Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation

economic downturn led to many clients expecting more from less, and Siemens
was no exception. With training budgets constricting we continued our push to find
solutions for our partner. Towards the end of 2010 (v5) the face-to-face hours were
down to 16 hours with 20 hours of material being delivered online, that included
a number of writing tasks. The face-to-face sessions occurred fortnightly for two
hours, and were an opportunity to react to, or set up, tasks online. We introduced a
forum that served as a virtual learning environment (VLE) and screencasts were still
used but links were posted as threads in the forum. This was cost effective for the
client, and far more flexible for the participants. Participants were able to participate
whether in the country, or overseas, whether working days or nights. The reduction
in face-to-face hours meant that there were considerable cost savings involved which
was one of the original motivations behind blended learning (Driscoll, 2002). For
us too, it was a good way to engage participants that did not overstretch our small
team’s limited resources too much.
Table 2: Summary of CBECs
Version Type Technology used Face-toface
hours
v1 (2004) General and
Business English
n/a 48
158 | A longitudinal case study of the ‘blends’
Notes
v2 CBEC n/a 36 Addition of soft, work
skills component,
additional preparation
time for teacher.
v3 Feedback only Emails, screencasts
of work tasks.
Follow up links
to material.
v4 CBEC Screencasts of
set tasks.
v5 (2010) CBEC Forum as VLE,
screencasts of set
tasks, portfolio
assessment.
Future v6 CBEC? Dependent on
organisation, and
learner needs
and context.
Teaching methods and task types
0 Skeleton self-study
programme. Screencasts as
stand-alone bolt on to v2.
Links and ‘further reading’/
tasks assigned as part of
screencasts.
36 Screencasts (+ checklists
with written comments)
integrated into the
syllabus as feedback
on assessment.
12-16 Participants produced
written and spoken
tasks (presentations)
for portfolios. SC used
formatively.
20? Participants taught to use
SC, or other tools. Emphasis
on continuing the dialogue
after feedback.
Teachers mainly used a task-based approach on the CBEC, using real-life work tasks
as the basis for many activities. However, learners tired of doing work-related tasks
in addition to their actual work, and more variety was added to the later, online,
versions of the course where choice was offered. This in itself is another element