Creating Mature Blended Courses: The European Maturity Model Guidelines

The pandemic has urged European universities and other institutions of higher education to switch in a very limited time from on-campus to remote teaching or to teaching modes that combine online and face-to-face activities. Instructors, as well as other course designers and support service staff are in search of evidence-based frameworks that show how to incorporate proven blended scenarios, adapted to their context. Between 2017 and 2020 seven European project partners collaborated in order to establish a conceptual and operational framework for blended education and teaching, labelled as the European Maturity Model for Blended Education. Its aim is to map blended learning practices, conditions, strategies and policies in a systematic manner and to empower higher education institutions to achieve up-scaled blended courses. In this contribution, we focus on what has been developed with regard to the course level. First, we describe the dimensions and indicators of the model, next we indicate blended courses might be altered in terms of their level of maturity using a series of guidelines and open-source tools and materials. We conclude by proposing how to employ the guidelines in a workshop setting.

A Flexible Future Education Model—Strategies Drawn from Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic

As they emerge from the pandemic, universities worldwide are evaluating the adaptations in the education sector during the pandemic and determining their course of action for the future. In this work, drawing on the lessons from four courses across two different universities, a survey of over 300 students, and the literature, we present strategies for successfully implementing a flexible blended education format. The survey revealed that the performance of the cohort taking the course during the pandemic performed nearly the same as the cohorts that took the courses before the pandemic. However, the students did not prefer an entirely virtual format, felt that their social wellbeing was impacted, and preferred a hybrid education model with a lot of supplementary learning material. As a key contribution of this work, we have identified and elaborate on four key pillars for a flexible blended education format, namely, course design, pedagogical strategies incorporating active learning and providing a sense of online community, infrastructure for delivery and training, and incorporating activities that support student wellbeing.

Learning and Students’ Experiences with Blended Education

The article presents the outcomes of the research project supported by Linköping University, Sweden. The research project constitutes a part of an umbrella project called Pedagogiska Utvecklingsmedel för E-lärande 2019 (Pedagogical Development Tools for E-learning 2019). The research project focuses on the International Master's Program “Gender Studies - Intersectionality and Change” offered at the Unit of Gender Studies, Department of Thematic Studies, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Linköping University, Sweden. The main aims of the research project are to determine which teaching content, teaching methods, learning activities, teacher’s role, and students’ own strategies matter for learning i.e., for acquiring knowledge and skills/competences in an international blended, face-to-face and online, Master’s Program, and to present students’ experiences with face-to-face and online education in the Program. The project is based on qualitative, semi-structured interviews with the 2nd year students and alumni who have participated in the Program. The interviews were conducted online in November and December 2019. The article presents which content, teaching methods, learning activities, teacher’s role, and students’ own strategies matter for the acquirement of knowledge and skills by the students in blended education. It describes how Campus and online phases of the Program matter for students’ learning. Next to that, it indicates the challenges related to online study, but also educational methods that may help to overcome them.

Learning and Students’ Experiences with Blended Education

The article presents the outcomes of the research project supported by Linköping University, Sweden. The research project constitutes a part of an umbrella project called Pedagogiska Utvecklingsmedel för E-lärande 2019 (Pedagogical Development Tools for E-learning 2019). The research project focuses on the International Master's Program “Gender Studies - Intersectionality and Change” offered at the Unit of Gender Studies, Department of Thematic Studies, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Linköping University, Sweden. The main aims of the research project are to determine which teaching content, teaching methods, learning activities, teacher’s role, and students’ own strategies matter for learning i.e., for acquiring knowledge and skills/competences in an international blended, face-to-face and online, Master’s Program, and to present students’ experiences with face-to-face and online education in the Program. The project is based on qualitative, semi-structured interviews with the 2nd year students and alumni who have participated in the Program. The interviews were conducted online in November and December 2019. The article presents which content, teaching methods, learning activities, teacher’s role, and students’ own strategies matter for the acquirement of knowledge and skills by the students in blended education. It describes how Campus and online phases of the Program matter for students’ learning. Next to that, it indicates the challenges related to online study, but also educational methods that may help to overcome them.

EDUCAÇÃO HÍBRIDA E APRENDIZAGEM UBÍQUA: OS DISPOSITIVOS MÓVEIS COMO RECURSOS DE MEDIAÇÃO

RESUMOEste artigo trata da utilização dos dispositivos móveis para a potencialização da aprendizagem ubíqua, ressaltando, nesse viés, o contexto da educação híbrida. O estudo se desenvolveu limitado à área social da ciência, utilizando como forma o método hipotético-dedutivo, de natureza qualitativa. Esta pesquisa efetivou-se por meio de uma revisão de literatura baseada em referenciais teóricos que abordam a educação híbrida, a aprendizagem ubíqua e sua intersecção com os dispositivos móveis. As fontes para a pesquisa foram estruturadas a partir da análise de estudiosos sobre o tema. A pesquisa teve como base o seguinte questionamento: como os dispositivos móveis podem potencializar a aprendizagem ubíqua num contexto de educação híbrida? Mediante pesquisas em diversos estudos de autores e pesquisadores da área, publicados em bases como o Scielo, Google Scholar e Periódicos Capes, concluiu-se que a intersecção entre educação híbrida e aprendizagem ubíqua, ambas mediadas pelos dispositivos móveis, configura-se como uma possibilidade para a construção do conhecimento, todavia, o professor deve ser mediador nessa relação, pois a utilização dos dispositivos móveis, apesar de ser realidade no cotidiano dos sujeitos inseridos na sociedade contemporânea, ainda necessita ser pautada para contextos educativos, portanto, o professor exerce papel fundamental nesse cenário.Palavras-chave: Educação híbrida. Aprendizagem ubíqua. Dispositivos móveis.ABSTRACTThis article deals with the use of mobile devices to enhance ubiquitous learning, emphasizing, in this perspective, the context of blended education. The study was developed in the social area of science, using, as form, the hypothetical-deductive method, of qualitative nature. This research was carried out through a literature review based on theoretical references that address blended education, ubiquitous learning and its intersection with mobile devices. The sources for the research were structured from the analysis of scholars on the topic. The research was based on the following question: how can mobile devices enhance ubiquitous learning in a blended education context? Through researching in several studies by authors and researchers in the area, published in databases such as Scielo, Google Scholar and the CAPES Scientific Journals Gateway, the conclusion was that the intersection between blended education and ubiquitous learning, both mediated by mobile devices, is configured as a possibility for the construction of knowledge. However, the teacher should be a mediator in this relationship, because the use of mobile devices, despite being a reality in the daily lives of subjects inserted in contemporary society, still needs to be guided by educational contexts, so the teacher plays a fundamental role in this scenario.Keywords: Blended education. Ubiquitous learning. Mobile Devices.