Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation

In July 2011, teachers and participants were interviewed for a Macmillan Case Study
used for marketing purposes. The following statements of teachers and learners
have been taken from this case study. When asked about the advantages of using
MEC in the classroom, Dana, a teacher of intensive classes, says: ‘It’s definitely more
interesting. You know, sometimes you forget about the chore of having to learn a
language or teach a lesson because you work with something new and you focus
on it. I think this is the same for the students: when they play a game they forget
about learning structures.’
Learners appreciate:
■■ Independent access (89 per cent).
■■ 24/7 access to engaging L2 exercises (95 per cent).
■■ Automatic marking, encourages them to re-do exercises (78 per cent).
■■ Extra practice (95 per cent).
■■ Playing language games (32 per cent).
■■ Listening and pronunciation activities (73 per cent).
When asked their opinion, an elementary level learner in an intensive class that uses
MEC during the lessons said: ‘I can make the very good exercises, and after the
exercises are coming all these answers and I can correct my own answers and think
about what I make wrong.’
Another elementary level student pointed out: ‘It’s very important for me to do some
English exercises at home and to know if I have done it right or false. So for someone
that say me ‘You have maybe 80 or 90 per cent right’ is important for me.’
Students like listening, grammar and pronunciation exercises and emphasise the fact
that MEC is ‘modern and very useful’. Their opinions underline the results of recent
studies in the field of language learning review. ‘The overall finding of the metaanalysis
is that classes with online learning (whether taught completely online or
blended) on average produce stronger student learning outcomes than do classes
with solely face-to-face instruction’ (US Department of Education, Office of Planning,
Evaluation, and Policy Development (2009: 18).
The crucial factors in the successful implementation of a VLE – sufficient training for
teachers and participants, administrative and pedagogical support, integration into
the syllabus – have proved advantageous for the successful implementation of MEC
(see also Bax, 2003: 26).
Because of the ability of students to self-pace and keep in touch with the class even
when away on business, the chances for learners in blended learning classrooms of
completing their course are higher.
Although overall acceptance is high, there is a slight difference between learners
of the two scenarios. The degree of acceptance of MEC as an integral part of their
learning process is slightly higher with learners in intensive courses than with those
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