Blended Learning Technology Research Articles

Consistency in the formation of culture-general competencies of economics students in the blended learning environment

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study is to analyze the effectiveness of the formation of culture-general competencies of economics students in the context of the blended learning environment. The following results have been obtained. A blended learning system to teach Econometrics has been introduced at two Russian universities and one Kazakh university A questionnaire has been developed, and a sociological survey of economics students of the three universities has been conducted to assess the effectiveness of the formation of culture-general competencies in the context of blended learning of Econometrics. The analysis of the research results confirmed a number of hypotheses: H1 “Blended learning contributes to the formation of professional identity”, H2 “Blended learning contributes to the formation of communication skills”, H3 “Blended learning contributes to the formation of self-organization and self-education skills”, H4 “Blended learning does not lead to a decrease in academic performance”. The practical significance of the results obtained involves the fact that they make it possible to effectively implement blended learning technologies for the development of the competencies of economics students.

Blended Learning as an Innovative Organization of the Educational Process in Higher Education Institutions of Ukraine

The authors, based on the analysis of psychological and pedagogical literature, summarizing the results of the study of the experience of cooperation between teachers and students in the educational process of an educational institution, highlighted the specifics of the organization of partnership interaction "teacher-student" in the conditions of a mixed format of education in modern institutions of higher education. The article reveals the theoretical and methodological foundations of blended learning technologies, describes the features of their implementation in the educational process, summarizes positive developments, and outlines typical problems. Researchers emphasize that the use of blended learning technologies determines the combination of different learning formats and teaching styles. It is indicated that mixed learning technologies are the best option for organizing the educational process when it comes to learning during quarantine or pandemic, martial law, limited access to classrooms, which requires teachers and managers of higher education institutions to use non-standard approaches and creativity in meeting educational needs and professional requests of education seekers. The article notes that the use of blended learning technologies in pedagogical practice helps to optimize partnership interaction in the "teacher-student" context, promotes the formation of digital competences, improves program learning results, and increases the effectiveness of the educational process in a higher education institution.

Criteria for Assessing the Effectiveness of Blended Learning Technologies Used at the University

Introduction. The active use of blended learning technologies in universities has highlighted the problem of their effectiveness. The solution to this problem envisages further clarification of the distinctive features of blended learning technology and selection of performance indicators. The purpose of research paper is to justify the selection and define assessment criteria for effectiveness of blended learning technology, and to develop a multi-level system of indicators of their manifestation in university educational practice. Materials and Methods. Methods of systematic analysis of scholarly literature, grouping scientific information, modeling, point-rating scaling, comparison and methods of mathematical statistics. It also includes the results of an online survey conducted among students and teachers at Russian universities and the results of a content analysis of the open-ended question “Blended learning technology is effective if ...” of the “Unfinished sentences” methodology. Results. Within the framework of the complex approach, the selection of effective, didactic and resource criteria for assessing the effectiveness of blended learning technology have been substantiated. It was revealed that students prefer the didactic, and then the resource criterion in assessing the effectiveness of blended learning technologies, and teachers consider the resource criterion to be a priority, followed by the didactic one. Discussion and Conclusion. The research results contribute to the development of scientific ideas about the system of criteria for assessing the effectiveness of blended learning technology and increasing the level of reasonability of managerial decisions on their application in the higher education system. The article materials will be useful for university teaching staff and managers, as well as researchers concerned with analysis and assessment of blended learning and modern educational technologies’ effectiveness.

Application of the convergent education model in the development of a smart learning environment

The article presents a scientific and practical approach to the development and implementation of the concept of convergent learning in the framework of building an open educational platform to manage the process of training specialists. The presented concept of convergence education is based on the integration of educational programs, learning content, competency matrices, methods and technologies for training specialists and personalized learning trajectories in smart learning environment. To implement the model and the convergent approach, it is vital to make use of an information and educational environment with mechanisms to support convergent learning based on regional labor market analysis, actualizing of educational programs and resources, harmonization and synchronization life-cycle models thereof, adaptive customization and personalization of specialist training trajectories. The article presents the developed convergence model of educational programs and employer vacancies as a weighted graph to illustrate the relationship between competence requirement vectors of educational programs and sought-after employment. To isolate the convergence model components and evaluate the convergence degree thereof, a graph clustering algorithm based on the Louvain method has been developed. A method for synthesizing a convergence model of educational content organized as a fuzzy weighted graph has been presented, and sets of topics and sections of electronic learning resources being its vertices. Search and extraction of convergence educational content sections have been implemented by means of an algorithm for extracting fuzzy isomorphic subgraphs, and assessing the convergence degree thereof. The results of the study are used to synthesize an information and educational environment with intelligent mechanisms for supporting learning processes based on an analysis of the requirements of labor markets and actualizing educational content and training programs, as well as adaptive customization and personalization of specialist training trajectories. The architecture of the educational environment includes a set of software and tools for managing the components of the information space of the university with support for mobile, cloud and blended learning technologies.

Acceptance of Smart Technologies in Blended Learning: Perspectives of Chinese Medical Students.

Smart technologies are essential in improving higher education teaching and learning. The present study explores the factors that influence students' behavioural intentions to adopt and use smart technologies in blended learning. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) model, a survey of 305 students was conducted to collect data. A structural equation model was applied to analyse the data. The findings show that adopting smart technologies requires appropriate social context and organizational support. Moreover, the data indicated that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivation, and habit are vital in determining students' behavioural intention to use smart technologies. However, facilitating conditions and price value were found to have no significant impact on the students' behavioural intention to use smart technologies. The study contributes to a better understanding of the nexus of blended learning and smart technologies, thus improving students' experiences in blended learning settings.

Blended Learning Technologies in Dental Education: A case study in orofacial pain

Blended learning in pain education is an effective teaching method to help learners grasp complex didactic and clinical topics. In this report, four educational strategies are examined that were successfully utilized to teach a postgraduate dental orofacial pain course. These strategies included using virtual presentations, hands-on training, virtual interactive case-based learning, and student created multimedia and peer-to-peer feedback.

Оценка эффективности смешанных образовательных технологий студентами разных направлений подготовки

As modern universities actively use various models of blended learning that combine traditional and digital learning technologies, it seems necessary to find their optimal integration and develop appropriate criteria for assessing the effectiveness of such integration in achieving educational objectives. The research is aimed at identifying trends and searching for reasons for the efficient, optimal or inefficient use of educational technologies when organizing the learning process in Russian universities in a blended format. The paper presents the results of the analysis of student assessments of the efficiency of the blended learning technologies (BLT) based on the unique system of criteria and methods introduced by the authors to study such efficiency. The main research method used was a survey in which 295 students took part from various academic programmes of St. Petersburg State University and Northern (Arctic) Federal University. Respondents were asked to evaluate the efficiency of BLT according to the effective, didactic and resource criteria. Based on statistical data processing, the following conclusions are drawn: students evaluate the employed BLT as optimal; readiness and interest of teachers (according to students) in creating comfortable and favorable conditions for blended learning is quite high, despite the existing difficulties in organization and technical maintenance of the equipment at the university level. At the same time, the survey revealed heterogeneity in the assessment of each criterion and determined differences in the assessments given by the students from different academic programmes.

ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ ЗМІШАНОГО НАВЧАННЯ В ПЕРІОД КАРДИНАЛЬНИЙ СОЦІАЛЬНИХ ЗМІН В УКРАЇНІ

The article analyses the peculiarities of blended learning in the period of cardinal social changes in Ukraine. The concept, place and role of blended learning in the modern educational process are revealed, where blended learning (translated from English "blend" – "to mix") combines traditional learning with distance and online methods, through offline and online formats. The article highlights the advantages of this technology of the modern educational process, in which the student, communicating directly with teachers and other students, and independently online, learns part of the educational material using modern gadgets in a convenient place, at a convenient time and at his own pace, as one of the factors of a higher level of motivation for learning. This is not distance learning – when a student receives little help from a teacher and appears at an educational institution only for exams; but it is also not learning exclusively with a computer, because he or she is part of a study group and should develop simultaneously with other students The article analyses models of blended learning technologies with their characteristics. The article pays special attention to such a model of blended learning as "flipped learning", in which the traditional idea of classroom learning is inverted in such a way that students get acquainted with the educational material before class, and the time in the classroom is then used to deepen understanding through discussions with classmates and problem-solving activities conducted by teachers. The article emphasises the importance and necessity of using blended learning technologies in the educational process as one of the most effective technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic and the military period in Ukraine. The conditions of use for learning, motivation, and improvement of digital competencies of both students and teachers, which are necessary for blended learning, are outlined.

Blended Learning Design of English Language Course in Higher Education: A Systematic Review

Higher education has been innovated by technological advancement to fulfill the demands of various learning needs. Blended Learning (BL) is increasingly important for education institutions to transform the conventional classroom into a more open and innovative integration of teaching and learning not limited to time and space. There have been literature and systematic review on BL in various subjects, however, BL design of English courses applied in higher education lacks a comprehensive systematic review. This paper conducts a systematic review of BL in English courses to investigate the effect of BL in ETL (English Teaching and Learning) and to identify BL trends, gaps, and future directions for ETL in higher education. Based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, this study conducted a literature search of the following databases: Scopus, ACM, and Web of Science, using the search string of “blended learning”, “English courses”, and “higher education” and several related substrings. The search yielded 469 studies that were identified through further screening and eligibility. 69 articles were selected for inclusion in this review. The current research fields for BL in ETL can be mainly summarized into four categories: blended learning design, participants, technologies, and effects, The obtained findings identify the factors and variables related to BL that influence the effect of ETL in higher education. Additionally, the effectiveness of different BL models and approaches are investigated for ETL in higher education. The result facilitates the design and implementation of a blended or hybrid English course in higher education.

Digital technologies in the process of blended learning in orthodontics

Today’s realities have shown that the quality training of health care specialists is particularly vulnerable under the conditions in which Ukraine has been forced to find itself in recent years - first the COVID-19 pandemic, then the large-scale invasion. One of the best tools in facing these challenges can be blended learning technologies in combination with digital technologies. The field of “Health care” is undergoing significant transformations, one of the determinants of which is the widespread use of digital technologies in everyday medical practice. In this work, the role of phantom classes in providing comprehensive training of specialists in the dental field has been analyzed, a systematic study has been conducted, the results of a comprehensive analysis of scientific literature and best teaching experience at the dental faculty, the results of sociological research (student surveys, work in focus groups) have been summarized. The conducted research became the basis for substantiating the model of the organization of mixed technology training in orthodontics, focused on training future dentists to work with digital equipment.

Stages of introduction of information technologies in modern education

Today’s realities have shown that the quality training of health care specialists is particularly vulnerable under the conditions in which Ukraine has been forced to find itself in recent years - first the COVID-19 pandemic, then the large-scale invasion. One of the best tools in facing these challenges can be blended learning technologies in combination with digital technologies. The field of “Health care” is undergoing significant transformations, one of the determinants of which is the widespread use of digital technologies in everyday medical practice. In this work, the role of phantom classes in providing comprehensive training of specialists in the dental field has been analyzed, a systematic study has been conducted, the results of a comprehensive analysis of scientific literature and best teaching experience at the dental faculty, the results of sociological research (student surveys, work in focus groups) have been summarized. The conducted research became the basis for substantiating the model of the organization of mixed technology training in orthodontics, focused on training future dentists to work with digital equipment.

CONTEMPORARY BLENDED LEARNING BACKGROUNDS OF TEACHING ENGLISH FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT

The article is devoted to the implementation of contemporary blended learning backgrounds into teaching English for specific purposes in the higher educational establishments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. The analysis of the method’s usage in the special conditions of the war state is introduced. It is underlined that the implementation of such kind of technology will benefit not only the possibility to hold an educational process in the distant form in stressful conditions but also give the opportunity to the formation of a specific discipline’s knowledge using inter­disciplinary ways, to support the skills and abilities of the active self and group work. 
 The contemporary background of using blended learning technology is worked out in the paper. Special attention is paid to the respectful points of the international language learning centers that work in the sphere of new technologies implemented into teaching English in higher educational establishments. The peculiarities of the special cadets and officers’ regimes of study and daily routine are analyzed, and their advantages and disadvantages for the organization of the educational process are implemented in the process of the model’s building. Many possibilities to make the model flexible with the help of supporting the educational process through the different structural elements and units of the educational establishment are introduced. Active participation and correlation of all the members of the educational process on each level of the model’s organization are considered to be the central idea of the study. The organization of interdisciplinary events and the realization of creative and scientific directions of the educative work are also crucial for the successful realization of the model.

MODEL OF BLENDED LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS: DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION

The paper examines the problem of blended learning modeling to ensure high-quality vocational training of specialists-to-be of various profiles at higher education institutions of Ukraine. The purpose of the research is to develop a model of blended learning for higher education institutions and to analyze the results of its implementation in the educational process. It was concluded that there are quite a few approaches to the development and practical implementation of blended learning models. In the paper blended learning is considered as a reasonable combination of the traditional educational process in classrooms with distance learning, students' self-study and the use of digital technologies, which takes place according to a certain scheme. The concepts of "blended learning" and "hybrid learning" as well as several existing models of blended learning are analyzed. The generalized model of blended learning at higher education institutions along with its visual representation has been developed. The implementation of this model allows practitioners to combine different types of educational activities in the process of face-to-face and remote classes in exactly the combination that is necessary to achieve the expected results under the conditions of a specific higher education institution. The results of a survey conducted at Bogdan Khmelnitsky Melitopol State Pedagogical University are given. During the survey attention has been paid to the following aspects: how students understand the essence of blended learning as well as the difference between the use of distance learning elements in the face-to-face learning process and the full application of distance and blended learning technologies during quarantine; students' attitude to traditional, blended and distance learning; how students perceive the educational process organized on the basis of the proposed generalized model of blended learning. In addition, it has been found out which digital technologies are used at universities for the organization of blended learning. In general, according to the results of the survey, the expediency of using the developed model has been confirmed and promising directions of scientific research in the field of blended learning have been determined.

THE APPLICATION OF BLENDED LEARNING TECHNOLOGY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGICAL CULTURE OF MASTERS OF INDUSTRIAL TRAINING OF AGRARIAN PROFILE

In the article, to justify the characteristics of implementing the technology of blended learning in the development of the technological culture of masters of industrial training of an agrarian profile on the basis of training and methodical centers of VET, an analysis of psychological-pedagogical and methodological literature, scientific sources, educational and methodological materials, experience of upgrading the qualifications of masters of industrial training of an agrarian profile is carried out. It was determined that the term "blended learning technology" has acquired a generalized meaning and includes various forms of combining traditional learning with the capabilities of modern information technologies. Attention is drawn to the fact that thanks to the introduction of blended learning technologies, the masters of industrial training are able to implement their own trajectories of the development of technological culture in accordance with individual requests and needs. It was established that the effectiveness of the organization of the educational process regarding the development of the technological culture of the masters of industrial training of the agrarian profile according to the flex model largely depends on the set of applied andragogic and acmeological technologies, namely: project technology, pedagogical coaching, technology of scientific and methodological support. The application of the rotation model and the flex model in the construction of the educational process regarding the development of the technological culture of the masters of industrial training of the agrarian profile in the educational and methodical centers of VET is characterized. It is proved that the application of blended learning technology enables the development of the technological culture of masters of industrial training of an agrarian profile in educational and methodological centers of VET through various types of activities, provides the creation of cultural examples of their own professional experience, the formation of teamwork skills, solving professional and pedagogical problems, critical analysis of the obtained results, assessment of self-development in the context of the introduction of pedagogical, industrial and information and communication technologies into the educational process of vocational(vocational and technical) education institutions.

Application of improved neighbor propagation algorithm in international communication and cooperation to promote internationalization of higher education

AbstractMost educational institutions use web 3.0 and blended learning technologies to improve student learning. Because not all students are intrinsically motivated to learn, the instructor in an e‐learning environment has significant challenges, lowering student performance. As a result, by merging the global dimension, intercultural, and international education functions, the Internationalization Standard for Higher Education (ISHE) is introduced. The Internationalization standard higher education (IoHE) process minimizes the difficulties in education resources because of the effective utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The ICT process improves innovative learning and boosts the e‐learning platform. To achieve the effectiveness of web 3.0 with a blended learning process, an Improved Neighbor Propagation Algorithm (INPA) with a concept‐mind mapping tool is introduced in this study. Student data are classified based on machine learning in an online environment. Classification is the process of predicting the class of given student data points. The relationship between each data point is examined here, and a tree structure is formed according to the concept. Mind Mapping is a suitable method that helps learn, increases information recording, shows how diverse facts and ideas are related, and improves problem‐solving. The concept and mind map are linked with different ideas, and the respective Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) program is conducted to enhance the student's performance. The discussed blended learning‐based internationalization higher education process is evaluated with the case studies. The numerical results of the proposed INPA algorithm improve the student performance by 98.9%, satisfaction ratio by 97.5%, engagement level by 95.6%, accuracy ratio by 98.1%, the precision ratio by 96.2%, and recall ratio by 95.4% compared with other existing methods.

IMPROVING STUDENTS’ PARAGRAPH WRITING SKILLS THROUGH BLENDED LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES AT HIGHER PEDAGOGICAL EDUCATION

Composing a paragraph in English is almost the same as writing an essay, namely by consisting of three main parts (introduction (topic sentence), body (supporting sentences), conclusion (concluding sentence)) to deliver a message to the readers. Because of this feature of teaching students how to create paragraphs under the proper instruction in practice, blended learning technologies enable both teachers and students to adapt the educational environment for the system of improving their (learners’) paragraph writing skills in the digital era of educational development. This study investigates the potential of blended learning technologies on students’ writing skills, especially paragraph writing in English as a foreign language (EFL). It examines students’ most improved EFL writing areas and perceptions while utilizing blended learning technologies to foster their paragraph writing skills in a systematic way. In this experiment, two groups of EFL writing course students participated during the first-semester 2021-2022. A mixed-method design was implemented into the experiment: course evaluation questionnaires, achievement tests, and students’ portfolios on writing tasks. Findings of the investigations illustrated that most of the participants’ mistakes were in composing topic sentences, creating ideas, and providing concluding sentences coherently and cohesively. The study showed that blending learning technologies in the environment of higher pedagogical education assisted both teachers and students to conduct lessons on the writing skills in a more effective and convenient way.

Speech culture in the digital age: a model of integrating an open online course into the educational space

The development of the digital environment of the university is an important condition for implementing online learning which is in demand today. The transition to online education during the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the problem of accessibility of electronic educational resources and optimization of modern learning technologies. The purpose of the study was the scientific and methodological substantiation of using the authors’ mass open online course “Culture of Professional Speech” as a type of online learning and distance support in the communicative training of students of the Faculty of Philology. To achieve this goal, the authors reveal the specifics of the educational process of bachelor philologist at National Research Ogarev Mordovia State University, studying from 2019 to 2021, using massive open online course as an accessible educational resource. Theoretical (analysis of scientific literature) and empirical (observation of the process of using an online course as an electronic resource that can create conditions for implementing the flipped classroom technology, blended learning, questioning, analysis of the data obtained) methods were used. The theoretical significance of the research is to substantiate the possibility of massive open online course on professional speech culture to optimize the linguistic and communicative training of philology students. The practical significance of this work consists in developing an accessible electronic educational resource capable of providing practice-oriented communicative training of students. The ways of implementing this course with the technology of blended learning have been developed. The main results of the study showed the advantages and disadvantages of massive open online courses as a multimedia resource of flipped class technology, blended learning as well as further prospects for its improvement.

Using Blended Learning Technologies through Online Educational Platforms

The article deals with the problems of overcoming specific violations of written speech in younger schoolchildren studying in the Kazakh language. Based on the analysis of the current state of knowledge of this problem in Kazakhstan and abroad, the authors note the lack of scientific information on the prevalence and nature of dysgraphic errors in Kazakh-speaking children, the lack of knowledge of the specifics of the manifestation of written errors in children in the Kazakh language, associated with the peculiarities of its writing.The analysis of written errors in students of the second–fifth grades of general educational schools allowed us to identify specific written errors in 14.4% of Kazakh-speaking children, the most common of which were:omissions, permutations and insertions of your letters and syllables. As a result, the authors conclude that it is necessary to theoretically substantiate and develop new directions of special pedagogical activity based on taking into account the harmonic nature of the written speech of the Kazakh language and the peculiarities of writing the letters of the Kazakh alphabet. It is convincingly proved that the synharmonic character of the written speech of the Kazakh language is fundamentally different from the phonemic character of the Russian language and on this basis it is argued that it is impossible to transfer special techniques and methods to eliminate dysgraphic errors, used in speech therapy work with Russian-speaking children.

Pedagogical conditions for the introduction of blended learning technologies in ukrainian higher education institutions

The study focuses on the pedagogical conditions for the introduction of blended learning technologies. Blended learning is a combination of classical live face-to-face learning with learning mediated by computer and other technologies. Approaches to the definition of “blended learning” have been analysed. The author has described the main advantages of blended learning. The range of problems associated with the introduction of blended learning has been studied. The author has also analysed the criteria of the blended learning system effectiveness. Teachers of Ukrainian HEI have been surveyed concerning the process of introduction of blended learning technologies. The general assessment of blended learning technologies according to the teachers of HEIs has been clarified. Blending distance learning platforms used by teachers have been determined. Most often, teachers use Zoom, Moodle and Google Class. The peculiarities of HEI teacher’s adaptation to the blended learning conditions have been studied. Almost half (48%) of respondents stated they had problems in adapting to blended learning conditions. The most common problems of teachers in the conditions of the blending distance learning have been described. It has been found that teachers most often encounter problems related to the processes of distance communication, as well as lack of experience and necessary knowledge. Respondents’ points of view on the possibilities of assistance in the form of methodological developments and in the online format have been analysed. A set of measures aimed at improving the pedagogical conditions for the introduction of blended learning technologies has been developed.

A plan for students' independent study of blended learning in the English Department of STKIP Al Maksum

The purpose of this essay is to evaluate how well students are performing on their own in blended learning in language courses at institutions, STKIP Al Maksum with the ultimate objective of finding obstacles and opportunities for self-directed study. 100 students from the Department of English, STKIP Al Maksum will be surveyed online in October 2022 as part of this study. Several significant conclusions can be derived from the findings. The socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds of English Department faculty members influence students' abilities to self-organize and effectively use technology to study a second language. Students completing independent work in blended learning of foreign languages at the English Department face the following challenges: technical and the need for support from a technical specialist; the inconvenient nature of a blended learning system; the requirement for additional technical skills; the complexity of blended learning. It has also been determined, on average, how effective the blended learning system and technology make the learning process.