Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation

esources available to them. Thus, an inherent limitation of the course is that it
requires instructors with both the language skills and requisite time to maximise
the benefits of the course’s inbuilt tracking and assessment system.
As has been discussed, online delivery provides many advantages, but obviously
also poses some inherent limitations in language learning. One possible weakness
is that an online interface cannot reproduce the interactions entailed in true twoway
communications. This once again underlines the importance of the face-to-face
component of the design, where a skilled instructor can judge a learner’s capacity
to clarify, confirm, and respond to a live interlocutor.
A final limitation of the course is the lack of community, which precludes any kind
of collaborative learning or collaborative problem-solving. In many computermediated
courses an online community is developed, with the learners interacting via
discussion boards and/or email. Equally, in a traditional English language classroom,
there is strong focus on interaction and use of the target language. However, the
blend of online activity and one-on-one interaction in the BL4 courses is in keeping
with the work context in which the learners use English, and therefore enhances the
intended learning outcome. The focus of the BL4 courses is relatively narrow, i.e. to
achieve Level 5 or Level 6 on the ICAO rating scale, and learners have not expressed
any desire to have increased interaction within their cohort.
Lessons learned and advice
In terms of lessons learned, it became apparent during the development process that
good online design includes interactive elements on every screen the learner sees.
Whereas traditional book-based programmes can provide explanations and examples
followed up by related exercises, online design precludes extended expository
material and has very definite real estate limits. Although a supplementary grammar
book was not part of the original design concept, it was decided during the building
of the courses to develop this print-based material. The extra resource provides
learners with extended explanations of particular grammar points and a range of
exercises to practise and reinforce these.
The supplementary grammar materials can be used as an intervention (prompted
by the learner and/or the instructor) when a learner is struggling with a particular
aspect of language, as identified by course performance. It also means that the
instructor can recommend directly relevant material to supplement the online
course, keeping in mind the need for language educator resources and skills to
be available within client organisations. As noted previously, the course design
should not place unrealistic demands on the capabilities and resources of the
client organisation providing the training.
Another lesson pertinent to internet-based courses is that the field of online design
is dynamic and both the hardware and software are ever-changing. Therefore, it is
important to ensure that design decisions, such as using Flash as the programming
language for the course, are made with full readiness to move with the evolution
of the technology. This means being responsive to issues such as the Flash/iPad
compatibility problem, proactively seeking workarounds and ensuring that only the
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