Supplemental Blended Learning For Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Blended learning is a popular trend in contemporary education. It is one of the most effective technologies for English language teachers, because e-learning is not yet perfect, and traditional learning is no longer efficient enough. This time-saving technology becomes effective for both linguistic and non-linguistic specialties. The present-day study was conducted to develop the structure of a university professional English language course, which combines face-to-face classroom activities, and computer-mediated and Internet activities. The idea of blended course developed in this paper is based on the use of traditional professionally oriented textbook for classroom learning supplemented with interactive electronic grammar textbook for out-of-class activities. To assess the effectiveness of the course a students’ questionnaire about the specifics of the use of an electronic textbook was developed. The participants were 30 undergraduate students who participated for course credit. It was revealed that the use of an electronic grammar textbook as a part of a blended learning course is feasible and approved because out-of-class grammar learning helps to save time for speaking skills practicing. The automatic checking of tasks provided by e-textbook promotes the individualisation of education. The possibility to work with e-textbook any time anywhere promotes the democratisation of education which is connected with the possibility of self-organisation of education. The results of the research indicated that the use of blended learning technology helps to improve progress in studies, and is useful for both teachers and students.

Keywords: Blended learninggrammare-learninge-textbook

Introduction

The term “blended learning” appeared in the late 1990s. Initially, several terms were used in the research literature: blended learning, hybrid learning, technology-mediated instruction, mixed-mode instruction, etc. However, most well-established and widely spread blended learning has become extensive.

Blended learning becomes a popular trend in contemporary education. The specifics of blended learning was considered by several researchers see e.g. (Aleksandrova & Pushina, 2018; Andreyeva, Rozhdestvenskaya, & Yarmakhov, 2016; Banyen, Viriyavejakul, & Ratanaolarn, 2016; Bryan & Volchenkova, 2016; Ceylan & Elitok Kesici, 2017; Dziuban, Graham, Moskal, Norberg, & Sicilia, 2018; Ilina, 2017; Kintu, Zhu, & Kagambe, 2017; Krykova & Mogunova, 2017; Obiedat et al., 2014; Orlova, 2008; Skakunova, 2017; Smirnova, 2017; Yastrebova, Kravtsova, & Sosedova, 2017, etc.).

Blended learning can be connected with the combination of different learning formats: synchronous and asynchronous; full-time and distance; traditional and digital etc. Different types of blended learning can be distinguished see e.g. (station rotation; lab rotation; remote; flex; the “Flipped Classroom”; individual rotation; project-based; self-directed; inside-out; outside-in; supplemental; and mastery-based blended learning) (TeachThought Staff, 2018).

In this paper, the specifics of Supplemental Blended Learning is described. In this model, students complete either entirely online work to supplement their day-to-day face-to-face learning, or entirely face-to-face learning experiences to supplement the learning gained in online courses and activities (TeachThought Staff, 2018).

Blended learning is one of the most popular and effective technologies because e-learning is not yet perfect, and traditional learning is no longer efficient enough. This technology becomes effective for both English language teachers of linguistic and non-linguistic specialties

Problem Statement

The difficulty of foreign language learning is underestimated. This fact causes the limitation of time for face-to-face classroom activities. The problem is compounded by the growing number of students in groups of non-linguistic specialties which causes the reduction of time for developing students’ speaking skills and communication skills. One of the ways to solve this problem is to develop a blended learning course. When designing a blended learning course, it is important to choose an appropriate structure of the course and relevant teaching materials.

Research Questions

The first question of the research is “What traditional and electronic learning tools to combine to design a successful course?”. The second question is “What teaching materials to use to organise an effective blended lesson?”. After the course approval, it is necessary to estimate the effectiveness of the course in order to reveal its advantages and disadvantages both for students and for teachers.

Purpose of the Study

The present study was conducted to develop and assess the effectiveness of a supplemental blended learning course, based on the combination of traditional Business English textbook and electronic grammar textbook, which was introduced to the first year undergraduate students.

Research Methods

Findings

Teachers point of view of the blended course

The teachers, who approved the course, were asked to point out the advantages and disadvantages of the blended course. Three main advantages were distinguished.

The first advantage is that the students can be given more knowledge and information over the same period of time.

The second advantage is that the blended learning course is time-consuming. It is caused by the use of the electronic textbook. The teacher can save time on checking the tasks, and monitoring the statistics. Verification of tasks in e-textbook is performed by the system automatically (the teacher sees the percentage of correct and incorrect answers) which simplifies the process of evaluating the tasksee Figure 1 .

See Full Size >

If the percentage based criteria of assessment are established, it possible to use an automatic check of the student’s individual work (see Figure 2 ).

See Full Size >

The teacher has access to the general statistics of each student and the whole group. This creates additional benefits when setting the final grade. Knowing about the features of control over the implementation of tasks, students become more organised and disciplined.

The third advantage is that the combination of traditional and digital tools helps to motivate the representatives of the digital generation and improve their school results.

Conclusion

The supplemental blended learning model is an effective educational tool. This form is convenient for both students and teachers. A modern electronic textbook allows using supplemental blended learning model with maximum efficiency. Blended learning contributes to the intensification of the educational process, increases its effectiveness by creating motivation among students. The use of blended learning model helps to develop the creativity of the students and the teachers who try new forms, contents, methods, and ideas. The combination of traditional learning and e-learning allows creating blended learning university programs which can be successfully applied for both linguistic and non-linguistic students. The combined model is seen as an effective way to modernise the English classes and preserve the continuity of traditional and innovative approaches.

References

1. Aleksandrova, E. M., & Pushina, L. A. (2018). Interaktivnyj elektronnyj uchebnik: vzglyad studenta, prepodavatelya, izdatelya [Interactive electronic textbook: view of a student, teacher, publisher]. Izvestiya Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universtiteta, 9(132), 32-39 [In Rus.].
2. Aleksandrova, E. M., & Yegorova, Y. A. (2018). Basic English grammar with exercises. Moscow: KDU, Dobrosvet.
3. Andreyeva, N. V., Rozhdestvenskaya, L. V., & Yarmakhov, B. B. (2016). Shag shkoly v smeshannoye obucheniye [Step of the school in blended learning]. Moscow: Buki Vedi [In Rus.].
4. Banyen, W., Viriyavejakul, C., & Ratanaolarn, T. (2016). A Blended Learning Model for Learning Achievement Enhancement of Thai Undergraduate Students. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 11(04), 48-55.
5. Bryan, A., & Volchenkova, K. N. (2016). Blended Learning: Definition, Models, Implications for Higher Education. Bulletin of the South Ural State University. Education. Educational Sciences, 8(2), 24–30. doi:
6. Ceylan, V. K., & Elitok Kesici, A. (2017). Effect of blended learning to academic achievement. Journal of Human Sciences, 14(1), 308-320. doi:
7. Chepyzhov, V. V., Aleksandrova, E. M., & Timokhov, O. N. (2018). Kak sozdat' onlajn uchebnik dlya universiteta [How to create an online tutorial for the university]. In G.G. Molchanova (Ed.), Yazyk. Kultura. Perevod. Kommunikatsiya: sbornik nauchnykh trudov, 2, 148-152. Moscow: «KDU», «Universitetskaya kniga». [In Rus.].
8. Dziuban, C., Graham, C. R., Moskal, P. D., Norberg, A., & Sicilia, N. (2018). Blended learning: the new normal and emerging technologies. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 15(3), 13875. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-017-0087-5
9. Ilina, V. Y. (2017). Intensifikaciya samostoyatel'noj raboty studentov komp'yuternyh special'nostej s pomoshch'yu setevyh tekhnologij veb 2.0 pri obuchenii professional'no orientirovannomu inostrannomu yazyku [Enhancing self-study of IT students through the use of WEB 2.0 network technologies in LSP]. In D.N. Novikov (Ed.), Magic INNO: new dimensions in linguistics and linguodidactics: Sat. scientific works, 2 (pp. 311-316). Moscow: MGIMO-University. [In Rus.].
10. Kintu, M. J., Zhu, C., & Kagambe, E. (2017). Blended learning effectiveness: the relationship between student characteristics, design features and outcomes. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 14(7), 35547 https://doi.org/ . Retrieved from https://educationaltechnologyjournal.springeropen.com/articles/
11. Krykova, I. V., & Mogunova, E. E. (2017). Ispol'zovanie obrazovatel'noj sredy Canvas LMS v prepodavanii pis'mennogo perevoda v tekhnologicheskom universitete [Canvas LMS in translation teaching: methods and practices]. In D.N. Novikov (Ed.), Magic INNO: new dimensions in linguistics and linguodidactics: Sat. scientific works, 2 (pp. 407-416). Moscow: MGIMO-University. [In Rus.].
12. Obiedat, R., Nasir Eddeen, L., Harfoushi, O., Koury, A., Al-Hamarsheh, M., & AlAssaf, N. (2014). Effect of Blended-Learning on Academic Achievement of Students in the University of Jordan. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 9(2), 37-44.
13. Orlova, M. S. (2008). Models of blended learning and their application in teaching programming. Retrieved from: http://ito.edu.ru/2008/MariyEl/index.html
14. Skakunova, V. (2017). Osnovnye aspekty primeneniya modeli smeshannogo obucheniya anglijskomu yazyku v vysshej shkole (na primere kursov anglijskogo yazyka dlya bakalavrov i magistrov) [Key features of blended learning in ELT in Higher education (bachelor’s and Master’s degree English language course)]. In D. N. Novikov (Ed.), Magic INNO: new dimensions in linguistics and linguodidactics: Sat. scientific works, 2 (pp. 332-337). Moscow: MGIMO-University. [In Rus.].
15. TeachThought Staff (2018). Find The Model That Works For You: 12 Types Of Blended Learning. Retrieved from https://www.teachthought.com/learning/12-types-of-blended-learning/
16. Smirnova, I. S. (2017). Onlajn-kursy kak al'ternativa tradicionnoj sisteme prepodavaniya inostrannyh yazykov [Online courses as an alternative way of teaching and learning foreign languages]. In D. N. Novikov (Ed.), Magic INNO: new dimensions in linguistics and linguodidactics: Sat. scientific works, 2, (pp. 337-343). Moscow: MGIMO-University. [In Rus.].
17. Yastrebova, E. B., Kravtsova, O. A., & Sosedova, V. S. (2017). OpenClass and Beyond: tvorcheskie zadaniya i elektronnye obuchayushchie platformy v professional'noj podgotovke bakalavrov [OpenClass and Beyond: Creative tasks and e-learning platforms in teaching professional language to bachelor students]. In D.N. Novikov (Ed.), Magic INNO: new dimensions in linguistics and linguodidactics: Sat. scientific works, 2 (pp. 343-351). Moscow: MGIMO-University. [In Rus.].