Here - EnglishAgenda - British Council

13Blended learning for English forOccupational Purposes: No frills,soft skills, gaps filledAndy KeedwellBackgroundWhile definitions differ, it is generally agreed that blended learning involves an effectivecombination of different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of learning(Procter, 2003: 3). Staker and Horn (2012: 3) make a helpful distinction between onlinedelivery of content and instruction (with a degree of student control) and delivery at a‘bricks and mortar location away from home’. However, a common misconception ofblended learning is that it implies large-scale, international programmes, designed by acentralised expert unit, with cohort upon cohort of students studying general English.I will describe here an alternative in which blended learning was used as a small-scale,delicate tool to reach a specialist market through highly-targeted materials developedlocally and delivered in a comparatively low-tech way.To some extent, this account is of historical interest as the programme was designedin 2003 and delivered 2004 – 05, in Armenia, where the concept of learning in anyway other than face-to-face was very new. Armenia has changed rapidly since thenand so is receptive to an online element of learning, as shown by the range of nonface-to-facecourses on offer there today. Nevertheless, I hope that some of thelessons learned from programme design and delivery might be of use to others.Blended learning described here was implemented by the British Council, which didnot begin to engage fully with Armenia until 2002– 03, unlike elsewhere in EasternEurope. As a new, ambitious British Council centre, we were approached by theArmenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (AMFA) to support language upgrading fordiplomatic staff. AMFA did not have any resources of its own to support this but, interms of relationship building, it made a great deal of sense for the British Council inArmenia to meet the request. As ELT Support Manager (the sole member of a smallstaff to deal with English) I opened discussions with the very co-operative AMFALiaison Officer.Assessing needsSome aspects of course design were straightforward. A target audience of 40 juniordiplomats who served regularly on overseas missions, with a serviceable B1+/B2level of English, was quickly identified. Needs analysis showed that the need wasBlended learning for English for occupational purposes | 147