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attending scenario 1 courses. The outcome shows that it would be beneficial formore face-to-face sessions to incorporate MEC. As a result, MVHS has relocated asmany courses as possible into its own buildings to take advantage of multimediaequipment there and continues to do so whenever an opportunity arises.Mapping learners’ language and computing skills over time has been enlightening andhas helped tailor introductions to the needs of individual groups. The same applies totraining new teachers to use MEC in the classroom. At the beginning the focus wason a detailed description of the site; today training pinpoints specific features suchas the dictionary. Training for teachers is no longer provided predominantly by MVHS.After the initial in-house training session MVHS refers its teachers to the online clinicsMEC offers regularly and to the MEC teachers’ blog. Learners and teachers alike havebecome more independent users over the past years.MEC offers ample opportunities for usage inside the classroom. It is the institution’saim to provide MEC courses with classrooms equipped with a projector and anotebook as well as with internet access. Nevertheless, despite introducing MECto its course offerings, MVHS does not intend to offer courses that rely solely onMEC. Pure distance learning in a language-learning context is not the institution’saim because the social aspect of learning within a group setting would be lost.Volkshochschulen have a duty towards society, their goal is to render a service tothe inhabitants of their city and to make learning accessible to any adult learnerregardless of age, sex, and learning background. Therefore, environmental andsocial aspects which stimulate learning such as interacting with other people anddiscovering the importance of peer support for successful learning are essentialto fulfilling this goal, and a mere online course is not adequate in the context ofVolkshochschulen.However, Volkshochschulen cannot ignore trends in language learning and the societythey are situated in. In order to attract people to learning they need to keep an openmind and to constantly seek to improve the service offered by choosing learningtools relevant to their target group, no matter whether it is a new coursebook seriesor a VLE. Incorporating MEC in the way described above has proved to be a goodcompromise and does not take away face-to-face teaching time. In addition, it isanother step towards the ideal of autonomous learners being responsible for theirown progress and taking the necessary steps to meet their needs. Combining theadvantages of face-to-face learning with VLE opportunities such as MEC has proveda step in the right direction for this particular learning context.ReferencesBax, S (2003) Call – Past, Present and Future. System 31: 13–28.Hockly, N and Clandfield, L (2010) Teaching Online: Tools and Techniques, Options andOpportunities. Peaslake: Delta Publishing.218 | Lessons in blended learning