Blended learning in higher education Research Papers (original) (raw)

- by ebru albayrak
- •
- Blended Learning, Blended learning in higher education, ISBN

Anormal Psikoloji kitabı, ruhsal bozukluklar alanında çalışan tüm profesyoneller, psikiyatristler, klinik psikologlar, psikologlar, psikolojik danışmanlar, hekimler, sosyal hizmet uzmanları, psikiyatri hemşireleri ve bu alanlarda öğrenci yetiştiren akademisyenler ile eğitim alan öğrenciler için temel bir başvuru kitabıdır.
2013 yılının Mayısı ayında yayımlanan DSM-5 ölçütlerine göre ruhsal bozukluklarla ilgili sunulan bilgilerin güncellemesinin de yapıldığı bu kitap, tüm dünyada pek çok üniversitenin psikiyatri ve psikoloji bölümlerinde ders kitabı olarak okutulmaktadır.
Kitabın her bölümünde, ilk olarak ruhsal bozukluklarla ilgili vakalar sunulmakta, daha sonra bozuklukların klinik tanıları yapılmakta ve DSM-IV-TR’den farklı olan DSM-5’te yapılan değişikliklere yer verilmektedir. Ayrıca, DSM-5’teki tanı ölçütleri, bozuklukların etiyolojisi ve epidemiyolojisi, bozukluklar üzerinde kalıtımın ve çevrenin etkileri, biyolojik ve sosyal ve kültürel etkiler, en güncel araştırmalardan elde edilen verilerle harmanlanarak sunulmaktadır. Ruhsal bozuklukların tedavisinde etkili olacak terapi yaklaşımları ve ilaçla yapılan tedaviler hakkında da bilgiler veren kitap, sahip olduğu zengin içeriği ile eşsiz bir kaynaktır.
Anormal Psikoloji kitabının; profesyoneller ve öğrenciler için önemli bir rehber olacağına, yardıma ihtiyaç duyan insanların sorunlarının çözümüne, ruhsal bozuklukların tanı ve tedavisinde önemli katkılar sağlayacağına inanıyoruz.

- by Gamze Sart
- •
- Creative Writing, Entrepreneurship, Management, Psychology

The present paper unveils Booker T. Washington’s thoughts on education and their relevance in the contemporary educational system in India. Education is the most powerful tool which changes our life, society and ultimately country. A proper education moulds an individual’s character and makes his/her life better by inculcating moral values, intelligence, creativity and skills. It shows the way how to live and behave in society with dignity. It strengthens an individual’s head, hand and heart. Booker T. Washington, a renowned African-American educationist, dedicated
his entire life for the empowerment of the coloured people of America through the means of education. His educational model proposes industrial and technical education, agricultural education and training, vocational education, skill based knowledge, moral values, etc.

- by Ars Artium
- •
- Education, Educational Technology, Adult Education, Teacher Education

У монографії розкриті педагогічні аспекти змішаного навчання, наведена педагогічна технологія проектування змішаного навчання та різноманітні інформаційні технології для його підтримки. Звертається увага на методи формування критичного мислення у змішаному навчанні. Розглянуто ідею використання гейміфікації у змішаному навчанні. Наведені приклади використання змішаного навчання у середній школі, в університеті при вивченні технічних дисциплін. Розроблені науково-практичні рекомендації щодо застосування змішаного навчання в освіті. Призначено для керівників освіти, науково-педагогічних і педагогічних працівників вищих навчальних закладів, аспірантів та докторантів.

- by Tatyana Oleinik and +1
- •
- Inquiry Based Learning, Blended E-Learning, Educational Research, Student Motivation And Engagement

Language plays a crucial role in the development of human society. It is the main means of communication between individuals, groups and countries. Nowadays, more and more people are learning English as a foreign or second language, and their key objective is to get expertise in English. The abrupt changes in the broad field of economy, business, science, technology and education have triggered the youth and coming generation to improve their communication skills. Language acquisition involves four modules of teaching that includes Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. The teachers have to be dynamic and updated to teach these language skills to the students. The researcher has interviewed the participants on various aspects involved in teaching-learning process to find out the root cause of the problems encountered by students studying at Jazan University to attain the speaking and the writing skills. The problems are further critically analysed, evaluated to derive at conclusi...

- by Samson Mgaiwa
- •
- Education, Educational Technology, Higher Education, Educational Research

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly shifted education from traditional to an online version, which was an emergent state for teachers and students. The substantive situation thus raises the importance of technology integration in education, and teachers are required to update their competencies, respectively. In this regard, the study assessed online teaching competencies of faculty members following, technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) model. Closed-ended surveys were employed for quantitative analysis of randomly selected 256 faculty members from public universities in Karachi, Pakistan. Results indicated that teachers possessed adequate levels of knowledge across all the domains of TPACK. The highest competency was obtained by content knowledge (CK), while technological knowledge (TK) was reported at the lowest level. Furthermore, a significant difference was noted in terms of gender and teaching experience. Correspondingly, the study proposes that the TPACK model...

The objectives of the study were to show the basic differences between Distance, Blended and Online learning, and establish their common challenges from literature. Approximately 35 categories/sets of research results or findings from more than 65 publications were reviewed and used for this work. Articles were obtained from sources such as Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, Google Search Engine, and Elsevier. The key themes used for the search are Distance education, Distance learning, Online learning, Blended learning, Differences between face-to-face and online learning, and the use of the internet for learning. The differences between Distance, Blended, and Online Learning (DBOL) modes were summarized, and 11 challenges of DBOL were realized. These 11 challenges were summarized into six themes namely, lack of infrastructure, low or no IT skills, self-disciplinary problems, content issues, policy issues, and social issues. It was strongly advised that, for effective DBOL...

- by Emmanuel Owusu-Oware
- •
- Computer Science, Distance Education, Internet Studies, Mobile Learning

This study addressed several outcomes, implications, and possible future directions for blended learning (BL) in higher education in a world where information communication technologies (ICTs) increasingly communicate with each other. In considering effectiveness, the authors contend that BL coalesces around access, success, and students' perception of their learning environments. Success and withdrawal rates for face-to-face and online courses are compared to those for BL as they interact with minority status. Investigation of student perception about course excellence revealed the existence of robust if-then decision rules for determining how students evaluate their educational experiences. Those rules were independent of course modality, perceived content relevance, and expected grade. The authors conclude that although blended learning preceded modern instructional technologies, its evolution will be inextricably bound to contemporary information communication technologies t...

- by Charles Dziuban
- •
- Psychology, Blended E-Learning, ICT in Education, Blended Learning

Although extensive research has been carried out on virtual learning environments and the role of groups and communities in social networks, few studies exist which adequately cover the relationship between these two domains In this paper, the authors demonstrate the effectiveness of integrating these two environments by creating a novel prototype and conducting a preliminary pilot evaluation session. For the prototype system, a Facebook Group was utilised as a repository for learning content and the Open Wonderland platform was selected as a mixed reality intelligent environment for 3D virtual collaborative activities. Since tacit knowledge can be gained via collaborative group-based activities and discussions, a new Wonderland module was developed to integrate this platform with the Facebook group. Similarly, explicit knowledge can be learned directly via the prepared materials which are provided within the group repository. We hope to demonstrate that this approach can provide greater accessibility to the learning content since it can be accessed from both the 3D world and the 2D Facebook Group. In other words, this system can support both synchronous interaction as well as asynchronous data retrieval. Finally, the prototype system was evaluated by means of a two-hour task-based assessment and user-satisfaction questionnaire. We present the key findings from this pilot study (which were very encouraging), and propose further ideas for the future refinement of the concepts presented in this paper.

- by Victor Callaghan and +1
- •
- Human Computer Interaction, Social Networks, E-learning, Social Networking

A mock examination is an exam that does not count for credit. It is taken before an official examination and gives students the opportunity to practice for the later, important exam. The mock examination provides students with information on their actual learning progress and gives them in this way the opportunity to fill knowledge gaps. An electronic mock examination is the online variant usually taken unsupervised in the students' own time. In this work we present the setup of an electronic mock exam in the course " Basics of Computer Science ". We discuss question types other than multiple-choice that allow for fully automated marking. Furthermore, we present an in-depth analysis of the results of the mock exam. These results demonstrate that students consider the electronic mock exam as valuable help for exam preparation. Half of the students take the mock exam even more than once and use different strategies to make the most out of it. On the other hand, lecturers get invaluable feedback from the results of the mock exam. This feedback covers all learning objectives of the entire course, comes at the right time, and is ideally suited for planning the contents of a recapitulation lecture.

The main objective of this paper is the presentation of implications for the creation of a Blended-Learning-Model. The mission of the Blended Learning is help through computer supported collaborative and individual learning tasks, as well as a more human-like dimension for positive and corrective feedback. The b-learning can assist the teacher in proposing class scenarios using Internet resources to develop communicative and intercultural competence.

Резюме: Целта на статията е да се сподели опитът ни в обучението по ботаника в БФ на СУ от използването на смесено обучение в реални учебни зали с осигуряване на постоянен електронен достъп до преподавания материал и провеждане на онлайн тестове. За тази цел съпоставихме набор дългосрочни данни (2002-2017) от изпитните оценки на 3888 студенти, обучавани чрез класическо и смесено обучение в задължителни бакалавърски курсове, свързани с Водорасли и Гъби. Получените резултати ясно показват предимствата на смесеното обучение за преподавателите и за студентите. Подчертано е, че електронното тестване е природосъобразно и зелено поради нулевата консумация на хартия. Доказаните предимства на електронното тестване и обучение ни дават основание да ги препоръчаме на всички наши колеги за бъдещата им работа. Ключови думи: студенти-биолози, обучение по ботаника, електронно обучение, електронно тестване.

- by Maya Stoyneva
- •
- Botany, Blended E-Learning, Blended Learning, Blended learning in higher education
- by garcia cruz
- •
- Blended Learning, Blended learning in higher education, ISBN

Uzmanlar, klinisyenler ve araştırmacılar, yeme bozukluklarının duygusal düzensizliklerden kaynaklandığı vakalarda Diyalektik Davranış Terapisinin etkin olacağı konusunda hemfikirdi. Alanda yapılan pek çok adaptasyon çalışması olmasına rağmen Debra Safer, Christy Telch ve Eunice Chen bunu deneysel bazda yapan ilk kişilerdir. Standart diyalektik davranış terapisinin, tıkanırcasına yeme bozukluğu ve blumia nervoza semptomlarını tedavi etme yollarının yapılandırılmış bir özetini sunan bu kitap ile alandaki ihtiyaca cevap vermişlerdir. Bu alanda çalışan klinik psikologların ve danışmanların mutlaka okuması gereken önemli bir kaynak olmakla birlikte bu alanda okuyan öğrenciler için de farklı bir bakış açısı kazandırmaktadır.
Dokuz bölümden oluşan bu kitapta tedavi kapsamlı olarak ele alınmıştır. Genel çerçevede, olumsuz duygularla başa çıkmanın daha uyumsal yollarını öğreten becerilerin kazanımı ile tıkanırcasına yeme ve boşaltmayı durdurma hedefine ulaşma yolu adım adım çizilmiştir. Blumia nervoza ve tıkanırcasına yeme bozukluğuna sahip insanların karılaştığı sorunlar ve mevcut tedavi yöntemleri ele alınarak okuyucuya genel bir bakış açısı kazandırılır. Standart terapinin detaylı bir şekilde tanıtımından sonra bunun adaptasyonunun neden gerekli olduğu, adapte etmenin mantığı mevcut kanıtlar ile sunulur. Daha sonra, tedavi öncesi ve başlangıç oturumlarından tedaviyi sonlandırmaya kadar olan süreç aşama aşama ele alınır. Nüksetmeyi önleme kısmına değinilir. Son olarak kapsamlı vaka örnekleri ile anlatılanların sağlam temeller üzerine oturması sağlanır.
Amacına uygun şekilde düzenlen bu kitap, diyalektik davranış terapisi adapte edilirken belirli sınırlar çizmek yerine okuyucuya geliştirilebilir bir zemin hazırlar. Bu yönüyle tedaviyi uygulamaya ve geliştirmeye teşvik eder. Açıklayıcı vaka örnekleri ve kanıtlar ile tedaviyi tüm ayrıntılarıyla sunarak farklı alanlardan okuyuculara hitap eden bu titiz çalışma özellikle alandaki uzmanlara klinik psikologlara, danışmanlara ve araştırmacılar için bir rehber niteliğinde olacak niteliktedir.

- by Gamze Sart
- •
- Creative Writing, Critical Theory, Psychology, Clinical Psychology

This analytical review reflects on the ways that centres for teaching and learning in universities are formulated and how they might change to best respond to and address the changing needs of students, academics and institutions in a post pandemic era. Drawing on discussions with experts, personal experience and grey literature, the key considerations to be addressed are articulated, in order to spell out the options for CTLs in a variety of contexts.

Genelde canlıların, özelde ise insanoğlunun nasıl öğrendiğine dair araştırma sonuçları her geçen gün önümüze heyecan verici bilgiler ve bulgular sunmaktadır. Bu araştırma sonuçları öğrenmede yeni stratejiler geliştirilmesinde öncülük etmektedir. "Öğrenme Psikolojisi" adlı bu kitap, alandaki en temel ve güncel araştırma bulgularını da kapsayarak eğitim, edebiyat ve tıp fakülteleri gibi değişik alanların birçok programında lisans ve lisansüstü düzeyde kullanılabilecek şekilde hazırlanmıştır.
Okuyucu merkezli olarak hazırlanan bu kitap, tüm yaşlardaki öğrenicilerin bilgi ve becerileri nasıl edindiklerini ve öğrenme sürecinde etkili olabilen inanç, motivasyon, tutum ve tavır gibi faktörleri kapsamaktadır.
Öğrenme konusunda bilgi sahibi olmak isteyen okuyucunun, temel bir psikoloji bilgisine sahip olması ön koşulu yoktur. Kitapta öğrenme kuramlarının tarihsel temellerinden başlayarak güncel öğrenme yaklaşımlarına rahatlıkla geçiş yapılabilir. Alandaki bir profesör, öğrenme ile ilgili en son araştırma bulgularına bu kitapta ulaşabilirken; üniversite eğitimine yeni başlamış bir öğrenci de öğrenme ile ilgili en temel konulara rahatlıkla erişebilir.

- by Gamze Sart
- •
- Creative Writing, Critical Theory, Psychology, Clinical Psychology

This paper discusses the importance of holistic assessment in the teaching and learning process at all levels of education, both in schools and in higher education institutions. Redesigning classroom assessment for holistic learning to improve student learning is not a new idea. Educators conduct assessment for a variety of purposes such as determining the level of student academic achievement or identifying weaknesses and strengths of students. Educators need to be equipped with ways to maintain these processes to determine the quality of student achievement. Assessment should reflect the understanding that learning is a complex process by engaging a varied selection of techniques, comprising those that require real and authentic performance, utilising them over a period so as to disclose evolution, progress, and emergent steps of integration. The assessment should be continuous and balanced. Implementing holistic assessment benefits the students, teachers and stakeholders. Educato...

Pre-calculus concepts such as working with functions and solving equations are essential for students to explore limits, rates of change, and integrals. Yet many students have a weak understanding of these key concepts which impedes performance in their first-year university Calculus course. A series of online learning objects was developed to provide students with appropriate resources for self-study in pre-calculus concepts. each learning object consisted of text-based summary sheets, interactive video-clips demonstrating sample solutions to typical problems, and a set of online mastery practice questions. The results indicated that a majority of students used the learning objects frequently, rated them as useful or very useful, and reported significant knowledge gains in pre-calculus concepts.

Digitalization, as a fabric that is permeating every aspect of our life, is fundamentally changing established social practices – from the way we shop for groceries to the way we work in teams. So too we think it can-and should, enable a... more

Hiện nay, các chương trình đào tạo giáo viên trong khu vực và trên thế giới đã chuyển mạnh theo xu hướng tập trung vào năng lực đầu ra của chính người giáo viên trong mối tương quan với nhu cầu xã hội hiện hành. Hệ thống năng lực của người giáo viên được định danh, mô tả khá tường minh, có sự gắn kết chặt chẽ với các vai trò cốt yếu của một nhà giáo dục trong thế kỉ 21. Trong đó, hệ thống các năng lực liên quan đến vai trò của nhà tư vấn hướng nghiệp, tư vấn tâm lí học đường cho học sinh phổ thông đã thu hút được sự quan tâm khá rộng rãi của các nhà thiết kế phát triển chương trình đào tạo.

- by Ton Quang Cuong
- •
- Blended learning in higher education

E-learning, virtual learning and mixed reality techniques are now a global integral part of the academic and educational systems. They provide easier access to educational opportunities to a very wide spectrum of individuals to pursue their educational and qualification objectives. These modern techniques have the potentials to improve the quality of the teaching and learning process and elevate its performance to higher standards. Furthermore, e-learning in conjunction with mixed reality techniques can reduce the cost of higher education at both institutional and individual learner levels. In this paper, the focus will be on teaching-learning of applied science such as engineering. These studies demand special requirements, such as acquiring specific technical skills and practices through training. In this paper is the explanation and design of remote laboratories in mixed-reality mode. Decision making and evaluation of performance using fuzzy logic will be embedded in the proposed design.

The flipped classroom has been gaining popularity in recent years. In theory, flipping the classroom appears sound: passive learning activities such as unidirectional lectures are pushed to outside class hours in the form of videos, and precious class time is spent on active learning activities. Yet the courses for information systems (IS) undergraduates at the university that the author is teaching at are still conducted in the traditional lecture-in-class, homework-after-class style. In order to increase students’ engagement with the course content and to improve their experience with the course, the author implemented a trial of the flipped classroom model for a programming course with pair programming as the predominant in-class active learning activity. Student feedback on this pedagogy was generally very positive with many respondents considering it effective and helpful for learning. One of the biggest advantages mentioned by students is that they had the option to watch each video lecture as many times as required to be prepared for class. The author also observed that students were more engaged and empowered to take on more ownership for their learning. He recommends that other instructors consider rolling out their own trials of the flipped classroom incrementally for courses that would benefit the most from this pedagogy.

At the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences the Inverted Classroom Model is part of the strategy. This article consist also a summary of the history and future of this development. Some examples are giving insights in the... more

The transition from face to face to remote teaching during the COVID-19 health crisis, has been viewed by privately owned companies, prestigious universities, international organizations and politicians as an opportunity to promote the digital paradigm in education. A carefully carved rhetoric bundles the reduced funding of education, the maturity of digital technologies and the experience of remote teaching during the COVID-19 restrictions to promote the idea of rewiring and rethinking education as a synonym for change. How will education look like after the COVID-19 crisis? Although an answer to this question cannot be precise at the moment since it involves different stakeholders, this publication attempts to pinpoint some aspects of the post-COVID-19 educational landscape as it emerges comparing various texts and sources.

This paper explores a sample of data collected from a UNICEF Eastern Caribbean rapid assessment on teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in eight countries. The primary investigation method was mixed and captured data from key participants/stakeholders in education using CAPI Technology and Video Conferencing tools. Statistical analyses and qualitative thematic analysis were conducted to report on findings using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and Nvivo Qualitative Software. The data on online teaching and learning from Barbados was selected for further review and presented an opportunity to assess the Barbadian experience against other developing and developed countries. In assessing these perceptions in a sample of primary and secondary schools, stakeholders were
generally dissatisfied with the online and blended learning modalities citing challenges relating to the equality and equity in access to devices and the enabling environment that facilities effective online teaching and learning.

"Elinizdeki bu kitap, sosyal psikolojinin konularını en geniş kapsamıyla ele almakta, klasikleşmiş deneysel ve saha araştırmalarını en güncel bilimsel çalışmalarla harmanlamaktadır. Bu bakımdan, akademisyen ve öğrencilerin yararlanabileceği eşsiz bir kaynaktır. Kitapta, sosyal psikoloji konuları bölüm bölüm ele alınmıştır; ilgili kavram, terim, kuram ve araştırmalar aktarılırken her bölüm kendi içinde bir bütünlük arz edecek şekilde akıcı bir öyküsel kurguyla ve dille yazılmıştır ayrıca bu kitap; tarihsel olaylarla, edebî ve felsefi metaforlarla zenginleştirilmiştir.
Ayrıca bu kapsamlı çalışma, sadece bilimsel bir disiplinin temel konularını okuyucuya aktarmakla kalmamakta, aynı zamanda savaş, açlık, çevre gibi gerçek dünya sorunlarının sosyal psikolojik boyutlarıyla ilgili çözüm önerileri de getirmektedir. Bu bakımdan elinizdeki kitap yalnızca bir ders kitabı değil, aynı zamanda sosyal psikolojiye ilgi duyan herkesin merakla okuyabileceği bir kitaptır."

- by Gamze Sart
- •
- Entrepreneurship, Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Psychological Assessment

This presentation places online education in a disciplinary context, charting historical, pedagogical, institutional and cultural dimensions of e-learning. The evolution of online academic conferences is of particular relevance. Online education is seen in a broad sense, and as a pan-disciplinary set of meta-skills and knowledge beyond subject matter expertise. After the lecture, the discussion addresses the current emergency remote teaching situation globally, and what new structures are forming for online educator development events and organizations. There is much content in this PDF and links for further reading. Or see the YouTube link to listen to the Zoom recording of the presentation.

- by Steve McCarty
- •
- Educational Technology, E-learning, Distance Education, Academic Development

Teaching aid to create a Moodle-course

- by Gerd Homberg
- •
- Blended learning in higher education

Although we are aware of the shortcomings mentioned, we think that the results of the study on the effectiveness of blended education, and to increase the concentration of educational programs that contribute to the renaissance of the community, Blended Learning Programs are considered an effective starting point for students to achieve continuing education, combining the classic kinds of learning with online learning. Blended learning is one of the most popular pedagogical methods, and has received numerous researches on blended learning since its beginning in recent years, the introduction of new technological innovations to fill the gap between traditional learning and face-to-face learning. The main purpose of this study is to review and analyze the studies conducted on blended learning through thinking about the past, present and future. In this article, the researcher discussed blended learning system, showing that the use of e-learning in the role of education in general needs a period of time to be good training stage to get rid of the traditional methods, and finding easier ways and more accurate for education and evaluation, and concludes importance of blended learning in preparation for the application of e-learning , so the researcher should direct his research to this type of education so that it is applied properly scientific. Finally, the recent developments in the technology encourages students and teachers to apply blended learning in their ranks, and this is one of the questions that will be discussed in this paper in addition to the successful factors for implementing blended learning and the efficiencies needed for teachers and students to achieve blended learning. We highlighted some successful experiences regionally, globally and some successful experiences in Sudan and what future directions of blended learning systems in Sudanese higher educations. Keywords— blendedlearning, e-learning, distributed learning, blended learning environments, higher education I. INTRODUCTION With the expansion and the spread of e-learning systems, increasing demand for the use and employ them in learning it emerged several problems, including: the absence of direct social contact between the practical components of learning-teachers, students and administration which negatively affects the social contact with those components, the application of e-learning systems infrastructure needs require a high cost, in many educational systems may not be available, e-learning systems require skills in educational technology to enable teachers and students to take advantage of e-learning, the difficulty of conducting the assessment for learners when they include practical skills, and Lack of appropriate e-learning systems for students of some of the stages , as well as the lack of suitability of some curricula and courses , especially those that require students to exercise practical skills. Blended learning is a hybrid of the traditional face-to-face and an on-line learning so that instruction occurs in both classroom and an on-line, It has been acknowledged that blended instruction, is an emerging trend and it is trying to give students the advantages of each method [10], [9]. It is necessary to point out that blended learning became a natural extension of traditional classroom learning [8].

Soluções de Aprendizagem inteligente para sociedades sustentáveis

This exploratory study was conducted to investigate the possibility of blending a conventional
classroom teaching with an online instruction via a social networking website, Facebook. Since
Malaysian adolescents have been found to spend a great deal of their time outside school hours
online with an evident preference towards entertainment and social networking websites (Tan, Ng
& Saw, 2010), it is felt that using an online tool to supplement their classroom teaching would be
in line with the current trend. Since English is the language commonly used by these youngsters in
their online communication, it is felt that there are potential benefits of utilizing one of the features
from this popular social networking website, Facebook which is ‘Facebook Group’ in teaching
English as a Second Language (ESL) context. The researchers believe that the features offered by
‘Facebook Group’, with careful manipulation, can be used as a powerful pedagogical tool.
Blending conventional face-to-face instruction with online learning activities does not only solve
teachers’ problem of inadequate class time but will make learning more appealing to the technosavvy
younger generation learners. This article will describe how face-to-face instruction was
blended with online activities via ‘Facebook Group’ in this exploratory study.
Keywords: Blended learning, social networking websites, pedagogical tool

- by Nor Ashikin Ab Manan
- •
- Blended learning in higher education

Recently, Japanese higher education has decided to transition from a traditional teacher-centered to a more studentcentered, communicative classroom. One promising possibility that could help in the transition is the flipped classroom technique. Examining the lived experiences English as a foreign language (EFL) students who have taken part in a course taught using the flipped classroom technique has helped in determining some benefits of the flipped classroom. The data described a learning experience to which Japanese students were unaccustomed, but that they found to be a positive learning experience nonetheless. The blend of insights into both the motivations and opportunities to communicate using authentic language in the flipped classroom suggests a complete transformation of the learning experience for university EFL students.

This chapter synthesizes current research related to blended (hybrid) learning environments that combine online and face-to-face instruction. Research data highlights growth trends in blended learning implementation across higher education, K-12, and corporate training sectors. The development of models and theory to guide researchers is developing at a much slower pace. Current research is presented related to institutional issues (change and adoption, access to learning, cost effectiveness), student issues (learning effectiveness, engagement, satisfaction) and faculty issues (adoption, satisfaction and workload, professional development). The chapter ends with recommendations for future research related to blended learning environments.

Tüm yaşamımız duygu ve düşüncelerimiz tarafından yönetilmektedir. Çoğumuz ağırlıkla gerçeğin farkına varmadan yaşadığımızdan düşünce becerilerimizi geliştirmeyi önemsemeyiz. Ancak düşünme, eğitim, psikoloji ve daha birçok alandaki bilim insanının üzerinde çalıştığı ve geliştirmeyi hedefledikleri beceriler arasındandır. Düşünme türleri içinde eleştirel düşünme en temel ve önemlileri arasındadır. Pek çok kişi için düşünme bilinç dışı bir eylem iken bilinç alanına çekip özel eğitim teknikleri ile geliştirmek mümkündür. Bu kitap sayesinde eleştirel düşünme becerilerinin kapsamında kişinin tarafsız düşünür hâline gelme, düşünme seviyesinden haberdar olma, temel akıl becerileri, yetenekleri, içgörülerinin gelişmesine destek olma, sunulan düşüncenin zayıf ve güçlü manasını keşfetme vb. gibi becerilerini geliştirme, kendi düşünme standartlarını bilme, soru sorma ve düşünmedeki yerini anlama, düşünme içeriğini öğrenme, iyi düşünme becerilerini edinme, karar alma, problem çözme, mantık dışı düşünce ile başa çıkma, ulusal ve uluslararası propaganda yolları zihinsel kandırmaca ve manipülasyonun farkına varma, etik akıl yürütme, stratejik düşünme becerileri ve ileri düşünür olma başlıklarında bilgi ve beceri kazandırmayı amaçlamaktadır. Buraya kadar sözü edilen bu becerileri kapsayan kitabın hem bilgi vermesi hem de Türk akademisyen ve düşünürleri tarafından bu konuda yeni eserlerin kaleme alınmasını, araştırma yapılmasını teşvik etmesi hedeflenmektedir. Kitabın hedef kitlesi, matematik bilimlerinde ve sosyal bilimlerde eğitim gören öğrenciler ve akademisyenler, politikacılar, medya mensupları ilk akla gelenler arasındadır. Kitabın, kişisel gelişimi bir yaşam biçimini hâline getirenlere geliştirici bir okuma serüveni olacağına inanılmaktadır. (kim ile, kimin için…)
21. yüzyıl becerileri arasında ilk sıralarda yer alan eleştirel düşünme becerisini stratejik ve sistematik olarak nasıl geliştirilebileceğini anlatan bu kitap, okuyucular için hem günlük yaşamda hem de profesyonel hayatta kullanabilecekleri önemli reçeteler vermektedir. Bilgi çağının getirdiği bilgi bombardımanı içinde hangi bilgiye nerede, nasıl, niye, ne zaman ve kim ile kimin için sorularının cevaplarını çok gelişmiş tablolar ve şekiller ile anlatarak görsel anlamda hatırlanır ve uygulanabilir kılmaktadır. Sol beynin işlevi olan eleştirel düşünceyi çok daha ileriye götürerek bilginin yaratıcılığa dönüştürülmesinde önemli rol oynamaktadır. Basitliğin getirdiği mükemmellik ile değişen ve devrim niteliğinde yaşanan teknolojik gelişimlerde okuyuculara uygulamalı olarak karar verme becerilerini geliştirmekte ve bulundukları ortamda farkındalık oluşturarak fark yaratmalarını sağlayacak donanım vermektedir. Bu kitabın okuyucuları sadece eğitim dünyasındaki değişimi sağlamak isteyen kişiler değil profesyonel dünyada da dönüşümü sağlamak isteyen oyuncular ve liderler olmalıdır.

- by Gamze Sart
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- Creative Writing, Critical Theory, Management, Psychology

Blended learning is now being widely experimented with for the purposes of enhancing the education process, especially when it comes to leaning foreign languages. The presence and development of many an application on the market makes the prospect of digitalization of education ever more appealing. However, at the end of the day, whether this availability is likely to be enough to make students more motivated to study on their own or not is the question. The purpose of the article is to compare the more recent experiment which took place at Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia with the use of the online platform Rosetta Stone, offered by EBSCO Company with the findings of the previously conducted experiment using Touchstone. The participants of the former three-month experiment were level A2 (CEFR) first-year STEM students, divided into three groups: 1. traditional teaching or control groups (N=35), 2. blended groups where in the classroom students had traditional interactive lessons and they did their homework on the Rosetta Stone platform (N=35), and 3. experimental groups, with Rosetta Stone online both in the classroom and at home (N=35). The latter one included 75 students STEM students of A1-A2 levels (CEFR). Special emphasis is laid on students' motivation, the initial hypothesis being that students will be more engaged in a course featuring modern interactive technologies. Yet, the results show that less control of the course completion from the teacher (authoritarian vs democratic approach) led to the decline in student's productivity. Moreover, some of the shortcomings of the course are covered.

E-learning has become increasingly important in the contemporary universal-access of education especially at the tertiary level, and can provide a strategic and competitive advantage to a university such as the University of Cape Coast (UCC). The objective of the study was to assess the awareness and perceptions of lecturers in using e-learning tools for instructional delivery in the University of Cape Coast. Specifically, the study sought to investigate the state of the awareness and perceptions of lecturers in incorporating e-learning tools in their lesson preparation and delivery. The target population was lecturers of UCC and responses were obtained from 128 lecturers who were randomly sampled for the study.
The study revealed among other things that, many lecturers fail to use e-learning tools because they are not proficient in using them. Nevertheless, they are ready or willing to participate in programmes to equip them with the requisite skills that will make them proficient in using the e- learning tools.
The study recommends among other things that the Computer Centre of the University should educate the lecturers on e-learning and give them the necessary training that will equip them in using the e-learning platform (Moodle) that the university had installed since 2007. Also, the University should provide reliable Internet and computer access coupled with adequate technologically enhanced classrooms and laboratories to facilitate the integration and use of e- learning tools by lecturers in their instructional delivery.

We are living in the age where the Internet is one of the most important tools for accessing information and knowledge to improve the welfare of humankind. All graduates from universities are expected to become internet proficient in order to participate in the Information and Knowledge Age. Therefore, Internet literacy is important to agricultural education because almost all facets of agriculture use computers. This study analyzed the use of the Internet among Agricultural Students at University of Cape Coast in Ghana in 2008/2009 academic year. A total of 200 students were randomly selected and surveyed using a content-validated questionnaire and group discussion. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The major finding was that the level of knowledge of students on the Internet was low. However, most students have the e-mail addresses and have received training on Internet from private firms outside the University. Occasionally, students used the private cafes in the University to access the Internet. The study recommends among others that hands-on practical approach should be adopted to enhance teaching and learning of ICTs. Moreover, students should be linked to the main University-wide wireless network to enhance access.