Blended Learning

Student activity and collaboration
Active engagement with course material is vital for learning. This is based on research that demonstrates how
learning is not only more likely to occur but is more enriched (qualitatively better) when students go beyond
the passive tasks of listening, reading or viewing. Active engagement can be facilitated through individual as
well as collaborative activity as shown in Figure 6.
People generally
remember...
90% of what they do
70% of what they say and write
50% of what they see and hear
30% of what they see
ACTIVE LEARNING
Perform a presentation - “do the real thing”
Simulate, model or experience
Collaborative activities
Participate in class/workshop
Watch a demonstration
Attend exhibits
Watch video
View diagrams
People are
able to...
Analyse
Define
Create
Evaluate
Demonstrate
Apply
Practice
Section 2.2
Designing and developing
20% of what they hear
10% of what they read
Hear
Read
Define
List
Describe
Explain
PASSIVE LEARNING
Figure 6: Active versus passive learning
Source: Adapted from http://www.edutechie.ws/2007/10/09/cone-of-experience-media/
Collaborative learning is based on the theory of ‘social constructivism’. This theory of learning views the
individual’s learning taking place because of their interactions in a group. Class discussion, small group work
and collaborative learning are all based on this theory. It is argued that student discussion develops students’
ability to test their ideas, synthesize the ideas of others, and build a deeper understanding of what they are
learning. It also facilitates perspective taking, analysis of ideas, reasoning and critical thinking. Finally, such
experiences can support the feeling of community and collaboration among students.
Student activity beyond the classroom should ideally involve a combination of both individual and
collaborative activities, as well as both formal and supplementary activity and resources, to support
students in their learning and achievement of the course objectives.
Why ‘blend’ student activity?
Some possibilities are:
‣ ¾ Because my student numbers are increasing and I can no longer manage the group work in class;
‣ ¾ So that I can provide my students with additional out of class skills-based practice or learning
opportunities such as practical exercises, quizzes, or academic skills tutorials;
‣ ¾ Because university management has cut my teaching budget and we can no longer provide the same
amount of small class tutorial time;
Section 2.2 Designing and Developing
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