Promoting student-centred blended learning in higher education: A model

2021 ◽  
pp. 204275302110277
Author(s):  
Md. Kabirul Islam ◽  
Md. Fouad Hossain Sarker ◽  
M. Saiful Islam
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
Asynchronous Mode ◽  
Learning Stage ◽  
Synchronous Mode ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Stage 1

This empirical study is conducted in a blended learning setting of a technology-focused private university in Bangladesh to offer a model that could help attain a comprehensive goal of blended learning. The main objectives of this study are to examine course design in a blended learning setting, strategies adopted by the course teachers to maximize students’ online interactions in a collaborative manner and how well these strategies had an impact on quality of blended teaching and learning in tertiary education. Drawing upon a quasi-experimental approach, qualitative data were collected by observing the teaching and learning activities of a course named ‘Bangladesh Studies’ over a four-month semester. Findings of this study suggest a model that would allow better student–teacher interaction in both synchronous and asynchronous modes of teaching and learning based on three sequential stages such as referring to and discussing online peer-group comments in the regular face-to-face classes in asynchronous mode (stage 1), off-campus synchronous mode of interactions to utilize students’ personal study hours (stage 2) and off-campus asynchronous mode of interactions to offer flexibility for collaborative learning (stage 3). It is argued that the model that has been offered could be useful in promoting innovative and contextual pedagogy which will essentially involve students in sharing, interacting and collaborating discussions for knowledge construction and hereby enable overall cognitive development of students in a blended learning environment.

scholarly journals Creating blended learning experiences requires more than digital skills

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Bettina Kathrin Schwenger
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Research Review ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Digital Literacies ◽  
Tertiary Institutions

With growing diversity and larger numbers of enrolled students in classes, online learning can open up new possibilities in New Zealand’s tertiary institutions to improve teaching and enhance students’ learning. Tertiary institutions have reacted with changed expectations about pedagogical approaches and practices, by, for example, integrating more online learning technologies, and by reconsidering the course design and learning environment (Conole, 2016; Johnson, Adams Becker, Estrada & Freeman, 2015). Consequently, teachers increasingly teach online as part of a course and need to engage large number of students with a broad range of skills and knowledge, including many who are first in their family to learn formally at tertiary level.   Teachers may work with certain areas of online technologies and digital literacies, for example deposit information online for students to read, but they often do not feel confident to facilitate active learning (Ako & Synapsys, 2018; Boelens, de Wever & Voet, 2017) and to offer tasks that aim to engage students collaboratively online. Kirkwood (2014) points out that teachers question how an online tool can be used but may consider less the rationale for the use of a certain pedagogical strategy for which a tool could be used. Digital literacies are more than gaining isolated technological skills (Johnson et al., 2015) as this presentation will share, based on the findings of a collaboration with two teachers in a first-year undergraduate course in Education. In the presentation, we will discuss recommendations for sustainable teacher development that enable blended learning design with opportunities for students to actively create instead of consuming information and that is likely to enhance their experiences of blended learning. The recommendations include underpinning skills and areas such as supporting learning for Māori and non-Māori students by using online affordances for pedagogical practices to, for example, integrate formative feedback, self-assessment, foster active learning online and independent learning.   References   Ako Aotearoa & Synapsys (2018). Technology in learning: Benchmarking and developing sector capability. Wellington, New Zealand: Ako Aotearoa Boelens, R., De Wever, B., & Voet, M. (2017). Four key challenges to the design of blended learning: A systematic literature review. Educational Research Review, 22, 1–18. doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2017.06.001 Conole, G. (2016). Theoretical underpinnings of learning design. In J. Dalziel (Ed.), Learning design: Conceptualizing a framework for teaching and learning online (pp. 42–62). New York, NY: Routledge. Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., & Freeman, A. (2015). NMC Horizon report: 2015 Higher education edition. Austin, TX: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved from https://www.nmc.org/publication/nmc-horizon-report-2015-higher-education-edition/ Kirkwood, A. (2014). Teaching and learning with technology in higher education: Blended and distance education needs ‘joined-up thinking’ rather than technological determinism. Open Learning, 29(3), 206–221.

scholarly journals Evidence-Based Course Design for Active Learning: Evaluation of a Blended Learning Approach to Enable Academic Faculty Development

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Olugbenga King
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Faculty Development ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research University ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Academic Development ◽  
Systematic Evaluation ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Learning Technology

This article describes two blended learning (technology-rich) professional development workshops on course design for active learning to enable faculty development at a research university in the Southeastern United States. Specifically, the workshops were designed to address gaps in the international academic development literature, and so this article highlights one way to address related requirements, such as the need for systematic evaluation, provision of thick descriptions of academic development practices, and evaluation of the effect of different learning environments (physical classroom spaces) on teaching and learning outcomes. Hence, the workshops model evidence-based approaches for designing faculty development, including the systematic alignment of the workshops’ goals with qualitative and quantitative evaluations of the workshops’ effectiveness.

Effects of the Production-Oriented Approach on EFL Learners’ Writing Performance in China’s Tertiary Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-341
Author(s):  
Wenjuan Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Writing Performance ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Intensive Reading ◽  
Oriented Approach

AbstractThe Production-Oriented Approach (POA) has been proposed as a remedy for overcoming the problem of input-output separation in the traditional text-centered teaching and learning paradigm in tertiary education in China. This two-week quasi-experimental study investigated the effect of the POA, compared with the traditional text-centered Intensive Reading Approach (IRA), on college students’ L2 writing performance in terms of overall quality of the writing and its components of language, idea, and discourse structure. Data included writing samples of both experimental and control groups before and after classroom instruction and the results of a language achievement test on mastery of target language forms predicating students’ language use in writing. The results showed that: 1) no significant difference was found between the two groups either in the overall quality or in the “idea” and “structure” of the written texts; 2) the experimental group outperformed the control group with respect to language use, in terms of both language quality and the frequency of target language use. These results indicated that the POA might have an advantage over the IRA in facilitating learners’ writing development.

scholarly journals Blended learning and team teaching: Adapting pedagogy in response to the changing digital tertiary environment

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renee Crawford ◽  
Louise Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Team Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Pedagogical Change ◽  
Tertiary Teaching ◽  
Learning Platforms ◽  
Pre Service Teacher Education ◽  
Pre Service Teacher

Increased accessibility of advanced technology, the targeted use of online learning platforms, student flexible learning expectations and the pressures of faculty budget constraints and priorities have called into question the effectiveness of traditional tertiary teaching and learning models. The tertiary education context must evolve at a pace consistent with the growing expectations and requirements of an innovative society. A teacher-led research project was devised to navigate through some of the complexities and implications associated with necessary pedagogical change in response to the transitioning digital tertiary environment. The development and implementation of blended learning and team teaching strategies were introduced into the pedagogy of a tertiary pre-service teacher education methods class. This paper reports on three sequential years of findings, which will explore student understandings of blended learning and team teaching and the overall impact they had on their learning in this context.

scholarly journals The Impact of Reflective Practice Questionnaires on Tertiary Language Education

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alona Litvinchuk ◽  
Larysa Kupchyk ◽  
Oksana Danyliuk ◽  
Maiia Dziuba
Keyword(s):  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Target Languages ◽  
Constructing Knowledge ◽  
The Impact

The article deals with the impact of reflective practice questionnaires on Language for Specific Purposes teaching and learning at the tertiary education level. Reflection was recognized as an essential factor for improving teaching quality and students’ motivation to develop their skills in both native and target languages. To convey this idea, there was conducted a multistage survey to identify students’ language awareness and learning abilities, to examine their reflection on the course design and teacher’s performance, as well as to monitor their progress throughout the course. There was described a survey procedure with the samples of questionnaires to be used. The obtained findings allowed assessing the process of enhancing the quality of teaching and achieving learning outcomes by students. The authors suggested some practical techniques to help teachers apply meaningful strategies and guide their students through reflective learning by making them active participants in constructing knowledge and educational experiences.

scholarly journals The Impact of Reflective Practice Questionnaires on Tertiary Language Education

2020 ◽  
pp. 90-101
Author(s):  
Alona Litvinchuk ◽  
Larysa Kupchyk ◽  
Oksana Danyliuk ◽  
Maiia Dziuba
Keyword(s):  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Target Languages ◽  
Constructing Knowledge ◽  
The Impact

The article deals with the impact of reflective practice questionnaires on Language for Specific Purposes teaching and learning at the tertiary education level. Reflection was recognized as an essential factor for improving teaching quality and students’ motivation to develop their skills in both native and target languages. To convey this idea, there was conducted a multistage survey to identify students’ language awareness and learning abilities, to examine their reflection on the course design and teacher’s performance, as well as to monitor their progress throughout the course. There was described a survey procedure with the samples of questionnaires to be used. The obtained findings allowed assessing the process of enhancing the quality of teaching and achieving learning outcomes by students. The authors suggested some practical techniques to help teachers apply meaningful strategies and guide their students through reflective learning by making them active participants in constructing knowledge and educational experiences.

scholarly journals A Blended Learning Course Design in Clinical Pharmacology for Post-graduate Dental Students

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 182-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul-Erik Lillholm Rosenbaum ◽  
Øyvind Mikalsen ◽  
Henning Lygre ◽  
Einar Solheim ◽  
Jan Schjøtt
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Pharmacology ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Dental Students ◽  
Learning Preferences ◽  
E Learning

Postgraduate courses in clinical pharmacology are important for dentists to be updated on drug therapy and information related to their clinical practice, as well as knowledge of relevant adverse effects and interactions. A traditional approach with classroom delivery as the only method to teaching and learning has shortcomings regarding flexibility, individual learning preferences, and problem based learning (PBL) activities compared to online environments. This study examines a five week postgraduate course in clinical pharmacology with 15 hours of lectures and online learning activities, i.e. blended course design. Six postgraduate dental students participated and at the end of the course they were interviewed. Our findings emphasize that a blended learning course design can be successfully used in postgraduate dental education. Key matters for discussion were time flexibility and location convenience, change in teacher’s role, rein-forced learning strategies towards professional needs, scarcity in online communication, and proposed future utilization of e-learning components.

scholarly journals Faculty perception of Moodle software as a teaching tool at the University of Zambia

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-34
Author(s):  
Pailet Chewe
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Electronic Learning ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The University

In the existing educational milieu in the world today, there is an increasing application of electronic learning software in the delivery of tertiary education. However, one critical issue in the successful deployment of electronic learning platforms in teaching and learning is dependent on lecturers’ ability and commitment to accept and use the systems. This paper describes the results of a questionnaire survey among academics at the University of Zambia in the aftermath of the implementation of Moodle software. The survey aimed to gather perceptions of lecturers toward the use of Moodle online environment, from which future practice could be informed. In this regard, the researcher used a survey design method with a sample of 42 respondents conveniently selected for this study. The survey was carried out in the third term of the 2017 academic calendar. Quantitative data was analysed with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20). The main findings were that there were low adoption levels of Moodle as a supplementary mode of lesson delivery and that a limited number of respondents agreed that Moodle had helped them improve their teaching, indicative that academics were still in a period of transition from shallow systems compliance to deep pedagogical change. Overall, the experience showed that the move to Moodle needs careful planning and communication and must be part of a wider strategy to integrate e-learning solutions throughout course design and institutional culture. Nevertheless, respondents indicated their willingness to participate in programmes to equip them with the requisite skills that would make them proficient in using Moodle. The main obstacles to the integration of Moodle were limited knowledge of Moodle functionalities on the part of the faculty and slow internet speed. These findings may be used to develop e-learning support structures critical to an effective implementation of Moodle as an integral part of the teaching and learning process. With continuous promotion and training of Moodle usage among the lecturers and students and increased training of faculty members coupled with improved broadband connectivity, Moodle holds the prospect for diversifying e-learning experiences that can support faculty members’ professional learning outcomes.

scholarly journals Synchronous versus Asynchronous interaction between users of two collaborative tools for the production of Use Cases

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos M. Fuenzalida ◽  
Héctor B. Antillanca
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Approach ◽  
Use Cases ◽  
The Other ◽  
Asynchronous Mode ◽  
Synchronous Mode ◽  
Asynchronous Interaction ◽  
Collaborative Tools ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Mode Versus

The performance of requirement engineers in the production of Use Cases is analyzed and compared using a collaborative editor in synchronous mode versus one in asynchronous mode, with the objective to learn which mode allows generating better specification documents for specific software. For this purpose some Use Cases were produced under a quasi-experimental approach. There were proposed eleven metrics, used to evaluate the cases generated in both modes, according to some desirable features. The attained results show that the Use Cases asynchronously produced hold a better quality. On the other hand, the synchronously-generated Use Cases take less time in their production than the asynchronously-generated ones.

scholarly journals Exploring Hong Kong Youth Culture via a Virtual Reality Tour

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13345
Author(s):  
Alice Hiu Yan Cheung ◽  
Lixun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Popular Culture ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Youth Culture ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Critical Mode ◽  
Empirical Significance

The advantages of employing virtual reality tours in teaching are attributed to the virtual reality experience it provides to the students. In the case of teaching popular culture, benefits from the potential of VR tour are amplified by the empirical significance that would lead to the students’ imagination and reflection. In addition, an online VR tour suggests a flexibility that allows students to learn anyplace anytime, satisfying the need for blended learning and distance learning, which is a very critical mode of teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article discusses the advantages and challenges of blending “virtual reality” into the teaching of popular culture, and, furthermore, the implications of VR in tertiary education are discussed by examining the research that is conducted through the application of a VR tour in the course: Hong Kong Popular Culture. Sixty-eight students participated in the course. After implementing the VR tour, a questionnaire survey and interviews were conducted. In addition, students wrote essays to reflect on the youth culture of contemporary Hong Kong after the explanation of the tour, and these were also examined. We observed the positive responses from the students and the way in which the VR tour could enhance the learning qualities in the course on cultural studies.

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