Page 150 - BLENDED LEARNING

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Blended learning for English for
Occupational Purposes: No frills,

soft skills, gaps filled

Andy Keedwell

Background
While definitions differ, it is generally agreed that blended learning involves an effective
combination of different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of learning
(Procter, 2003: 3). Staker and Horn (2012: 3) make a helpful distinction between online
delivery of content and instruction (with a degree of student control) and delivery at a
‘bricks and mortar location away from home’. However, a common misconception of
blended learning is that it implies large-scale, international programmes, designed by a
centralised expert unit, with cohort upon cohort of students studying general English.
I will describe here an alternative in which blended learning was used as a small-scale,
delicate tool to reach a specialist market through highly-targeted materials developed
locally and delivered in a comparatively low-tech way.
To some extent, this account is of historical interest as the programme was designed
in 2003 and delivered 2004 – 05, in Armenia, where the concept of learning in any
way other than face-to-face was very new. Armenia has changed rapidly since then
and so is receptive to an online element of learning, as shown by the range of non-
face-to-face courses on offer there today. Nevertheless, I hope that some of the
lessons learned from programme design and delivery might be of use to others.
Blended learning described here was implemented by the British Council, which did
not begin to engage fully with Armenia until 2002– 03, unlike elsewhere in Eastern
Europe. As a new, ambitious British Council centre, we were approached by the
Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (AMFA) to support language upgrading for
diplomatic staff. AMFA did not have any resources of its own to support this but, in
terms of relationship building, it made a great deal of sense for the British Council in
Armenia to meet the request. As ELT Support Manager (the sole member of a small
staff to deal with English) I opened discussions with the very co-operative AMFA
Liaison Officer.

Assessing needs

Some aspects of course design were straightforward. A target audience of 40 junior
diplomats who served regularly on overseas missions, with a serviceable B1+/B2
level of English, was quickly identified. Needs analysis showed that the need was

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