Future Academics by Neil Hughes

Advantages and Disadvantages of Blended Learning (from my PoV as a student and teacher)

2023-03-13 22:33:39 UTC

Based on my experience as student in blended learning, challenges associated with blended learning include:

1. the need to be strict with time management and motivation to learn because there is no need to do it for a particular time (especially for asynchronous learning);

2. The difficulties in engaging in discussion during group work in synchronous learning. Sometimes it is due to difficulties related to technology (connection problem of a member, technology malfunctions).

3. Silence is more pronounce in an online group work because it is easy to get distracted during group work, especially if camera is not switched on.

4. Difficulties in keeping myself to be fully engaged in online synchronous learning as there are numerous distraction and inability for the teacher to check what we are doing.

In terms of advantages, as a student, I can proceed my learning at my own pace. Watching videos, as long as it was engaging, means that I can rewind and replay particular part which I don’t understand.
---------------------

Based on my experience as a teacher of blended learning, the challenges associated with blended learning include the following.

1. keeping an eye on online learners during synchronous teaching and giving them

the same level of attention and engagement;

2. the amount of time and skills required to provide the materials that provide teaching and learning both online and face-to-face.

3. the need to be familiar with different techniques/software to create active online engagement (during online only synchronous teaching).

In terms of advantages, as a teacher, blended learning provide flexibilities to student and accommodate more ways for students to learn that suits their need (learning style, time commitment). For students whose English is not their main language, blended learning could also benefit them as they are usually more comfortable with behaviourist/individual learning style.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Blended Learning as a Student

2023-03-14 14:53:54 UTC

As a student, I enjoy asynchronous learning since it enables me work at my own pace, reading line by line and assimilating gradually, watch videos, read examples that appears as cartoons, do practical exercises in form of game or vote etc, this makes learning very easy and fast. Unlike asynchronous, there may be different forms of distractions to synchronous learning ranging from physical depending on your environment, poor network signal and at times inability to grab all the learning outcomes for the course because the tutor is trying to meet up with scheduled time and may not give deep explanation of the course.

Blended Learning Teaching Experience, Advantages and Disadvantages

2023-03-20 01:35:29 UTC

As a teacher who has taught students in blended learning mode, I experienced that many students enjoy online learning if the teachings are adapted towards their learning styles in terms of how the learning contents are presented and facilitated.

I considered the following as the main advantages and disadvantages of blended learning.

Advantages:

1. Ability to reach a large number of students in an environment with limited availability of physical teaching and learning resources.

2. Students can have the opportunity to revisit what was taught during a recorded synchronous session. Besides, the teacher can also watch the recorded session to evaluate and improve his modes of teaching.

3. It makes the facilitation of learning easy if pre-lecture materials/contents are already made available for students to look at before a scheduled synchronous discussion session.
4. Assist students to improve or develop their digital and soft computing skills

Disadvantages

1. Network challenge during a synchronous session in a resource-constrained environment

2. It takes a bit much time to prepare teaching content of good quality.

3. Problem of balancing time for face-to-face and online activities.

2023-03-20 08:32:15 UTC

in response to the pandemic, many educational institutions had to close their physical campuses and shift to online learning to ensure the safety of students and staff. this meant that the institutions invested in technology and infrastructure to support online learning, which increased the availability and quality of online learning resources, and made it more accessible and flexible for students.

Advantages: Blended learning can be tailored to meet the specific needs of individual learners. Students can access online resources that are relevant to their interests and skill level, and can work at their own pace through online modules. Furthermore, it can make education more accessible to students who may not be able to attend traditional face-to-face classes due to geographical or other constraints. Students can access learning materials from anywhere with an internet connection.

Disadvantages: Blended learning requires access to reliable technology, which can be a barrier for some students. Blended learning requires students to be self-motivated and disciplined in order to manage their own learning. Some students may struggle with the lack of structure and guidance provided by traditional face-to-face classes.

2023-03-20 09:34:23 UTC

I have no experience teaching online, but I think;Advantages1.) Student can watch the records again. 2.) They can make preparation before the lectures Disadvantages1.) Blended learning depends students’ disipline and make their own schedule.2.) For some students, reaching to reliable technology might be a problem.

Blended Learning

2023-03-20 11:19:35 UTC

As a student I enjoy courses such as this with combine both an interactive element with asynchronous learning, which it can be worked through in my own pace. I have found that these work better than synchronous online events where in person and online are able to interact efficiently, and often reliant on technology playing nicely.

As a lecturer I have mostly taught face-to-face with online segments for those unable to attend, or as a revision tool. In this example I am talking about a 1st year lecture with approx 200 students, 45 minute lecture(s) followed by a quiz game to test knowledge. Lecture and game is available on moodle afterwards
Advantages;
- Ability to reach a large number of students independent of whether they can attend or not - both students gain the same experience, although interactive element has a different feel when only competing against themselves rather than everyone else or even just their colleague next to them.
- Students can use both these resources to revise from
- Novelty of the game makes it more 'fun', and helps pull the students attention back to learning.
- Interactive game - allows me to test knowledge just after delivery - this allows me to focus on my lecture in future years if a particular point is not being made or absorbed by the students. If used as a revision tool it would also allow me to measure amount of retention of the subject.

Disadvantages
- Students do not have to interact with either and from views and plays I know that neither were viewed much after the lesson. Requires self-motivation in order to manage or support their own learning.
- If the interactive game or similar format is used regularly (every week), it loses the novelty to the students and I find they don't engage as much. First year I had a lot more engagement when I was the only one doing it, as this method was applied to other topics/lectures I found a lot less of the class were engaging.
- The interactive game which had inverted answers for their exam was only accessed 6 times in the week(s) after the course and therefore while it would be a perfect revision tool (and was mentioned as such in the lecture) was not used.

Advantages & disadvantages of blended learning

2023-12-04 11:26:59 UTC

I am at risk of repeating what other course participants have already said!

From a student perspective, and particularly as a part-time student, I really value being able to learn when suits me, rather than being constrained by a class timetable. It feels like learning has been democratised and I find it empowering to be in control of my learning.

However, I also appreciate that some students find it more difficult to self-motivate and to focus, and may find it difficult to engage with something that doesn't have an imposed routine.

I think blended learning also allows a range of formats to suit individual preferences. I did an Open University Degree, and 10 years ago the idea of distance learning was to receive a load of books, read through them and then maybe answer some questions online. I think that blended learning now offers a range of formats (forums, videos, text-based, interactive quizzes, face to face collaborative work...) that makes it more engaging to a wider audience.

I appreciate that blended learning offers new challenges to teachers who need to give careful consideration to how best use the range of tools at their disposal. In addition, whereas face to face teaching allows for immediate feedback on understanding and clarification or adaptation of the message where it isn't understood, asynchronous learning doesn't allow that, and it can be more difficult for the teacher to judge how well the content has been absorbed.

Blended Learning- my thoughts and reflection

2023-12-04 14:54:03 UTC

Well, blended learning design is inevitable and the COVID19 Pandemic accelerated the need, either willingly or unwillingly from both the teachers' and the learners' perspective. In order to embrace the trend, we need to reflect the implications of this. Three questions came to my mind: 1. In terms of technology, there is an argument on equality, diversity and inclusion - does everyone has equal access to resources? 2. does blended learning serve our learning design purpose and achieve the learning outcomes? Have we considered learner characteristics in the design (e.g. neural divergence)? 3. How to maximise interaction and engagement with our learners from educators' perspective at a transitional period where we are all trying to embrace the change?

Blended Learning- Experience

2023-12-04 17:17:47 UTC

I have participated in MOOC learning and taken notes for students during the COVID 19 pandemic.

Advantages:

The pace of the learning is regulated by the students.
The variety of resources if well integrated and the opportunities to scaffold e.g. use of hyperlinks allows for extension of learning hence engagement and satisfaction.

Disadvantages:

The course content may be overwhelming if the designer does not ensure each added content is relevant and not an overload.
Learners may be alienated if social involvement is not carefully managed with prompt feedback and appropriate feedforward.

2023-12-04 20:53:48 UTC

Because of Covid, my entire second Master’s degree was conducted through hybrid learning. However, because the course was not originally designed for this to be the case, we only attended classes in person when the university was given the go ahead, which caused for an incredibly disjointed experience. Even when students were allowed to enter an in-person setting, some still insisted on participating online, synchronously. Unsurprisingly, the problem here stemmed from the classroom’s ill-equipped technology. Many students in the classroom couldn’t project enough for those at home to be heard clearly, and therefore, created a real difficult back and forth.

Coming out of Covid has really seen that a good portion of technological difficulties have been ironed out. Of course not every classroom is perfect, but we’re in a much better setup than before. That said, the flexibility for students who wish to pursue a higher education, but have other personal obligations that make attending class during regular hours, is paramount. Especially during a time when financial stability, mental health, and universal accessibility hold more weight than they ever have. Sadly, I think the collaborative analysis skills that one builds with strict, in-person teaching is really difficult to make up for with blending learning modules/courses. Additionally, in the age of technological advancements such as AI, the largest challenge towards Hyflex teaching seems to be trending towards honest assessments.

2023-12-05 11:51:38 UTC

As a student, I have participated in eLearning modules and MOOCs during my PhD, as well as reading groups and workshops combining synchronous in-person and online elements. I have also been involved in organising hybrid workshops and conferences.

As a seminar tutor, I have taken a ‘blended approach’ in the form of offering both in-person and online office hours, and making the in-person seminar content asynchronously available online. I also used online assessment methods in this role. I also engaged with the asynchronous lecture content of those modules on which I was teaching.

Advantages:

- Empowering students to take ownership of their learning, and follow a ‘learning path’ which suits them.

- Improved accessibility to learning content for students with particular needs, scheduling issues etc.

- Potential to reach/engage with a greater number of students, and associated improved learning outcomes.

- Scope for new, innovative learning approaches, activities etc.

Disadvantages:

- Students may not be ready/equipped to time manage effectively and engage with asynchronous content - this requires significant self-motivation and can need support.

- Difficulties in establishing a robust ‘community’ of learners when they are accessing content at different times and via different routes.

- Challenges in ensuring a parity of learning quality across the three possible routes.

- The Learning Management System tools are still fairly new and do not always function clearly or without hiccups.

My online learning experience

2023-12-06 00:49:58 UTC

I am more familiar with online learning and research than in person, as my B.Th. and M.A. were through an online college with a collaborative partnership with the University of Chester. Only the first year of my B.Th. was in a traditional Bible college setting. At my (then) stage in life, online learning was the perfect fit. As many here have already said, online learning demands a high level of self-determination and motivation and can be a lonely experience. A few things that improved my experience were the college forum, which facilitated discussion and debate between students and several meetups throughout the year. I even attended a field trip to Israel to explore the topography and recent archaeological discoveries and investigate several places where we had to write essays comparing traditional accounts to historical accounts, etc. All of that enriched my online learning experience. I can see the pros and cons mentioned for both in-person and hybrid learning models. The flexibility of attendance is a key benefit and means students don't need to lose out by missing classes as they can access those classes in other ways. The failure rates in recent times are disappointing to read about.

("There has been a surge in student failure rates in blended learning courses in recent times." (Buraimoh et al, 2021)

It would be interesting to know why there has been a recent surge in student failure rates.

As someone said above, hybrid learning seems inevitable; it has already been slowly developing over the last few decades; however, the COVID-19 pandemic has sped up the need to facilitate hybrid learning. My online education experience was entirely online with recorded lectures; however, as I've read from the comments above, most people here have used technology to support in-person lectures.

2023-12-06 07:08:43 UTC

I am not sure I can add too much more to what others have said, but I would say that coming from the perspective of someone who is neurodivergent (ADHD), I would say that I find the addition of online learning to be really beneficial from a learner perspective, as I can then review information at my own pace, rewind and watch videos again if I miss something, and do 'deep dives' into information that interests me without losing something in an in person space (because I will still Google and go off path in an in person setting).

However, when teaching, I sometimes find creating additional information and huge amounts of material online in addition to in person to be a challenge and hard to synchronise well, as I find that I don't know when I have given enough information.

I have also used flipped learning in the context of a student and teacher, and while I understand the benefits from an educational model perspective, my experience has shown that many students do not complete the required work, which leads to a poorer team dynamic when they get to their small groups for discussion. In my area of work, my goal is to get students from various disciplines to work together and form professional bonds, breaking down stereotypes in the process. However, I found that the flipped learning was reinforcing certain stereotypes, like how certain disciplines weren't very academic or weren't very serious because those students tended not to complete the work prior to the sessions.

Blended Learning - a great tool that needs to be used wisely

2023-12-08 14:15:22 UTC

I enjoyed reading all the posts. As an educator, we would like to embrace what can be best achieved through blended learning design. With all the implicit constraints we may experience when we operationalise blended learning, it is challenging to consider all individual learners' preferences and circumstances.