BLENDED LEARNING – AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

Blended Learning -
An Opportunity to Take the Best of Both Worlds
J. Lapuh Bele1,2, J. Rugelj1
1
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2
B2 d.o.o., Ljubljana, Slovenia

Abstract— The paper presents theoretical foundations for Section 4 discusses the results of efficiency
effective ICT supported learning content development and investigations with regards to learning and user
course design. The practical use of these tools is described in satisfaction that were collected through an analysis of the
the development of blended learning courses for reactions and responses obtained from users (e.g. LMS
improvement of computer literacy of unemployed people in reports, log files, questionnaires) and from summative
Slovenia. The results of the survey about the efficiency of evaluation (e.g. results of final exams). Finally, short
learning within these courses and about user satisfaction in conclusions are drawn concluding the paper.
the described courses are also presented. Findings indicate
that a great majority of the participants of the courses find II. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
blended learning a convenient and efficient approach to
learning and that most of them plan to use it for learning in When implementing an environment for blended
the future. learning as well as for e-learning, it is very important to
provide technology (e.g. LMS system), learning contents
Index Terms— multimedia learning, web-based learning, and appropriate support for learning (e.g. administration,
blended learning management, counselling, evaluation).
A. Design of environment for blended learning course
I. INTRODUCTION Blended learning combines multiple delivery media.
The rapid development of Information and The original use of the phrase “blended learning” was
Communication Technology (ICT) as well as recent often associated with linking traditional classroom
developments in the field of learning theories are activities to e-learning activities. However, the term has
provoking changes in education. The concept of blended evolved to encompass a much richer set of learning
learning allows learners to take advantage of both modes dimensions: blending online and offline learning, blending
of delivery – traditional and e-learning and enables the self-paced and collaborative learning, blending structured
development of new learning strategies. and unstructured learning, blending learning and practice
An example of a theoretically grounded and practically [15].
validated blended learning course is presented in the In this article the term blended learning is used to
article. The course was created for projects in the scope of describe learning that combines face-to-face classroom
the master project “Improvement of computer literacy of activities, instructor led web-based learning (WBL), and
unemployed adults” in the framework of the EU self-paced learning.
programme PHARE 2003. Horton [4] offers the following way of course
The course was developed with consideration to classification:
research findings in the field of: - instructor-led (e.g. facilitated) towards learner-led
- constructivist learning theories, (e.g. self-paced, self-directed),
- design of web-based and blended learning courses, - synchronous towards asynchronous
- design of web-based learning contents (WBLC) with This classification does not mean that there are only
many interactive and multimedia elements. two options to choose from, but rather a range of
A leading advantage of the course was the opportunity possibilities between these two extremes [4]. For example,
of educating a greater number of participants than in a a blended learning course can change its type from
traditional educational setting. The combination of face- instructor-led to learner-led during the learning process.
to-face, web-based instructor-led, and self-paced activities WBL activities are usually asynchronous. Nevertheless,
supported by the Learning Management System (LMS) some activities (e.g. real-time discussions, chat sessions,
eCampus and appropriately designed web-based learning screen-sharing, online videoconferencing) can be arranged
materials enabled efficient learning and a good learning via internet synchronously.
atmosphere. Self-directed learners study in an individual pace. They
The following section of the paper introduces some set their own learning goals and deadlines without any
theoretical foundations for effective learning content interaction with an instructor. Usually there is no
development and course design. Section 3 presents both interaction with other learners of the e-course although
courses (basic and advanced), alongside justification for learners can communicate and collaborate according to
some design solutions that were chosen. their own initiative.
Learning achievements of self-directed learner depends
on learner’s self regulated processes. Different categories

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 BLENDED LEARNING – AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

of Web-based tools (e.g., collaborative and Elements of activity increase students’ motivation and
communication tools, content creation and delivery tools, active learning [1, 3, 16].
assessment tools, administrative tools) that are part of Research shows that students dislike reading long texts
computer supported learning environment, can be used to from the web, long paragraphs and listening to long
support different self-regulated learning processes (e.g., narrations. Nielsen [12] believes that only 16% of people
goal setting, self-monitoring, use of task strategies, self- read web pages word by word. Students probably read
evaluating, time planning and management, help-seeking) educational web pages more carefully, but they are
[3]. Nevertheless, this support is better if the course is nevertheless particularly inclined towards specially
facilitated. formatted and added comments, such as interesting points,
A course facilitator’s tasks are to: hints and warnings [6]. Furthermore, rational expressions
- create a syllabus that lays out the schedule, and clear directions are crucial to increase motivation and
requirements and activities of the whole course, efficiency of learning.
- create code of behaviour within the course, Different presentation modes are used to cater to
students’ different learning styles, cognitive abilities and
- announce learning goals and expectations,
to ensure efficient learning. Presentation of learning
- follow learners’ work and monitor their progress, material is highly important as it can enhance learning or
- help learners to progress jointly on the right way, impede it [7]. The use of multimedia tools must be
- stimulate a communication among course carefully planned in order to avoid a counterproductive
participants, overload of sensory channels [7, 13]. In recent times
- actively participate, promote and lead the interactive cognitive psychology has progressed and many of the
discussions, major findings in this field have been of use in
instructional design of multimedia educational materials.
- provide answers to questions, feedback and Mayer [7] considers that human working memory is
recommendations on course activities, limited and that people process visual and verbal
- evaluate and analyze learners’ work. information (e.g. narrated and online text) in separate
Usually the course begins in a classroom, where cognitive channels, which then work simultaneously.
learners are introduced to their teacher (e.g. instructor, Considering these theories the following design principles
tutor) and other learners. Face-to-face classroom sessions are suggested:
take part at appointed times. - Multimedia: Use text combined with content-related
Schedules for the WBL part of the course should be pictures, when learners have a low level of prior
made on a weekly basis [4, 5]. The schedule determines knowledge [14].
events (e.g. real-time meetings, videoconferences, chat - Modality: Present animation and audio narration
sessions), readings (e.g. learning contents that learners rather than animation and on-screen text [7].
must read or view) and activities (e.g. tests, intermediate - Redundancy: Use animation and narration rather than
products for a multi-week project). The activities should animation, narration and on-screen text [7].
have deadlines, although learners can complete activities
according to their own schedule [4]. - Coherence: Exclude extraneous words, pictures and
sounds [7].
For creating e-learning courses and web-based learning
contents, researchers suggest the implementation of - Spatial contiguity: Present printed words and pictures
constructivist and socio-constructivist theories of learning close to each other [7].
[1, 3, 16]. According to the constructivist theory, - Temporal contiguity: Present narrated words and
articulated by Jean Piaget, learning is an active pictures simultaneously [7].
construction of knowledge. Individuals build knowledge When considering the implications of the modality or
on previously acquired knowledge and experiences. redundancy principles, it is important to be aware of
Therefore it is very important to be aware of the learner’s circumstances that may impact its application. These
abilities as well as his previously acquired knowledge and circumstances can include learner’s hearing ability, the
to stimulate his activity. capability of learner’s hardware to support audio, and
According to Vygotsky, the process of learning and whether the physical environment is appropriate for audio.
cognitive development is dependent on social interaction. In these situations, learners should choose among
Students should therefore collaborate with a teacher and animations with online text and animations with narrated
among themselves. Furthermore, learning can be text [6]. Therefore in practice, it is not advisable to strictly
enhanced with scaffolding where the teacher provides implement the modality principle.
supports to facilitate the learner’s development. Therefore
appropriate blended learning is learner-centric. III. BLENDED LEARNING COMPUTER LITERACY
It seems impossible to learn computer literacy only
B. Design of web-based learning materials from web-based learning contents (WBLC). Therefore
Web-based learning materials are the essential part of a blended learning can be an appropriate solution. The
web based learning environment. They should not be just courses in scope of the Phare 2003 “Improvement of
transpositions of traditional learning materials into computer literacy of unemployed adults” project were
electronic formats, they should be enriched with created according to the described theoretical framework.
interactive tools (e.g. interactive questions, online tasks, In learner-centric approach it is very important to
online assessments, hyperlinks, and interactive multimedia consider the prior knowledge of learners. Therefore,
elements such as simulations, interactive games, groups of students with similar prior knowledge were
interactive video) and appropriately designed multimedia. formed according to the results of the pre-test.

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 BLENDED LEARNING – AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

At the beginning learners had their first training in a to the participants at the termination of the course. The
computer room. The participants were taught basic questionnaire contained questions about the content and
computer skills, how to use LMS eCampus and how to about the learning process of the course.
learn from WBLCs.
The project blended courses consisted of modules. A. Sample
These modules consisted of face-to-face training, where The questionnaire was filled out by 390 participants. 76
learners learned the basic skills of the module, instructor- % of them were females.
led web-based learning and self-directed learning. The Their distribution in age groups is shown in figure 1. As
instructor-led web-based learning took place at the it can be seen on the graph, the most numerous is the age
learners’ homes or special public ICT-equipped centres. group between 41 and 50, which is due to the fact that the
For motivational reasons, intermediate goals and a preferential target group for the Phare project were
schedule defining deadlines for activities, were set up. At unemployed people above the age of 40.
scheduled times a tutor was available for immediate
additional help and for eventual questions. TutorS
moderated group forums. Learners had a chance to till 20 21 – 30 31 – 40 41 – 50 above 50

communicate with tutors or with each other via forums in

the LMS or via e-mail. %
6
,
3
30,8% 23,1% 29,5% 13,1%

Formative evaluation of knowledge was provided as an

integral part of the course. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

We kept track of the learners’ activities and their

learning behaviour. For each one we recorded his/her Figure 1. The age structure
inputs, learning trajectories, number of visited learning
pages, time spent in each WBLC and LMS, results of the More than half of the respondents (52 %) finished
online assessments, and the number of posts in the forums. general or technical secondary school and 26 % of them
We also measured their satisfaction through opinion polls finished vocational schools. The rest of the participants
and considered their suggestions for further development have only basic education or higher education (a little bit
and improvement of multimedia WBLCs and the course. more than 10 % for both groups).
Interestingly, they rarely raised questions or opened B. Data analysis
discussions in forums, some tutors tried to encourage the
The respondents did not answer all the questions in the
collaboration in forums while some did not. The activity
questionnaire. In average, 90 % of respondents answered
in forums was more intensive if the tutor started the debate
individual questions.
in the forum.
The general impression of the course was very good
The courses were designed in such a way that
and the expectations of participants were met to a great
knowledge evaluation took place at the beginning of each
extent. This is shown by through the mean score for this
module within the learning process (via interactive
question, which was 4.3 on the five point Likert scale. The
questions, online tasks and online tests in WBLC) and at
distribution of scores is shown in figure 2.
its end. Each course ended with the examination.
Learners’ could achieve ECDL (e.g. European Computer
Driving Licence) certificate or national certificate 1 2 3 4 5 NA
Computer Literacy for Adults that includes similar
competencies as ECDL START. The participants could quality of
10% 34% 50% 6%
e-learning materials
take part in examinations voluntarily.

IV. RESEARCH RESULTS quality of printed

17% 32% 42% 6%
learning materials

1113 learners were included in the two projects, in

scope of the master project, and were thereby covered by
the research. 94 % of the learners participated in the general impression
on the course
15% 27% 51% 5%

examination. 49% of them obtained national certificate

Computer Literacy for Adults, 29 % of them passed 4
ECDL exams and therefore obtained the ECDL START Figure 2. Distribution of scores for selected questions in survey
certificate and 10% of them passed all 7 ECDL exams and
obtained the full ECDL certificate. Participants of the course also assessed quality and
All participants in one of the projects were chosen to applicability of the content of printed learning materials
fill the questionnaire. and of WBL materials. They were very satisfied with
In the questionnaire, learners were asked to express WBL materials, which got a mean mark of 4.4 (from the 1
their opinion about: to 5 scale), with very low dispersion. Printed learning
materials got a little lower mark (4.2).
- advantages and disadvantages of WBL and blended-
learning course, Participants were asked to comment, which mode of
instruction they found most convenient. The questionnaire
- traditional learning materials and WBL contents,
showed that the majority of them preferred blended
- traditional learning courses, WBL courses and learning solutions (71 %). And a traditional teaching
blended learning courses. approach based on lectures is preferred by 17 % and only
A survey about the outcomes of the above described independent e-learning is preferred by nearly 6 % of
course was made using a questionnaire, which was given respondents. The results are similar with regards to the

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 BLENDED LEARNING – AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

preferred type of learning materials, where e-materials solution that can reach and educate audience, dispersed in
quote somewhat higher than earlier mentioned e-learning time and space.
solutions with more than 7 %, but traditional printed We have designed and produced web-based learning
learning materials are less desired with by 11 %. Blended materials and organised a blended learning course on
solutions as a combination of printed learning materials computer literacy for a group of more than one thousand
and e-materials are most convenient for more than three unemployed in the northern and central part of Slovenia.
quarters of the respondents. The design of learning materials and organisation of the
In the self-paced part of the course participants had an course were based on theoretical foundations, presented in
opportunity to learn in a traditional way or learn by means the paper.
of web-based materials. The majority of them (67 %) find Final results of the course were excellent as nearly 92%
computer supported learning convenient, 28 % only of participants finished the course successfully with a
partially convenient and only 5 % do not like this type of certificate of European wide qualification. A survey made
learning. after the termination of the course showed that participants
Figure 3 shows the results of the enquiries about the were satisfied with both types of learning materials,
reasons for the use of web-based learning materials. printed as well as e-materials, and with the course as a
whole. Most of them preferred blended learning solution
and the majority of participants plan to use it for learning
I used web based learning to learn more 45,1%
in the future.
Web based learning is the best preparation for exams 10,4%

Attractiveness of the portal and the use of forum 6,4% REFERENCES

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AUTHORS
Manuscript received 19 July 2007.
Julija Lapuh Bele is with B2 d.o.o. Trzaska cesta 42,
SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia and University of Ljubljana,
Published as submitted by the author(s).
Faculty of Education, Kardeljeva pl. 16, SI-1000
Paper presented at ICBL2007 conference, Florianopolis, Brazil, May
Ljubljana, Slovenia (email: [email protected]). 2007
Jože Rugelj is with University of Ljubljana, Faculty of
Education, Kardeljeva pl. 16, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
(email: [email protected]).

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