Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation

In both scenarios, the ratio of content delivered face-to-face and online is 70:30.
The number of face-to-face teaching hours has remained identical, thus the overall
time learners spend learning the language has increased. (See, for example, Hockly
and Clandfield [2010: 11]. They suggest starting by putting 10–20 per cent of the
course content online. Since the MVHS courses do not lose teaching time we opted
for slightly more than 20 per cent, thus replacing the average time spent on revision
and homework.)
After this introductory phase, scenario 1 courses use MEC as a complement to faceto-face
sessions with a focus on consolidating or reviewing language. The teacher
uses the messaging system to assign homework and checks the learners’ progress
before the next lesson. This enables him/her to plan subsequent lessons to target the
learners’ needs more closely: if a specific topic causes little difficulty to learners at
home, the next face-to-face lesson will not have to begin with a detailed review of it.
If, however, learners are struggling with a given task, lesson plans for the next faceto-face
session will take this into consideration. The number of hours spent online
is higher during school holidays when classes do not meet face-to-face. Thus MEC
provides for continuation and review during non-teaching times.
Since scenario 2 courses take place in the institution’s own buildings, they use MEC
both inside and outside the classroom. Usage outside the classroom is the same as
described above. Inside the classroom, 90 minutes per week are spent working with
MEC, either as a class activity projected onto the wall or as individual tasks in the
language lab. Whereas whole-class activities introduce new topics or provide
an opportunity for review, individual work mainly serves as consolidation.
In both scenarios the teacher acts as intermediary, previewing the content of each
unit of the online course and selecting the activities most suited to his/her learners’
needs. When the messaging system is used to alert learners to homework, learners
are more likely to log on regularly; MEC thus becomes an integral part of their
language learning.
Lessons learned
All in all, user feedback from teachers as well as learners is positive. Questionnaires
students filled in at the end of the first term of using MEC, along with feedback
retrieved from teachers, illustrate that implementing a blended learning approach as
illustrated above was a step in the right direction. Of the 336 questionnaires sent out
to course participants, 42 per cent (141) were sent back. Teacher feedback was even
higher: 18 of 25 teachers (72 per cent) replied to an email questionnaire asking for
detailed feedback.
Teachers mention the following:
■■ MEC gives access to quality resources and tools (95 per cent).
■■ MEC makes lessons more interesting (70 per cent).
■■ Teachers can tailor the syllabus to suit their students’ needs (82 per cent).
■■ MEC helps keep track of students’ progress (79 per cent).
216 | Lessons in blended learning