Page 174 - BLENDED LEARNING

Figure 8: Student reaction to problems adding text

The face-to-face class had already created a supportive atmosphere which allowed
the students to admit difficulties and ask for help in the comments section, and both
peers and the teacher were willing to help.

Students had to be willing to share ideas and expose mistakes to the class but
some were anxious and hesitated to contribute online. Students who instigated wiki
content seemed to be confident autonomous learners and that type of personality
will probably gain the most from this type of online learning. I would expect some
passive vicarious learners in any class and they could learn from viewing the content
created by others. I would try to convince all learners of the benefits of ‘collaboration
rather than competition’ (Wheeler et al., 2008: 994).

Teachers should create relevant tasks with clear links to the face-to-face content and
integrate suitable parts of those tasks in the class. Writing is particularly suited to the
wiki space as the blend allowed the completion of more exam-style writing tasks than
class time allowed, plus students could learn from the contributions of others and get
immediate feedback from multiple users. The resulting written products can include
the combined efforts of multiple students so when texts are discussed in class one
individual is not responsible for the quality of a text or any mistakes.

170 | Using a wiki to enhance the learning experience on a business English course Using a wiki to enhance the learning experience on a business English course | 171