learning form of education with a focus on an innovative approach to content creation and a recommender system of learning material in e-courses. These two interconnected parts of e-courses are analysed on both a theoretical and practical basis resulting in the design of a recommender system model reflecting technical specifications of established learning management system at the university. The effort of educators to enhance students’ learning performance is run via active involvement of students into the process of education by means of creation, presentation and evaluation of study materials. This approach is based on elaborated guiding in the virtual space, in utilizing proper tools for communication, navigation and evaluation of students’ presentations. The evaluation of students’ presentations is made in the virtual space and also during face-to-face classes, for it is the inseparable part of the recommender system and as a whole corresponds to the blended learning concept. The pilot stage of implementation of the recommender system was tested during the last academic year. Students welcomed the new approach, earlier some students felt limited by time and others by lack of knowledge to evaluate which material is worth studying. Appropriateness of the model was demonstrated by reduced failure rate at the final tests.

Let’s Kahoot! For Diverse Time and Place

Blended learning allows one to approach a complex problem with reason, it creates ample opportunities for learners and educators to communicate at different levels. Learners become motivated and hence productive. A form of blended learning that makes use of gamification is Kahoot! Educators and learners are easily able to comprehend this software as it is similar to that of computer games whereby the focus is on education. The study was carried out brings forth a few positive as well as negative implications of Kahoot! in a classroom. Kahoot! was carried out on a class of 22 first year diploma students and personal interviews were carried out. The major finds were that 100% of the students expressed interest in Kahoot! as a learning tool. The idea of using gamification to teach a theoritical subject was well received by the the students. They were self motivated to attain and maintain their scores. The scoreboard ensures that they keep track and work at improving their scores which differes from the conventional methods of assessments. Kahoot! adds vivacity, encourages student involment, and provides intelectual supporrt to higher education classrooms in which limited instructor or student training is required. On the downside, the students were extremely frustrated due to ineffectiveness of the gamification method due to technical glitches such as the speed of the Internet connection. The study made a significant contribution in promoting Education 4.0 and encouraging lecturers to be technologically advanced As per theory and research, blended learning is encapsulated as the combination of the positive effects of traditional teaching and teaching done through technology and both practices actually complete each other.

THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGING

Higher education is engulfed in change. At the same time that institutions of higher education are endeavoring to transform themselves by integrating information and communication technologies into curriculum delivery, student profiles are changing. Low income-ethnic populations are among the fastest growing segment of 18–24 year old students; male enrollments are lagging in comparison to female; and the “digital natives” have arrived. Also, as the Internet provides students with access to a myriad of global educational opportunities, the potential for serving virtual foreign students increases. These changes present challenges and opportunities to institutions of higher education, which strive to serve their constituents through fully online and blended learning formats and aspire to extend education to new markets as well. This paper raises implications for online learning related to changing student populations. It presents two fundamentals crucial for ensuring student success, as well as, access in an online environment. Finally, it recommends two change strategies.

Accounting students’ choice of blended learning format and its impact on performance and satisfaction

ABSTRACTUsing online platforms to deliver educational content, some institutions have developed blended courses that combine the advantages of online instruction with traditional face-to-face (F2F) teaching. This study compares accounting student performance and satisfaction in two blended formats with similar content and design, i.e. F2F+ vs. Online+ courses. It also assesses the characteristics of students who choose the latter option over F2F+ courses. Students in four advanced accounting subjects were surveyed and their course performance was obtained. Results indicate that the main determinants of students’ decision to register for an Online+ course are retaking the course, increased weekly work hours, and belief that this type of blended course facilitates learning. Results show that students in advanced accounting courses with equivalent content and design perform similarly and have the same level of course satisfaction across course delivery formats, as hypothesized under equivalency theory.

PACE UNIVERSITY, BLENDED LEARNING AND LOCALNESS: A MODEL THAT WORKS

Several forms of blended learning at Pace University offer flexible options for learners, and its growth reflects its appeal to traditional and corporate learners.

Challenges in Implementing an E-Learning Education Program for Syringe Pump Use.

To prevent the incidence of risks imputable to human error during the process of preparing the infusion pump, clarity in teaching and learning are required. Because traditional classroom training is difficult and time-consuming, the aim of the present study was to challenge the implementation of an e-learning education program for syringe pump use. The impact of the e-learning program was evaluated with 100 nurses between March and June 2016. The e-learning program significantly increased general baseline knowledge in syringe pump use; however, aspects of the program confused participants. The feedback from 98 % of nurses on the e-learning program was that it was effective in helping them with this skill. However, only 54 % opted for the e-learning program versus traditional training. The present study showed nurses preferred a blended learning format. Based on our hospital incident and error reports, this study shows local training requires a specific approach strategy for syringe pump education.

Defining flipped learning for English learners in an urban secondary school

ABSTRACT Flipped learning has gained traction in diverse classroom settings over the past decade as a student-centered form of blended learning that allows teachers to focus class time on interaction while extending learning opportunities outside the classroom. Despite its compatibility with current approaches to teaching ESL, little is known about how flipping the classroom is enacted with English learners in K–12 settings. This study used Delphi interviews to better understand flipped learning in ESL and sheltered classrooms in an urban secondary school. Findings show that this community of practice understood flipped learning as a dynamic student‐centered approach to teaching diverse students that may draw on technology to support student learning, participation, and assessment. Classroom practices were analyzed with the school community to understand how they embodied the affordances and limitations of flipped learning for English learners at this school.

Edublogların Katılımıyla Dönüştürücü Öğrenme Kuramı: Öğretmen Adaylarının Deneyi

Bu makale, dönüştürücü öğrenme kuramı ile yürütülen öğretmen eğitiminin öğretmen adaylarının mesleki inançları üzerindeki etkilerini incelemektedir. Bu çalışma aynı zamanda öğretmenlik mesleğine yönelik bakış açılarındaki dönüşümleri belirlemeyi de amaçlamaktadır. Katılımcı öğretmen adayları, Edublogs tarafından desteklenen dönüştürücü pedagojiyi kullanarak çeşitli projelerde yer aldı. Kurslar, hem sınıf ortamında yüz yüze etkinliklerde hem de Edublogs ortamında harmanlanmış bir öğrenme şekli olarak uygulanmıştır. 38 öğretmen adayının katıldığı karma bir yöntem tercih edilmiştir. 12 haftalık başvuru sonrasında elde edilen bulgular dönüştürücü faaliyetlerin öğretmen adaylarının mesleki inançları üzerinde olumlu bir etkisi olduğunu göstermiştir. Sonuç olarak, mesleki bakış açılarında olumlu bir dönüşüm gözlemlenmiştir.

Application of best practices in blended and online learning in a public health course

The purpose of this review is twofold to investigate the literature for best practices for online blended learning format in higher education institutions and examine a graduate public health course that was national peer reviewed and received Quality Matters (QM) recognition. This narrative review supported positive influences of implementing QM standards for best practices in a blended learning format. The instructional design of blended learning and assessing student learning in the course shows greater promise when QM and best practices are used.

A Case-Control Study of Student Performance in a Blended Learning Environment

This paper discusses student performancein a fourth-year computer-aided design course under twodelivery modes: one using a blended learning format andthe other based on a classical lecture style. Specifically, thefinal exam results following the blended learning approach(2017) are compared to those from the previous four years(2012 to 2016), where the latter delivery was based on aclassical lecture style.Course enrolment during the study period varied froma minimum of 68 students for the 2012 cohort to amaximum of 122 registrations in 2017. Meanwhile, themean cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of eachcohort varied from a minimum of 6.71 ± 1.21 (mean ± SD)in 2012 to a maximum of 7.10 ± 1.33 (mean ± SD) in 2014;the mean CGPA in 2017 was 6.87 ± 1.31 (mean ± SD).While the class average in the final exam for each yeartracked more-or-less the entrance CGPA, the distributionof grades did not. Instead, the blended learning cohortshowed the lowest proportion of students achieving below50% on the final exam.

Teachers\u2019 perceptions of the usability of learning analytics reports in a flipped university course: when and how does information become actionable knowledge?

The flipped classroom model is a form of blended learning in which delivery of content occurs with online materials, and face-to-face meetings are used for teacher-guided practice. It is important that teachers stay up to date with the activities students engage in, which may be accomplished with the help of learning analytics (LA). This study investigated university teachers’ perceptions of whether weekly LA reports that summarized student activities supported their teaching activities (n = 7). The teachers reported using the LA reports for diagnosing and intervening during student activities, and that the reports encouraged them to start interaction with students. Teachers did sometimes find it difficult to connect the information from the LA reports to concrete interventions, which was partly dependent on the level of the teacher’s experience. LA reports might support teachers further by not only offering information, but also by suggesting interventions.

Assessment of the readiness of the russian higher education for the digital economy

The purposeof the study is to assess the readiness of the Russian higher education system to move to the digital level based on the statistical researches of education. The way to the digital economy becomes decisive in the development of Russian education and covers all its stages. Within the framework of the state program “Education development” the project “Modern Digital Educational Environment” is being realized, for the secondary education the “Digital School” project is being developed, and in the program of development of the digital economy a separate direction “Personnel and Education” is emphasized. Digitalization of education becomes the next stage after the informatization stage in the technological development of education. It is necessary to assess the current level of informatization of higher education.Materials and methods of research.The presented study of the assessment of the readiness of Russian higher education to the digital economy is based on the methodology, proposed by the World Bank, which includes an assessment of five groups of indicators: the use of information technology in the learning process; training of teaching staff for the use of information technology in education; informatization of education management; information infrastructure of higher education; normative and legal support of the digitalization of education. The methodology includes the combination and interpretation of the different statistical data because the appropriate study of digitalization of education requires the specific approach. The factual basis of the research is the data of official statistics and universities.The results, on the one hand, indicate a high level of provision of universities with personal computers and access to the Internet, and on the other hand, a lack of automation of the administrative and educational processes of the university. Despite the constant development of technologies and the emergence of new educational web tools, and a multi-year state policy on the information educational space formation, its potential is partly used by universities. Only one third of university students are trained using e-learning or distance education technologies. At the same time, non-state educational institutions provide most of the educational services available to online listeners. In general, the share of online education in the market of educational services is low and is 1.8% for higher education programs and 6.7% for additional professional education. 82% of students, enrolled in programs with exclusive use of e-learning are students of non-state universities. The use of technology, even in the form of blended learning, in addition to the corresponding IT infrastructure, requires the appropriate training of lecturers and students. The training of lecturers in the use of IT in education, including training directly to work with IT, should be supplemented by teaching methodical work in the information educational space.Conclusion. The study shows that the Russian education system has created the necessary reserve for the creation of IT infrastructure, regulatory support, and best practices in the field of IT application in the educational process, which should become the basis for the participation of Russian universities in the digital economy. At the same time, the differences between information technologies (IT) and digital are not obvious, in many respects, these concepts are identical, differences arise when considering the totality of the information technologies and resources involved. Digitalization assumes that practically all the computing devices are involved in information support, including consumers, who, for example, install mobile applications in order to use the services. Involving a large number of devices with the ability to connect to the Internet allows you to organize the collection and processing of a large amount of digital data. The basis of digitalization is the created IT infrastructure and the degree of informatization in educational institutions.

Lifelong Learning at Universities: Future Perspectives for Teaching and Learning

This paper examines practices of teaching and learning in the era of digitalization. More specifically, it addresses practices of teaching and learning for students with professional experience who work alongside their studies. Based on the assumption that digitalization is a means of allowing more open and flexible pathways for teaching and learning in higher education, the paper focusses on the perspectives and perceptions of both students and teachers in digital supported teaching and learning environments as forms of blended learning. It brings together findings from two qualitative empirical studies: one focused on students’ perspectives of their development over the course of their studies; the second addressed teachers’ perspectives and their teaching strategies and activities. Based on the findings of these two research studies, the paper outlines future perspectives for teaching and learning and the role of digitalization, with a particular emphasis on programs of lifelong learning at universities.

Teaching social work supervision to part-time students of distance studies: challenges and opportunities

ABSTRACTSupervision provides a forum for social workers to reflect on their practice with respect to increasing the quality of their work. To fulfil the objective of supervision, some conditions are needy: first of all, a confidential relationship between supervisor and supervisee and, second, a safe and supportive environment. It is a question whether it is possible to cover such demanding conditions when teaching supervision to part-time students of distance studies. The aim of this article is thus to discuss the challenges and opportunities of teaching social work supervision in the form of blended learning where diverse elements of distance learning are used (e.g. rare face-to-face contact with teachers and other students, online written assignments and online feedback replacing the face-to-face contact of the full-time students). The author shares her experience from the teaching of a one-term course of supervision at the master’s level of the Social Work part-time distance studies programme. The analysis of the students’ written reflections of the Balint supervision group session shows that, even within the above-mentioned form of education, it is possible to fulfil a specific level of the main supervision objectives. Some suggestions for optimizing this supervision method within the distance studies are presented in the conclusion.

Dealing with the learning needs of child welfare social and health care workers: an interdisciplinary approach to blended learning with part time students

ABSTRACTThis paper describes and critically evaluates a new interdisciplinary MSc in Child Welfare and Protection designed in Ireland for national and international post-qualified practitioners. It begins with a review of literature and policy and practice contexts where considerable changes to the delivery of child care services, as well as processes of monitoring need and risk, have occurred in the last decade. The next section of the paper discusses a range of perspectives on the strengths and limitations of blended learning approaches and how they can be used in interdisciplinary professional education. The second half of the paper focuses on the design and delivery of the program that was managed by academics from social work, radiography and nursing. Included in the paper are details of curriculum content, pedagogic methodologies, assessment and program management. The authors discuss opportunities and obstacles in delivering the program, including the careful use of resources and technological support, interdisciplinary debates and institutional commitments. The paper appeals to a form of blended learning that supports student learning, not just through new forms of technology, but by demonstrating that these can be mixed with traditional types of learning and teaching. In doing so it is argued that professionals can develop important, appropriate skills, knowledge and values.

Faculty development for junior health professionals.

The need for faculty development programmes designed to help junior health professionals fulfill their multiple roles, across various institutions, is widely acknowledged. Such programmes are usually logistically difficult for hospital clinicians to access, however, and are discipline based. In 2017, we collaborated with four health care faculties to develop a blended learning, interprofessional faculty development programme that was up to date, relevant, and accessible to clinicians working in the hospital and university settings. The purpose of our study was to explore participants' perceptions of the structure, processes and outcomes of the programme, using the conceptual framework of communities of practice. The Clinical Teacher Training (CTT) programme included eight modules delivered using a blended learning format. Participants were provided with education literature, online activities and videos, plus in-class opportunities for active participation in small interprofessional learning groups and large group sessions. Quantitative data were collected from participants by questionnaire, and then analysed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were collected by focus group. Framework analysis was used to code the data set using 'communities of practice' as a conceptual framework. [Faculty development] programmes are usually logistically difficult for hospital clinicians to access and are discipline based FINDINGS: Participants felt able to achieve most of the CTT programme learning outcomes through active participation, formative assessment and feedback. Participants felt that their learning was enriched through the blended learning platform, and through delivery within an interprofessional context; however, participants suggested it would be beneficial if more content was delivered through face-to-face sessions, particularly regarding 'Journal Club' and 'Mentorship' modules. Although participants felt well prepared to teach students, they felt less well prepared for assessment activities.

Bridging the gap between informatics and medicine upon medical school entry: Implementing a course on the Applicative Use of ICT.

Education is undergoing profound changes due to permanent technological innovations. This paper reports the results of a pilot study aimed at developing, implementing and evaluating the course, "Applicative Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Medicine," upon medical school entry. The Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, introduced a curriculum reform in 2014 that included the implementation of the course, “Applicative Use of ICT in Medicine” for first year medical students. The course was designed using a blended learning format to introduce the concepts of Web-based learning environments. Data regarding student knowledge, use and attitudes towards ICT were prospectively collected for the classes of 2015/16 and 2016/17. The teaching approach was supported by multimedia didactic materials using Moodle LMS. The overall quality of the course was also assessed. The five level Likert scale was used to measure attitudes related to ICT. In total, 1110 students were assessed upon medical school entry. A small number of students (19%) had previous experience with e-learning. Students were largely in agreement that informatics is needed in medical education, and that it is also useful for doctors (4.1±1.0 and 4.1±0.9, respectively). Ability in informatics and use of the Internet in education in the adjusted multivariate regression model were significantly associated with positive student attitudes toward ICT. More than 80% of students stated that they had learned to evaluate medical information and would use the Internet to search medical literature as an additional source for education. The majority of students (77%) agreed that a blended learning approach facilitates access to learning materials and enables time independent learning (72%). Implementing the blended learning course, "Applicative Use of ICT in Medicine," may bridge the gap between medicine and informatics upon medical school entry. Students displayed positive attitudes towards using ICT and gained adequate skills necessary to function effectively in an information-rich environment.

Teaching Shakespeare through blended learning

This paper describes and discusses experimentation with the use of blended learning in teaching Shakespeare. Previous iterations of the subject in a traditional lecture and tutorial format had seen a decline in student attendance and a fall in student achievement at the higher grade levels. A further complicating issue was the range of expectations from the cohort, which comprised students from Creative Writing, Drama, and Education, a factor which also highlights the cross-disciplinary nature of teaching Shakespeare. A blended learning and lectorial format was employed to facilitate small group discussion of the plays in conjunction with a wider social and historical overview. Student feedback indicated that the changes to the delivery method were received positively, although some questions do remain concerning levels of student engagement and the specific disciplinary needs of student cohorts. The findings of the teaching of this subject will translate usefully to other fields and disciplines, especially as more and more subjects take up blended learning. The findings indicate that it is not enough to take up new technologies in the teaching of a unit. The learning environment must also be rethought and reconceptualised.