Grushko E. I.

Southern Federal University, Russian Federation

THE USE OF BLENDED LEARNING MODEL IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS IN SCIENCES

The tech revolution has led to many exciting changes in our life including largely the field of education. It is predicted that in the future students will be increasingly getting their education through a blend of traditional learning in classrooms and instruction through computer or other tech device. In 2003, the American Society for Training and Development identified blended learning as one of the top ten trends to emerge in the knowledge delivery industry [1]. John Merrow refers to blended learning as «the latest and most promising next new thing in education» [2].

 Why has the term ‘blended learning’ become somewhat of a buzzword in recent years? There must be some really good reasons for that. What is blended learning? One can find a variety of definitions in current publications. Charles R. Graham in his Handbook of Blended Learning defines blended learning systems as those that «combine face-to-face instruction with computer – mediated instruction» [3]. Garrison and Vaughan define it as «the organic integration of thoughtfully selected and complementary face-to-face and online approaches and techniques» [4]. According to Staker and Horn «Blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online delivery of content and instruction with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace and at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home» [5].

Moreover one should keep in mind that the terms «blended,» «hybrid,» «technology-mediated instruction,» «web-enhanced instruction,» and «mixed-mode instruction» are often used interchangeably in current research literature. However all of them seem to mean basically the same – it is a mix of face-to-face teaching or traditional teaching with the use of the 21st century tools in a digital environment.

There are many reasons why an instructor, teacher, or learner might prefer blended learning to other learning options but those described by Graham, Allen, and Ure seem to be the most convincing. They found that «overwhelmingly, people choose BL for three reasons: (1) improved pedagogy, (2) increased access and flexibility, and (3) increased cost-effectiveness» [6].

Improved Pedagogy . In blended learning model learners go through three phases: 1) online self-paced learning to acquire background information, 2) face-to-face learning focused on active learning and application experiences, and 3) online learning and support for transferring the learning to the real life situations. Thus blended learning approaches increase the level of active learning strategies, peer-to-peer learning strategies, and learner-centered strategies. From learners it requires improved time management skills and self-discipline.

Increased Access and Flexibility.  Learner flexibility and convenience are in­creasing­ly important. Learners can easily and comfortably access the learning material via their personal laptops, tablets or smart phones at whatever place they like.

Increased Cost-Effectiveness.  In higher education, there is also interest in finding solutions that are cost-effective. Blended learning systems provide an opportunity for reaching a large, globally dispersed audience in a short period of time with consistent content delivery and it leads to achieving quality enhancements and cost savings.

In this article I would like to share some ideas of blended learning use in my ELT practice. In Southern Federal University undergraduate students in sciences study English as a compulsory subject for four semesters (two academic years) and graduate students for three semesters (one year and a half). The major challenge is that both courses are not very intensive – three to four academic hours per week and even less at some departments. That’s why EL teachers always face the problem of what would be the best ways to optimize the face-to-face time in class. Blended learning is believed to be able to offer a very efficient solution to this problem.

For quite a time my students have been encouraged to actively use the Internet resources for preparing presentations on different subjects, creating texts on a particular topic and practicing listening comprehension skills through watching the recommended on-line video. It all worked and still works quite well for some purposes but I wanted to design materials for an online use which would support, supplement and integrate with the print materials (textbooks) used in class.

My first attempt was «Text-based Tests for Graduate Students in Sciences» in 2012. It’s available on the site of the Department of English for Sciences – http://englishforsciences.sfedu.ru/ru/ in the rubric Blended Learning or one can access this resource directly via http://195.208.237.208:8080/englishtests/. Before that I had been using my print version for several years. Now my graduate students do the tasks outside classroom at their own pace, at a time and in a place they choose getting immediate feedback with the help of «check» button. Such integration of online resource with the print version has greatly optimized my work in class. I have no need to spend time on all reading – based activities because students come to class having them all done. It allows me to focus on helping them to reinforce the learning they have done through introducing the same vocabulary and structures in a different set of situations, doing relevant listening and engaging them in communicative tasks. I think it’s an ideal way to save the face-to-face time in class for productive skills and use it to its utmost. It’s also valuable for the learners as in class they make sense of their individual online study which enhances their confidence, interest and motivation.

The second on-line resource available for our students (on  http://visualtests.englishforsciences.sfedu.ru) is «Video-based Listening Comprehension Tasks for Undergraduate and Graduate Students in Sciences». The biggest advantage of video-based listening comprehension tasks is that videos allow teachers to reach students who are visual learners and tend to learn best by seeing the material rather than hearing or reading about it. In addition it is a large body of varied video-based listening material, which gives much more practice of target language than you would get in a course lacking such online component. This resource aims to integrate with the course-book «Learn the English of Physics» by Olga I. Safronenko, Elena I. Grushko and Karine S. Petrosyan. «Learn the English of Physics» is used as the major course book of the English Language Syllabus at the Physics Faculty in Southern Federal University. The creation of «Video-based Listening Comprehension Tasks for Undergraduate and Graduate Students in Sciences» was motivated by the goal to supplement the units from the course book – in other words, what the students learn online informs and supplements what they learn face-to-face, and vice versa. The tasks are online and three parts of the five are graded online. «Show errors» function enables students to identify their wrong answers and work on them further. Some students commented that they had to look up the spelling and meaning of some words in dictionaries and even request their international Facebook friends for help. It proves the idea of improved pedagogy through blended learning as it fosters active learning strategies, peer-to-peer learning strategies, and learner-centered strategies. The work on «Video-based Listening Comprehension Tasks for Undergraduate and Graduate Students in Sciences» resource is still in progress but five of the ten sections are already available on the site of the department for trial and piloting. The first feedback from colleagues and students has been mostly positive and really encouraging.

To sum up, technological innovation is expanding the range of possible solutions in teaching and learning and if we are interested in creating more effective learning experiences, increasing access and flexibility, or reducing the cost of learning, it is likely that our learning systems will provide a blend of both face-to-face and computer-mediated experiences.

List of References:

1. Rooney, J. E. (2003). Blending learning opportunities to enhance educational programming and meetings. Association Management, 55(5), 26–32.

2. Merrow John (Sep 22, 2012). Three fears about blended learning. The Washington Post.

3. Graham, C.R. (2005). The Handbook of blended learning.

4. Garrison, D. R. and Vaughan, N. D. (2008). Blended learning in higher education. Framework, principles and guidelines –San Francisco, Jossey-Bess

5. Staker, H., Horn, M. B. (2012). Classifying K–12 Blended Learning www.innosightinstitute.org

6. Graham, C. R., Allen, S., & Ure, D. (2005). Benefits and challenges of blended learning environments. In M. Khosrow-Pour (Ed.), Encyclopedia of information science and technology (pp. 253-259) Hershey, PA: Idea Group