Topic 16 learners’ perceptions of online learning component in blended learning english classes at upt

LEARNERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ONLINE LEARNING COMPONENT IN BLENDED LEARNING ENGLISH CLASSES AT PHAN THIET UNIVERSITY M.A Tu Thi Tuyet Vy Faculty of Foreign Languages University of Phan Thiet Abstract This paper presents a case study of students’ perceptions and attitudes towards Blended Learning (BL) course in English at University of Phan Thiet The statement of problem that blended learning of English course annoys students at University of Phan Thiet This paper identifies the perceptions and attitudes that blended learning provides to students’ learning experiences as well as to investigate negative impressions in blended English courses from the learners’ perception This paper also outlines the concept of blended learning courses and e-learning from students’ viewpoints In this paper, the author conducted a survey through a questionnaire at University of Phan Thiet, Faculty of Foreign Languages in both boys and girls colleges There are 130 respondents enrolled in Faculty of Foreign Languages The questionnaire was designed to measure the students’ perceptions and attitudes towards BL This study concludes that in general the students ’perceptions and attitudes towards BL were positive in terms of the three domains in the questionnaire Moreover, students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning process As well as learners can decide when and how to use the resources provided This study also concludes that blended learning is as effective as face to face learning in developing and improving knowledge and skills It reflects the students’ negative impressions in some points as waste of time, easy cheating and social isolation Keywords: attitudes blended learning course, learning, learners, and perceptions INTRODUCTION Use of technology in education has become necessary and inevitable, not a luxury because of its positive effectson the teaching and learning process Recently, there has been much attention paid to the growing blendedlearning course in University of Phan Thiet Most of the current efforts have been focused onencouraging students touse blended courses They got appropriate training sessions in how to use and apply all tools and activities inblackboard The blended learning course is one of the important applications of using information and communication technology in the educational process Blended learning course is the way whichcombines face to face and online learning In Saudi Arabia, decision-makers, educational researchers, educatorsand the generalpublic and particularly students are gaining awareness of the advantages of these technologies and are adoptingthem widely, though in some limited domains University of BIsha is one of the universities in Saudi Arabiawhich promotes elearning centers and e-learning communities Some limited courses arecompulsorily deliveredasynchronously online in the form of blended learning In Phan Thiet University there are three-level strategies courses adopted and implemented in e-learning These three levels are asfollow: Supportive e-learning, which is a mandatory requirement for all faculty members In this level, studentstake classes in traditional classrooms but can simultaneously use LMS (Blackboard program) to obtaininformation regarding their announcements, course syllabi, and courses information such as regarding instructors Students are also able to share in discussions forums and encouraged to use emails Blended Learning, which is optional for faculty members In this level, between 20% and 75% of thecourse content is delivered online through Blackboard (BB) Full e-learning, in which the course is delivered completely online University of Phan Thiet has adopted supportive e-learning and blended learning levels of strategy learning, but rightnow the full e- learning has not been adopted The theme of this paper is blended learning in mainstream disciplinary communities In par-ticular, the paper reports on findings from the last two decades which looked at origination, development and future of blended learning through articles and other research publications In the early 1990s, the conception of online learning formed the possibility of blended learning (Senge, 1990) Since then studies on online learning have been flourishing towards integration with classroom learning Learners tended to combine the newly acquired knowl-edge with previous knowledge on a certain subject (Collins and Berge, 1996).The 21st century has witnessed vast amount of research into blended learning The simplest form of blended learning was considered as a mixture of physical classroom activities and learning activities supported by online tech-nologies (Garrison and Kanuka, 2004) and was further developed into the integration of learning activities, students, and instructors Advantages of blended learning were extolled by many studies, among which were learning process facilitation via online or classroom technolo-gies (Garrison and Kanuka, 2004; Vaughan, 2007), gap bridging between learning and working (Bohle Carbonell, Bohle-Carbonell, Dailey-Hebert, Gerken, and Grohnert et al., 2013), online collaborative learning promotion (Carr-Chellman, Dyer, and Breman et al., 2000; Gabriel, 2004), higher education benefit (Gar-rison and Kanuka, 2004), effectiveness among large and diverse student cohorts (Dziuban, Hartman, and Moskal, 2004; Sharpe, Benfield, Roberts, and Francis, 2006; Vaughan, 2007), adoptability in many institutions such as higher education (Kaur and Ahmed, 2005), industry (Executive Conversation, 2010), K-12 schools (Keller, Ehman, and Bonk, 2004), the military (Bonk, Olson, Wisher, and Orvis, 2002) and many other sectors.However, problems of blended learning were demonstrated as well It was argued that professional development would generally benefit from the extensive literature on teacher expertise that focused on how well teachers understood the content they taught and how well they understood how students learnt that content, but blended learning was not proved useful in teachers’ professional development (Bausmith and Barry, 2011) Some institu-tions were not ready to accept blended learn-ing (Vaughan, 2007) It was even seemed as a dangerous conception (Seife, 2000) in that it threatened the integrity of the traditional pedagogy.As a result, studies on blended learning reached various kinds of conclusions, among which both advantages and problems were revealed, and even the definition of blended learning did not arrive at a general agreement The review of literature on blended learning, therefore, seemed necessary to summarize previous studies and to reveal a clear scenario for future research into blended learning Objectives of the Study The objectives of the present study are: To identify perceptions and attitudes of the students towards blended learning of English courses To investigate negative impressions about blended learning of English courses To outline concepts of Blended Learning of English courses and e-learning as students perceive them Significance of the Study The significance of the study comes from the perceptions and attitudes of students about blended learning which helps teachers to evaluate the teaching-learning process YilmazSoylu (2008, p 27) said that “The degree of learners’ expectations, satisfaction, opinions or views on courses has played an important role in evaluating the effectiveness of learning processes” Moreover, when students perceive their experience as enjoyable, satisfying, and personally fulfilling, they tend to interact more, which results in enhanced learning” In addition, that Esani (2010) determined another important benefit of blended learning is that it saves time And McCarthy & Murphy (2010, p 670) said that "Students would be able to complete programs in less time” In the other side, both face-to-face and online teaching environments have their advantages; “A mixture of teaching and learning methods will always be the most efficient manner in which to support student learning because only then it is possible to embrace all the activities of discussion, interaction, adaptation and reflection, which are essential for academic learning” (Towndrow & Cheers, 2003, p 57) Al-Saleem et al (2010) in his study investigated the effect of using blended learning on teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) on students’ oral skills The result of the study proved that blended learning enhanced significantly the EFL oral skills of the students of the experimental group due to the teaching procedures This result is explained that blended learning exposed students to unlimited interaction with a language user, using sense of hearing, seeing and interacting Also, the experimental groups were more interested in learning oral skills and that had a positive improvement in their achievements LITERATURE REVIEW In the previous studies investigated the effectiveness of the blended learning approach They mostly reported that blended learning meets the educational needs of students such as satisfaction of learning, enhancing convenience and flexibility, achieving and improve language learning skills as well as to developing critical thinking skills Some writers say there is students’ satisfaction towards blended learning and enjoyable with this new method of teaching in general Bendania (2011) is one of those who clarify positive attitudes and the factors related to attitudes; mainly experience, confidence, enjoyment, usefulness, intention to use, motivation and whether students had ICT skills were all correlated Al Zumor (2013) cited by Aliweh (2011) also take a similar position, investigated Egyptian EFL students’ learning styles and satisfaction with web-based materials Findings of the study showed highly positive perceptions because of an array of benefits (e.g., usefulness, enjoyment, accessibility, convenience, and richness of resources) Moreover, students’ gender had a significant effect on students’ learning style preferences; it had no bearing on their satisfaction with web-based materials Adas, D and Wafa, A (2011), similarity in his study approved that the students’ attitudes toward Blended Learning were positive in terms of the process, ease of use and content Moreover, this study reflected the students’ internet and IT skills and interests due to Internet availability and accessibility Alshwaih (2009) as well as reported that the students’ attitudes and investigated the effects of a proposed blended learning towards the English language when teaching medical vocabulary to premed students in Arabian Gulf University The findings did not show statistically significant differences regarding achievement or demonstrated a high degree of satisfaction with online unit Some studies contacted with the viewpoints of students regarding blended learning Akkoyunlu and Soylu (2006) is one of those who investigated the view of students regarding the Blended Learning environment The results of the study revealed that the more students participated in the online discussion forums, the more they achieved and the more positive views they developed towards Blended Learning Moreover, the study came up with the conclusion that both the face-toface lectures and the online tasks contributed to the learning process (Wing & Khe, 2011) Edwards and Fritz (1997) also take a similar position, aimed to identify the students’ viewpoints in the three teaching methods that rely on the technology, and the study was conducted on undergraduate students The results of the study reported that e-learning is fun and interesting where students were able to learn educational concepts and apply them well, as reported by the students that the outcomes of e-learning materials (blended learning) were better than traditional materials Other studies cleayifed some factors and effectiveness of using blended learning Al-Harbi’s (2010) is one of them who showed that e-learning acceptance is influenced by different factors A student’s attitude toward elearning and students’ decision to use e-learning are the most important factor in determining a student’s intention to use e-learning, i.e., the influence of the important people around them Although, perceived e-learning accessibility plays a role in shaping the students’ behavioral intention regarding e-learning acceptance Artino (2010) also take a similar position, found out the relation between personal factors and students’ choice of instructional format The results showed that students who preferred to enroll in online courses reported greater confidence and satisfaction in their ability to learn online than other students Badawi (2009) similarity, investigated that the blended learning model was more effective than the traditional model in developing prospective teachers’ pedagogical knowledge Meanwhile, the rest of scholars in their studies showed that course system is more beneficial than traditional way and impact of teaching though blended learning or internet In the same vein, Sauers and Walker (2004) found that students in a blended course indicated that their course system is more beneficial than the traditional face-to-face lectures As well as Teeter (1997) identified the impact of teaching with the Internet on the students’ motivation to learn and increase their ability to debate and resolve duties, the results indicated to increase students’ motivation, and inform them of a lot of sources, and improve their ability to debate and solve homework Behjat, Yamini and Bagheri (2012) showed that the Iranian tertiary education contexts that blending traditional classroom instruction and technology can help learners excel in their reading comprehension From these studies we understand that students have satisfaction with blended learning, but they don’t have sufficient exposure to computer technology in the classroom or out classroom Furthermore, the students’ viewpoints and ambiguous instruction and guidelines make students lost and disengaged The mixed findings suggest that technology should be integrated appropriately and effectively within classrooms in order to improve and maximize students’ learning outcomes So this study posits the blended learning to reinforcement exercises and has positive pedagogical impact on them In the other hand, some studies have reported that students have their anxiety and confusion when interacting with online materials (Burgess, 2008; Baharun & Porter, 2009) Definition of Blended Learning There are many educationists defined blended learning in a variety of ways for example: Hartman et al (2007) defined blended learning as courses that combine face-to-face classroom instruction with online learning and reduced classroom contact hours (reduced seat time) Sands (2002) agreed with what Hartman said stating that, seat time is reduced and some of the course activities information transfer, exchange of ideas, testing, essaywriting, etc are distributed throughout the semester Chan (2008) identify that blended learning is “the ability to combine elements of classroom training, live and self-paced elearning, and advanced supportive learning services in a manner that provides a tailored learning…” Blended learning allows students to dictate their path and pace through online technologies while being supervised within an educational setting face to face instruction Environment conducive to both online learning and face to face instruction are emerging cross the educational system (Horn & Staker, 2011) Blended learning has been described as a pedagogical approach that combines effectiveness and socialization opportunities of the classroom with the technologically enhanced active learning possibilities of the online environment (Dziuban, Hartman, & Moskal, 2004) Whitelock and Jefts (2003) said clearly that blended learning has been depicted as an approach that combines traditional learning with web-based online approaches In addition, Badawi, (2009, p 15) defined blended learning as flexible approach that combines face-to-face learning activities with online learning practices that allow students to exchange collective and individual feedback and responses [in] four specific areas, namely, learner feedback, learner strategies, and alternative assessment synchronously or asynchronously” To sum up, blended learning courses have some face-to-face class meetings, but also have some class sessions that are replaced with online instruction So far, there have been various definitions of blended learning Some scholars developed the definition from the aspect of goals and com-ponents, while others started from the blended mode As stated by Garrison and Kanuka (2004), “blended learning is both simple and complex” (p 96), the simplest form of blended learning was a mixture of physical classroom activities and learning activities supported by online tech-nologies Blended learning was complicated due to its vast number of “blends” Both simple and complex blends could be widely used in higher education Various kinds of classroom face-to-face activities were enhanced with technologies that realized peer discussion outside classroom, work experience integrated into the classroom and learning into work Blended learning not only fostered learning process via online or classroom technologies (Garrison and Kanuka, 2004; Vaughan, 2007), but also bridged the gap between learning and working (Bohle Carbonell et al., 2013) In view of this, blended learning was defined as an approach which integrated online or mobile technologies into physical classroom learning activities The technology-aided activities attempted to improve learning effectiveness through the integration of active learning approaches and/or extensive use of working experiences This implied that blended learning allotted different sections to different instructional methods (lecture, project work, case studies, and thesis) stimulating teachers to create courses with a variety of teaching and learning methods This could be very challeng-ing, as it required teachers to step away from their usual and normal pedagogies coupled with creativity and innovation which was never easy to accomplish (Carbonell et al, 2013).Blended learning, furthermore, was divided into the “third generation” (Phipps and Meriso-tis, 1999, p.26) of distance education systems The first generation referred to correspondence education using a one-way instructional method, involving mail, radio, and television The second generation meant distance education aided with single technology, such as multimedia projec-tor device The third generation pointed to blended learning, characterized by combining face-to-face learning with various computer technologies to learn and instruct Generally, blended learning meant combination of learn-ing delivery methods, including most frequent face-to-face instruction with asynchronous and/or synchronous computer technologies Com-bination of face-to-face learning and various computer technologies is beneficial to higher education (Phipps and Merisotis, 1999, p.26).The framework demonstrated by Osguthor-pe and Graham (2003) was another useful case in suggesting the definition of blended learn-ing and the goals of blending Rather than the simple combination of face-to-face and online instruction, they defined three components to be blended: (a) learning activities, (b) students, and (c) instructors In addition, they argued that blending learning varied based on different goals such as pedagogical richness, access to knowledge, social interaction, personal agency, cost effectiveness, and ease of revision.The student response to the provision of online information to supplement traditional teaching was overwhelmingly positive It was clear from the uptake of this area of technology by institutions, the rise of the use of the term ‘blended learning’ and the number of evalua-tive studies identified in the review (Sharpe, Benfield, Roberts, and Francis, 2006), that institutions and practitioners were attempting to engage with blended learning and were doing so successfully.Blended learning is not a simple learning method combining virtual and physical learn-ing It could be further defined as the learning mode integrated with various hybrid factors, such as learning environments (online, face to face learning, workplace), brain acquisi-tion mechanism, learning affective factors (motivation, satisfaction, discouragement, and frustration), learners and teachers Especially, different affective factors could be involved in blended learning Can Blended Learning Promote Online Collaborative Learning? Advantages of online education were widely acknowledged and demonstrated by numerous studies Online learning environments were negatively evaluated due to the lack of human interaction Therefore, a growing trend was developing towards the blend of online, offline and classroom learning (Allen and Seaman, 2003) Many successful studies in blended learning showed the significance of reason-able and systemic conception to overcome the limitations of face-to-face and online learning.Blended learning was demonstrated to be able to promote online collaborative learning (CarrChellman et al., 2000; Gabriel, 2004; Graham, Scarborough, and Goodwin, 1999) Faceto-face interaction often enabled mem-bers to know each other and to interact with each other When it was not convenient for members to meet, the instructor could design online learning activities for them to participate in order to learn what should have otherwise been obtained through meeting On the other hand, when members were free to meet, the instructor could design activities for them to meet face-to-face and join the activities together (Curtis and Lawson, 2001) In blended learning environments, it was very important for students to hold self-motivation and self-management because there was less time spent in the classroom where they were inspected by the instructor, coupled with more time outside the class where students should learn by themselves with self-regulation The prominent benefit of blended learning experiences was not to save face-to-face time, but rather to offer students an enhanced learning experience via use of technologies in the process of collaborative learning (Bohle Carbonell et al., 2013).However, there are also 10 introduction to syllabus and schedule The on-line learning phase is supposed to leverage the knowledge and skills of the participants, which is a prerequisite for the following traditional class The online-course comprises about 25 on-line learning hours and 10 practical exercise hours, which are normally dispensed over four weeks It provides several navigational strategies and different entrance points in order to meet the requirements of a heterogeneous group of participants (e.g., inexperienced participants can follow a guided tour) Furthermore, participants can select one out of four modules according to their already acquired knowledge as starting point for dealing with a particular topic The modules are defined as parts of a virtual project where participants are part of the project team and have to support their virtual “supervisor” The “supervisor” supports participants through expert knowledge or through self-control questions and exercises (e.g., every participant has to solve a modeling task and has to submit his solution for feedback) The results of practical exercises are then regarded as a pretest for the following class The following classroom training is organized as a mix of both presentations and group work Finally, participants are asked to perform, alone or in a small group, a specific project work as final exam The results are evaluated by the same tutors/ trainers who have been playing the role of guides and experts Informal interviews with participants, and more general feedback from the company, indicate that blended learning is efficient in terms of changing learner behavior, especially when it is enriched with additional transfer supporting activities, such as individual coaching There is a great demand for examples and course material that makes use of information that can easily be integrated with routine work tasks and is not solely based on theory or from existing textbooks In building and extending the course we have come to appreciate the need to enrich self-paced learning with specific transfer supporting actions that can be adapted to a specific domain and individualized to the learners day-to-day work Based on our experience, such transfer-oriented efforts help the participants to apply the new knowledge 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