Page 14 - BLENDED LEARNING

Introduction

This introductory chapter will provide an overview of blended learning by
considering where the term originated and by seeking to define what it means
in corporate training, higher education and English Language Teaching (ELT).
It will also establish why these three sectors employ a blended learning approach,
outline a number of the models they use for blending, and consider the ways in
which blended learning is effective. It will conclude with a summary of why getting
the blend right is important, whilst acknowledging that this is not an easy task and
that further research on blended learning is required in ELT contexts.

Blended learning – a definition
The term blended learning originated in the business world in connection with
corporate training (Sharma and Barrett, 2007), then was employed in higher
education (MacDonald, 2006) and lastly it appeared in language teaching and
learning. It is difficult to say exactly when the term became commonplace in ELT
although I suggest that it coincided with the publication of Sharma and Barrett’s
book Blended Learning in 2007. Although I had first heard the term in late 2003,
the publication of this book cemented its place in ELT in my mind.
There is some debate as to whether it was simply the term that was coined in
corporate training, rather than the actual approach to teaching and/or learning,
with Oliver and Trigwell (2005) arguing that it was simply the term. Masie, in Bonk
and Graham (2006: 22), appears to agree with this by boldly stating that ‘all learning
is blended learning’. In the same article, Masie (2006: 22) goes on to state that
‘…blended learning has always been a major part of the landscape of training,
learning and instruction’ and encourages us to think back to our college days
when the pedagogical approach involved a number of different teaching strategies.
Personally I feel that the adoption of the term symbolises a change in what is being
blended nowadays, as it signifies the inclusion of computer technology providing
online or offline activities and materials in the mix, rather than implying this is a
wholly new approach to teaching and learning.

Despite its widespread use in corporate training, higher education and latterly the
field of ELT, many claim that the term blended learning is difficult to define (Kerres
and de Witt, 2003; Oliver and Trigwell, 2005; Sharpe et al. 2006; MacDonald, 2006;
Sharma and Barrett, 2007), the difficulty arising because consensus has not been
reached on one definitive definition. Furthermore, the term itself has not been fully
adopted in these three settings, where it is at times referred to as ‘hybrid or mixed
learning’ (Stracke, 2007: 57); ‘e-learning’ (Shepard, 2005) or ‘b-learning’ (Banados,
2006: 534). Smith and Kurthen (2007) in Gruba and Hinkelman (2012: 4) attempt
to differentiate some of these terms by using percentages (see Table 1).

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