Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation
Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation
Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation
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Comments on Part 1<br />
Brian Toml<strong>in</strong>son<br />
The four chapters <strong>in</strong> Part 1 all describe blended learn<strong>in</strong>g EAP courses for university<br />
students. Their countries <strong>and</strong> contexts are very different but the chapters share<br />
many features <strong>in</strong> common. They are all reports of pioneer<strong>in</strong>g courses <strong>and</strong> report their<br />
procedures, problems, solutions <strong>and</strong> ongo<strong>in</strong>g development <strong>in</strong> ways which should be<br />
of great help to any EAP university teachers <strong>in</strong>tend<strong>in</strong>g to develop blended learn<strong>in</strong>g<br />
courses for their <strong>in</strong>stitutions.<br />
All four courses reported seemed to have been developed as pragmatic solutions<br />
to problems rather than as pr<strong>in</strong>cipled attempts at pedagogic <strong>in</strong>novation. In all four<br />
<strong>in</strong>stitutions the ma<strong>in</strong> problems fac<strong>in</strong>g the teachers were the large size of the classes,<br />
the <strong>in</strong>adequacy of the class time allocated to the courses <strong>and</strong> the differ<strong>in</strong>g needs<br />
<strong>and</strong> language levels of the students. As <strong>in</strong> most EAP courses throughout the world<br />
the ma<strong>in</strong> challenge was for a small number of teachers to help a large number<br />
of students to become effective users of academic <strong>English</strong> <strong>in</strong> a very short time.<br />
The face-to-face elements of the courses reported <strong>in</strong> Part 1 enabled the students<br />
to get to know each other, to become familiar with the objectives <strong>and</strong> procedures of<br />
the courses, to develop a shared community, <strong>and</strong> to be provided with the reassurance<br />
<strong>and</strong> re<strong>in</strong>forcement best achievable <strong>in</strong> one-to-one <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> group face-to-face <strong>in</strong>teraction.<br />
The onl<strong>in</strong>e elements of the courses added massively to the on-task time the students<br />
were able to devote to the courses, provided opportunities for far more exposure to,<br />
<strong>and</strong> use of, <strong>English</strong> than purely face-to-face courses could, allowed for <strong>in</strong>dividualised<br />
tasks <strong>and</strong> feedback <strong>and</strong> allowed the students to both work <strong>in</strong> their own time at their<br />
own pace <strong>and</strong> to collaborate with other students on shared projects <strong>in</strong> ways which<br />
they could not have done <strong>in</strong> the classroom.<br />
The decision to <strong>in</strong>troduce the four courses <strong>and</strong> the way they were <strong>in</strong>itially<br />
developed might have been determ<strong>in</strong>ed largely by pragmatic considerations but<br />
many pedagogic benefits of blended learn<strong>in</strong>g courses <strong>and</strong> many pr<strong>in</strong>ciples <strong>and</strong><br />
guidel<strong>in</strong>es for their development emerged as the courses progressed. All the courses<br />
reported positive motivation, provided the courses got the balance right between<br />
face-to-face <strong>and</strong> onl<strong>in</strong>e delivery, they all reported the benefits of students be<strong>in</strong>g<br />
able to receive ongo<strong>in</strong>g feedback from both their peers <strong>and</strong> their teachers <strong>and</strong> they<br />
all reported an <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> the perceived relevance of the courses. Of course, not<br />
everyth<strong>in</strong>g which was <strong>in</strong>troduced was appreciated <strong>and</strong> benefited from by all the<br />
students. Some did not like talk<strong>in</strong>g to mach<strong>in</strong>es, some did not appreciate hav<strong>in</strong>g to<br />
post their contributions for peer feedback <strong>and</strong> collaboration to meet dem<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g<br />
deadl<strong>in</strong>es, <strong>and</strong> some did not always appreciate the extra workload which blended<br />
learn<strong>in</strong>g courses can impose.<br />
Comments on Part 1 | 61