Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation

All in the blend
Reports on the application of computer assisted language learning had opened
the door to consideration of advances in e-learning applications. At FUTA, the first
attempt was the borrowed Web 1.0 site whereby students were given access to
online materials on HIV/AIDS for their term paper writing. The real attempt at
applying learning technologies did not come until 2008 after a member of the
teaching team had the opportunity, through the Commonwealth Academic Staff
Fellowship, to attend the UK Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area
Studies’ e-Learning symposium at Southampton University. There, a presentation
on using the wiki opened up a new vista. Relying on elaborations of the subject by
Beatty (2003) and Dudeney and Hockly (2007), teachers took themselves through
several sessions of professional development to decide what they needed to know
and do, and how to get students using the wiki (Aborisade 2009). However, by 2009
the decision to adopt the Moodle VLE was taken as this was seen to offer a wider
range of opportunities (https://futa.edu.ng/futaelearningdirect).
Why blend?
In low-resourced contexts the triple problems of inadequate classroom spaces,
lack of teaching-learning facilities and few teachers create a complex mix of
constraints, including timetabling. An extension of the classroom was needed.
Learning technologies are reported to help extend teaching-learning flexibility.
The fact that technology supported courses ‘provide better support for the less
able, engage students who do not respond well to ‘traditional’ classroom learning,
provide opportunity for accelerated learning for gifted and talented students, and
develop independent learning skills through a personalised learning experience
is well attested to’ (Boulton, 2008). Other reports (Murray, 2000) contend that
computer-based technologies can be powerful pedagogical tools as extensions of
human capabilities and contexts for social interactions supporting learning. Blended
or hybrid learning (Rodriguez and Anicete, 2010) was therefore an appealing choice
for two main reasons. First, as ‘digital immigrant’ teachers and students we get to
keep within our comfort zone of the face-to-face mode while we learn to use the new
tools of Web 2.0. Secondly, accounts in e-learning literature suggest that blended or
hybrid learning has great advantages; Graham (2006) listed six: pedagogical richness,
access to knowledge, social interaction, personal agency, cost effectiveness, and
ease of revision. It has been found that many students preferred this mode because
of the advantage of combining the affordances of face-to-face and online modes
and building on their diverse learning styles (Reynard, 2007; Rodriguez and Anicete,
2010). The blended mode enables an enhanced learning experience by enabling
diverse learning environments, thus fostering reinforcement, increasing accessibility
of learning materials; and helping to build a sense of community and collaboration
through the collaborative and communication platforms of the wiki and forums for
sharing experiences of learning.
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