Here - EnglishAgenda - British Council

20Lessons in blended learning:Implementing an onlinelearning platform in theadult education sectorAstrid KrakeThe settingIn many classrooms, the days when a printed coursebook was the learners’ only aidare quickly vanishing, and teachers and administrators alike are faced with questionsof how to integrate different materials into their classrooms. This is true not only forlanguage schools with predominantly younger learners: adult education institutionssuch as the German ‘Volkshochschulen’, with their reputation for adhering to moretraditional approaches, are increasingly looking for ways to incorporate onlineresources into their teaching.The Munich Volkshochschule (MVHS), the biggest German institution of its kind, catersfor the needs of approximately 4,000 learners of English per term. Their learningbackgrounds are as manifold as their reasons for learning English: while some wish toincrease their employability by improving their language skills, others are motivatedby more personal reasons such as a relative whose partner speaks only English orthe wish to be able to communicate when on holiday. The MVHS course offeringreflects these different needs: learners can choose between General English atA1 to C2 levels of the Common European Framework for Languages, BusinessEnglish as well as Cambridge exam preparation, with General English amountingto approximately 65 per cent of the courses offered. The needs to cater for in thissection are the most extensive. Therefore, learners of General English can opt for:■■■■■■■ ■Intensive courses (10 hours/week, one level in 5 – 6 weeks).Twice-a-week offers (6– 8 hours/week, one level in one term).Fast-track courses (once a week, three hours, one level in two terms).‘Traditional’ courses (once a week, 90 minutes, one level in three to four terms).Assuming that learners who need to progress quickly opt for more intensively-pacedlearning, and knowing that professional commitments, business trips, illness orother reasons can prevent them from coming to class, MVHS sought ways to keepthe attrition rate low and to become more attractive to new target groups, amongthem younger learners accustomed to being surrounded by technology in theireveryday lives.Lessons in blended learning | 213