BLENDEDLEARNING:RIGHTSOLUTIONFORFUTURISTIC EDUCATION
1ResearchScholar,DepartmentofEducation,CentralUniversityofJharkhand
ABSTRACT
InOnlineLearning,thestudentsstudyfromhomeoranyotherplace,thatismostconvenientforthem.Theycanacquirelearningmaterialonline.Thestudymaterials inonlineeducationcouldbetexts,audio,notes,videos,andimages.However,themethodofstudyhasitsbenefitsandvariousdrawbackstoo.Onlineeducationis suitableforthosewhocannotvisitorobtainthetraditionaleducationmethodforonereasonortheother Nowadayseducationhaschanged.Ashiftintheprofileofthe studentbodyhaschangedthefaceoflearningandeducation.Learningisnolongerconfinedwithinclassroomwallsnoraretheteachersandstudentsrequiredtobein thesamelocationatthesametime.Themultipleinstructionaldeliverymodalitiesinblendedlearningnotonlyaccommodatethevariouslearningneedsofourstudents butalsogivelecturersthefreedomandabilitytomeetothertasksandresponsibilities.On-linelearningpreviouslyrejectedasforeigntoourdistancecommunitiesand people'sfield-dependentcognitivestyleisbeingviewedmorefavorablyaspartofablendedlearningmode.
INTRODUCTION
E-Learning has been widely adopted due to its merits and ease of access and understanding. While 'Blended Learning' is covered in this umbrella of elearning,thisterm,however,isquiteambiguousinitself.Itwidelyencompasses the methods of teaching/learning that are an amalgamation of technology and digitizationusingthetraditionalteacher/instructor-guidedclassroommethods.
Blended learning has come a long way since its global acceptance and it goes hand-in-hand with the digital citizenship component, which ensures better future-focusedlearningmethodsthroughproperintegrationtoenhanceteaching andlearningbydevelopingdigitalprowessofboththepartiesinvolved.Itpromotes balance between protective and promotional online activities so that the studentsandteacherscanmanagetheironlineinteractionssafelyandresponsibly
DefinitionsofBlendedLearning
Therearevariousdefinitionsofblendedlearning.Someviewblendedandhybrid learningdifferentlywhileotherslookatthemasone.Thispapertakesthelatter view Blendedlearningcombinesvariousmodelsoftraditionalanddistanceeducationandmakesuseofalltypesoftechnologytooffermeaningfullearningenvironmentsforstudents(AkkoyunluandYilmazSoylu,2008;27).Itis“aneffectivecombinationofdifferentmodesofdelivery,modelsofteachingandstylesof learning” (Procter, 2003; 3). Olapiriyakul & Scher (2006) use blended and hybrid as one to refer to “the mixed mode of instruction which formally combinesfacetofacelearninganddistancelearningbyincorporatingtechnologyto facilitate the learning process”. 5 This paper defines blended learning as the effective combination of traditional face to face learning and distance learning that incorporates an e-learning component.The online component is of special interest; it was rejected as foreign to our distance communities and people's fielddependentcognitivestyle(Lieberman,1994).Itmarginalizedcommunities andindividualswithlimitedornoaccesstocomputerandinternetaswellaslimitedknowledgeintheuseoftechnology Theabsenceofa'humanface'tointeract withandlearnfrominonlinelearningalsoposedaserioushandicapforourpeoplewhotendtoemployfielddependenceastheircognitivestyle.Dealingwith tangibleobjects
thatpeoplecanseewaseasier
Thecombinationofthebenefitsofonlinelearningwiththeadvantagesoffaceto-face instruction can also improve learning in ways mentioned below, that is impossibletoachieveusingonlyonemethod:
Ÿ Blendedlearningpromotesatwo-waylearningexperiencewhichispossiblethroughcollaborationbetweenthestudentsandtheinstructors,which canincreasesubstantiallyviaanonlinetrainingplatform
Ÿ Itfacilitatesincreasedaccesstoresourcesforstudentsandteacherswhich helpstoimproveattitudetowardslearning.Thismakesblendedlearning accessibletoawiderarrayoflearnersworldwide
Ÿ Itpromotesbettercommunicationbetweenlearnerswhichinturnresults inamoreengagingandbeneficiallearningexperience
Ÿ Itenhancesteacherandstudentinteractionwhichhelpsinbetter,customizedandsuccessfulevaluations
Ÿ Itmakesitbetterforstudentsastheycanlearnaccordingtotheircapabilitiesandcapacity
Ÿ It provides the flexibility of time and learning environment, where studentscanlearnindependentlyandhelpsthemtobeself-paced
Ÿ Apart from all these benefits, it also helps a student to inculcate virtues
likeresponsibilityandpropermanagementoftime
Thedigital'revolution'surelyhashaditsimpactandmorepeoplehaveaccessto technologynowmorethaneverbefore.Thepandemichasservedasacatalystin theadoptionofthesemethods,butthishasbecomethecommonpracticenowand people involved seem to prefer these methods over the traditional ones. This givesrisetoanotherconcern,whichisthelackofproperresourcesforthepeople on the opposite end of the spectrum, the teachers. Proper training of staff involvedanddevelopmentofinfrastructureisrequirednowthatblendedlearningisbeingwidelyadopted.Theeducationsystemneedstoupgradeitsresources tobettercopewiththischangeandservetheneedsofstudentsandteachersalike. Benefitsofblendedlearning
Asaresultofchangingtimes,studentswillencounterblendedlearningopportunitiesinuniversitiesandcollegesacrossNorthAmerica.Thischangewilleventuallybereplicatedacrosstheworldastimegoeson.
Commontypesofblendedlearninginclude:
Ÿ Rotation:Studentsalternatebetweenclassesandonlinelearning.
Ÿ Flipped Classroom: Students listen to online course lectures at home. Classtimeisusedforprojects,groupactivitiesorquestionsaboutthelectures.
Ÿ Flex:Themajorityofinstructiontakesplaceonline,withface-to-facesupportasneeded.
Blendedlearningoftenmeansthatallthenecessarylearningmaterialswillalso beavailableonline,allowingstudentstoaccessthematanytimetorefreshtheir memories,toensurethattheyunderstandthecoursecontentortoseekoutadditional,in-depthresourcesaboutatopicofinterest.
Thereareprosandconstoblendedlearning,butsinceeducatorsagreethatitis heretostay,theyarefocusedonfindingthebestmixofstrategiesforeachindividualcourse.Knowingthepositivesandnegativescanhelpstudentsunderstand howtogetthemostfromblendedlearning,solet'sexplorethem.
Opportunitiesinblendedlearning:
Ÿ Allows for Differences: Students aren't made from cookie cutters and theylearnindifferentways.Amixofteachingapproachesmakesitlikely that a larger number of students will absorb the material more easily It reduces stress for those who find it challenging to keep up during classroomlecturesandcanincreasesatisfactionforquickerlearners.
Ÿ AvailabilityofResources:Studentscanaccessonlinematerialanytime anywhere.Theycanreviewthematerialsasoftenastheylikeandstudy themattheirownpace.Blendedlearningincludesnewtechnologies,and formanyoftoday'sstudents,usingsuchtechnologiesisanaturalpartof everydaylife.
Ÿ EnhancesLearning:Ablendedapproachcanofferricher,moreinteractivelearningexperiences.
Ÿ Better Communication: Blended learning improves communication betweenstudentandteacher Generally,usingtechnologymeansoffering a variety of methods for communication, such as email, instant messaging,onlinediscussionsandnewsannouncementsonline.
Ÿ Collaboration:Onlinetoolsalsoallowstudentstocollaborateandcommunicate better with each other They can connect via email, text mes-
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sagesandonlinediscussions,aswellasface-to-faceintheclassroom.
Ÿ EasyFeedback:Testscanbegivenonline,allowingforeasygradingand quickfeedbackthatgivesstudentstheopportunitytoseewheretheirweaknesses are before they forget what the test covered. Teachers can also quicklygetasenseofwhoishavingdifficultieswiththecoursematerial andcantakeactiontoaddressthesestudents'problems.
Ÿ PromotesAutonomyandResponsibility:Whenaportionofthematerialisonline,itisuptothestudentstokeeppaceandmeetdeadlines.This isgoodtrainingforlifeaftergraduation.
Ÿ Helps Maintain Focus: Using a varied collection of tools prevents studentsfrombecomingboredwithcoursedeliveryandmaterial.Theystay engagedlongerthantheywouldwithonlybooksasresources.
Challengesinblendedlearning:
Ÿ LackofITKnowledge:Ifstudentsdon'tunderstandhowtousethenecessarytechnology,thereisalearningcurvethatcaninterferewiththeirabilitytoabsorbthecoursematerial.
Ÿ Lack of Discipline: If students aren't disciplined about keeping up with onlinematerial,theycaneasilyfallbehindintheircoursework.
Ÿ UntrainedFaculty:Teachersmustbetrainedtoincorporatenewtechnologiessuccessfullyintotheircoursesinawaythatengagesstudents,making thecontentaccessible.
Ÿ Faculty Flexibility: Teachers must be open to adjusting their teaching stylestoaccommodatenewwaysofdeliveringmaterial.
Ÿ Competing Priorities: Students must have the time to do coursework at home,despitethedemandsoftheirjobsorextra-curricularactivities.
Ÿ Access: Students must have access to the necessary technologies for blendedlearningtobesuccessful.
Ÿ OutdatedTools:Thetechnologyusedinblendedlearningmustbekeptup todate,becausestudents,morethanmostpeople,willbeadoptingthelatesttechnologies.
The
FutureofBlendedLearning:WhatEducatorsNeedtoKnow
The pandemic and the increasing use of technology in K-12 education it promptedhasaddedrenewedenergytotheblendedlearningmovementasmost studentsarenowlearninginschoolbuildings.Abouttwo-thirdsofeducatorsare expectingtheiruseoftheapproachtoincreaseduringthe2021-22schoolyear, according to a July survey by the EdWeek Research Center Nearly 30 percent said they were betting it would “increase a lot.” Just 14 percent expected it to decline.
Blendedlearningisanapproachthatleveragesbothdigitaltoolsandface-to-face instructiontoofferamorepersonalizedlearningexperienceforeachstudent.Students are typically given greater control over the time, place, and/or pace of learning and often participate in new instructional approaches, such as flipped classroom The approach is usually built on the premise that students will be attendingclassesinschoolbuildings.
Thanksinparttoadevicebuyingbingeinthefirstyearofthepandemic,fueled by federal relief dollars, 74 percent of educators surveyed by the EdWeek ResearchCenterinMarchsaidtheirdistrictshadinvested“alot”indevicessince the pandemic started, with nearly another quarter saying their districts had investedatleast“some”money
IsBlendedLearningTheFutureClassroom?
Blendedlearningseemstobethewayforward,butwhatdoesthismeanforeducators,studentsandinstitutes?Whataretheneedsofthehourandhowdoweprepareforthefuture?
Thenewgenerationclassroommaybeblended,especiallywhenitcomestoacademiclearning.Butwheredoesthisleavethetraditionalcurriculum?Eventhe NationalEducationPolicy2020statesthatupto40percentoflearningmaybe online.Technologyisnowessentialintheclassroomandin2020wehaveseen theriseofmanyedtechandeLearningplatforms.Yet,educatorsstillstruggleto engagestudents.Whataretherealchallengesofblendedlearning?Andwhatare thetechnologicalsolutionsavailable?
Educatorsaremostlyinagreementthatblendedlearningisthefuture.Distance and remote learning have put the onus on the student to know course material. Therefore, the educator's role becomes one of answering questions, clearing doubtandcreatingdiscussioninclass.“Itisgoingtobethestealingorlearning, un-learning and re-learning. These are the 3 words which every teacher has to adapt.”
TheKeyITNeeds
IT infrastructure is the need of the hour for education institutes to be able to deliverqualityeducation.
1. Cybersecurity:Contentfiltering,studentsafety,next-genantivirusand devicesecurity
2. Remote class management: manage live class session effectively with toolstoshareandfiltercontent,screenmonitoring,contentdeliveryand calibrationtool.
3. Instructionalresources:Tech-enabledsociallearningstemreadinessand digitalcare.
REFERENCES
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