Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation

■■ A one-week online simulation (to form the basis of the final so-called ‘capstone’
or end of course assignment).
The course consists of six core modules: organisational management, human
resource management, financial management, marketing, customer service
management and academic management, with optional modules, such as project
management and managing change. The course is intended to be closely tied to
work experience and all assignments are directly based on workplace requirements,
for example, the marketing module involves preparing a marketing plan for a new
service to be offered by the candidate’s language teaching organisation (LTO).
Pedagogical resources
In overall structure, the course involves two different modes of presentation: face-toface
and online. The course package consists of a syllabus, and a main coursebook
(White et al., 2008), which itself is closely based on both the structure of the course
and experience of teaching it. This book is supplemented by other publications
covering the topics of the modules, as well as articles and materials downloadable
from the virtual learning environment (VLE) or from recommended online sources.
Prior to the publication of this particular book, the main coursebook was White et
al. (1991), supplemented by other more general management coursebooks, such as
Robbins and Judge (2012). However, these books played a slightly different role than
the newer book, being more supplemental than central.
The VLE is a critical component, being the main channel by which online material
is made available to participants, as well as being the vehicle through which
communication is managed between trainers and participants, and among
participants themselves. The choice of VLE is dependent on the delivery institution
for most courses, though trainers are able to exercise individual preference for some
courses. ICTE at the University of Queensland uses Blackboard, while other IDLTMs
these days typically use Moodle. Institutional provision and back-up are significant
benefits, since large organisations have the means to acquire, manage and support
sophisticated IT provision. However, in such an institutional context, the IDLTM course
will be just one of many and ultimately trainers and participants are dependent on
the efficiency and goodwill of IT services.
Managing the mix
The face-to-face phase involves input in the form of presentations as well as activities
and tasks involving collaboration among participants. The activities in this phase
provide participants with the opportunity to develop as a social group as they proceed
through some of the stages involved in team formation, and they establish norms
of working together. Forming a social group and becoming a professional learning
community is important in order to support the online phase, when participants
themselves act as sources of information and ideas and sharers of experience.
Feedback such as the following from participants confirms the value of the face-toface
phase: ‘From the point of view of building up a class dynamic, interaction at the
“forming” stage of our group’s development, getting to know each others’ ways of
92 | Blended learning: The IDLTM experience