Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation

The face-to-face aspect of the courses is created through the interaction between
the learner and the instructor, a trained English language teacher, who monitors
the learner’s progress, evaluates their speaking output and gives feedback via
tutorials held at the organisation’s training centre. The tutorials, which are conducted
in English, provide the opportunity for support, targeted advice, feedback on
performance and suggested strategies to help reach the desired outcomes. Wagner
refers to interaction as ‘the so-called glue that holds together all of those variables
being blended’ (2006: 44), and it would seem that as a large part of the BL4 course
is undertaken independently by the learner, the interactive component is essential in
facilitating learner engagement, motivation and satisfaction. However, at this point,
the course has not been in use for sufficient time to evaluate the benefits of tutormediated
support, and we await feedback on this element from course users.
The design of the courses is essentially the same for the pilot and the air traffic
controller streams, and both are structured to provide 80 –100 hours of online
material delivered in eight units, each containing three sessions. Each session
provides listening skills development, grammar and vocabulary input, and speaking
skills in the following format:
Figure 1
The course is designed for the learner to work through the material at his or her own
pace, typically over three or four months. Check activities have been included to
monitor and assess the learner’s listening and speaking performance, as well as their
142 | A blended learning course for the aviation industry