Facilitating flexible learning by replacing classroom time with an online learning environment: A systematic review of blended learning in higher education

Higher education institutions are trying to provide more flexibility and individualization, which is mainly realized through the use of new technologies and implemented in online or blended learning designs. This systematic review aims to investigate the impact of replacing classroom time with an online learning environment. The meta-analysis (k = 21 effect sizes) applied strict inclusion criteria concerning research design, measurement of learning outcomes and implementation of blended learning. The estimated effect size (Hedge's g) was positive, although not significantly different from zero and the confidence interval [-0.13, 0.25], suggesting that overall differences between blended and conventional classroom learning are small, and, at best, very small negative or moderate positive effects are plausible. This means that despite a reduction in classroom time between 30 and 79 per cent, equivalent learning outcomes were found. Consequently, blended learning with reduced classroom time is not systematically more or less effective than conventional classroom learning.     

Blended learning in higher education: professional development in a Hong Kong university

ABSTRACT

Online learning has become a ubiquitous part of the educational landscape and how teachers are supported in developing approaches to teaching online is a fundamental aspect of the students’ learning experience. Based on the implementation of a professional development course on becoming an online teacher offered in a blended learning mode at one university in Hong Kong, this article proposes that offering this type of professional development in a blended mode is very effective in facilitating enhanced usage of the university’s learning management system. In a blended mode, teachers are actively engaged with blended learning and were found to make more extensive use of features/tools in Blackboard after they attended the professional development course. Results support that offering professional development in a blended mode provides teachers with an authentic student perspective, at the same time as they take guided steps in the teacher’s role in blended learning.     

Defining the nature of blended learning through its depiction in current research

ABSTRACT

Blended learning has been a feature of higher education practice and research for almost two decades. This article takes stock of current blended learning research, contributing to the growing number of meta-analyses of higher education and blended learning research more generally, through a review of ninety-seven articles relating to blended learning in higher education published in fifteen journals between 2012 and mid-2017. The review focused on where and when the articles were published; their provenance, scale, scope; methodological approach; the broad research themes; and definition of blended learning used. The review shows that despite its ubiquity, blended learning’s definition is all-encompassing; its spread is global but research is dominated by key players; it is of technical interest; and its research is small-scale, individually focused, seeking to evidence the benefits of blended learning. The article concludes with recommendations of how higher education research could provide institutions with evidence to ensure their ‘best of blends’.     

Reflectors as online extraverts?

Increasingly, online learning is perceived as an effective method of instruction. Much recent educational research has focused on examining the purposes and situations for which online education is best suited. In this paper, students enrolled in two online courses are compared with their peers enrolled in equivalent classroom‐based courses to investigate aspects of the relationship between learning style and mode of delivery. Student satisfaction measures are taken from participants in both modes of delivery and compared with student learning style. Feedback from the ‘Reflector’ learning style demonstrates higher satisfaction levels with the online mode of delivery compared with their matched counterparts following equivalent classroom‐based courses. Therefore, whilst ‘Reflectors’ might be regarded as Introverts in the traditional classroom setting, the additional time for reflection offered by online delivery makes this group more likely to contribute to online discussion, report higher satisfaction levels and generally behave more like online Extraverts.     

混合式学习环境下学生网上讨论的成效及影响因素研究

混合式学习能够整合课堂面授学习方式与在线学习方式的优势,被认为是高等教育机构应对未来挑战和实现教育创新的有效而风险较低的策略。以北京大学一门通选课作为研究案例,针对混合式教学环境下学生网上讨论的成效及影响因素进行的实证研究发现：混合式教学中的网上讨论确实可以为教学提供帮助,总体来看,学生在＂知识＂和＂理解＂这两个低阶思维能力方面获得了较大的提高,而在＂分析＂、＂综合＂、＂评价＂等高阶思维能力方面并没有得到普遍的提高;＂讨论话题设置＂和＂个体对网上讨论的态度＂是影响网上讨论成效的最显著因素,＂对讨论的激励机制＂对网上讨论成效也有较大影响。     

高校教师的“混合式学习”接受度及其影响因素研究——以北大教学网为例

以北京大学教学网为案例,对混合式学习的教师接受度进行了深入地研究。根据混合式学习及科技接受理论(TAM),研究者构建出了一个分析模型,包括技术特点、教师特点、课程特点、主观规范和服务品质特这五个维度,以认知有用性、认知易用性为中间变量,并以北大教师"使用意图"为因变量。通过定量分析,提出了影响北大教师接受混合式学习方式的诸种因素,并对混合式学习的推广与应用提出了若干建议。     

汉英表量结构中隐喻的分类及认知解读

以＂合成空间理论＂为理论背景,研究汉英表量结构中隐喻的分类与认知解读问题。根据输入空间的不同,从认知角度将汉英表量结构中的隐喻分为两类：显性隐喻和隐性隐喻。显性隐喻是通过＂量词＂和＂名词＂两个输入空间之间的概念整合进行建构的,而隐性隐喻是通过量词所描述的＂原型名词＂和表量结构中的＂名词＂两个输入空间之间的概念整合进行建构的。     

Academic librarian's transition to blended librarianship: a phenomenology of selected academic librarians in Zimbabwe

This paper explores the shared experiences of practices of blended librarianship among Zimbabwean academic librarians to identify how adequately they comply with their dynamic roles and functions. The paper relies on the theoretical constructs from Bell and Shank's (2004, 2007) blended librarianship and Lave and Wenger's (1991) Legitimate Peripheral Participation (LPP) to understand how Zimbabwean academic librarians practice blended librarianship in the workplace through engagement in legitimate work tasks. The investigators used phenomenology to explore academic librarians' experiences of blended librarianship. They selected a sample of 101 academic librarians and delivered a semi-structured questionnaire to the sample, conducted document research and interviewed key informants from the sample. The researchers collected data from the Bindura University of Science Education, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Lupane State University, Midlands State University, the National University of Science and Technology, and PHSBL80 Library which chose to be undisclosed. Each institution adopted blended librarianship in its way. Four (4) different categories of blended librarianship emerged from the experiences; that is “transcending blended librarians”, “partially blended librarians”, “intermittent blended librarians” and “aspiring blended librarians”, displaying each institution's level of instructional technology and instructional design roles. The study proposes that the “Academic librarian's transition to blended librarianship” two-by-two matrix that developed was in this inquiry needs further refinement. Further enquiries may test the matrix within the same sites or other locales altogether to corroborate if the results are replicable.     

翻转课堂的历史、现状及实践策略探析

翻转课堂自2012年被引入中国以来,在学者、教师、家长中引起不同反响。该文从与相关人群针对“翻转课堂”的访谈及相关文献研究入手,基于教育外界的Gartner技术炒作周期曲线(Hype Cycle)观察近年在国内中小学翻转课堂的发展概貌,审思翻转课堂的定位、假设、技术和流程;在与国际上的同伴教学、混合式学习、国内的“先学后教”等相近教学模式的比较中揭示翻转课堂的核心和本质,辅以对翻转课堂技术要素的分析,认为翻转课堂属于一种微创新。旨在为研究者和实践者对翻转课堂形成较为系统、冷静的认识提供借鉴,该文分析了翻转课堂的优势和局限,提出了模式适用范围、学习动机保持、教师基本素养、技术应用及课程体制等实践策略,以推动翻转课堂有效应用。在教师基本素养部分特别建议借助布卢姆(B·S·Bloom)认知目标分类学,根据认知规律和学生认知基础,对教学内容进行分析归类,以便在恰当的时机恰当地应用技术。     

The effect of goal-setting prompts in a blended learning environment—evidence from a field experiment

Previous literature has shown that task-based goal-setting and distributed learning is beneficial to university-level course performance. We investigate the effects of making these insights salient to students by sending out goal-setting prompts in a blended learning environment with bi-weekly quizzes. The randomized field experiment in a large mandatory economics course shows promising results: the treated students outperform the control group. They are 18.8% (0.20 SD) more likely to pass the exam and earn 6.7% (0.19 SD) more points on the exam. While we cannot causally disentangle the effects of goal-setting from the prompt sent, we observe that treated students use the online learning platform earlier in the semester and attempt more online exercises compared to the control group. The heterogeneity analysis suggests that higher treatment effects are associated with low performance at the beginning of the course.