Blended Learning in Higher Education

Through the past posts on this blog we've been able to see the different effects, methods of implementation and example programs of blended learning. Even though blended learning is still not widely adopted throughout the primary and secondary educational systems, it is even more rarely seen in higher education courses.

In the article, "Blended learning in higher education: Students’ perceptions and their relation to outcomes"  the authors analyze the effects and reactions of blended learning in an undergraduate general accounting course at the University of Granada. The effects were analyzed on two separate terms: non-dropout rate (students registered vs. students taking the final exam) and passing the course. The sample consisted of 985 first-year students and is said to be representative of the population, although no specific information about the demographics of students is given.

The online portion of the class consisted mostly of e-learning activities such as crosswords, matching, gap filling, multiple choice tests, line exercises, wikis, and forums.  As with most other studies, the implementation of blended learning was shown to have a positive effect on the overall success of students in the course. Specifically, this study showed a decrease in dropout rates and increase in passing rates. Additionally, an increase in overall motivation and satisfaction was also perceived, giving the students a more positive attitude towards their learning.

It is interesting to reflect on my higher education experience and compare it to the topic presented in the article. Throughout my 5 years in college (4 undergrad and 1 post-grad) I only ever had one class follow a blended learning model, apart from this one, of course. Most interestingly, however, is that this class was not even in the year of my teacher preparation program, but instead in a calculus course in my first year. During it, I actually remember many of my classmates being extremely dissatisfied with the course, stating that the topics were too difficult to learn through videos a home (completely opposite of the results from the study). I wonder if it was due to the type of course or the type of online support given, but I think that with proper training it can be benificial to students of all ages.

Article: López-Pérez, M. V., Pérez-López, M. C., & Rodríguez-Ariza, L. (2011). Blended learning in higher education: Students’ perceptions and their relation to outcomes. Computers & education, 56(3), 818-826.