what helps students like blended learning

8/10/2019 What Helps Students Like Blended Learning

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Running Head: WHAT HELPS STUDENTS LIKE BLENDED LEARNING? 1

What Helps Students Like Blended Learning?

Ron Lagerstrom

American College of Education


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What Helps Students Like Blended Learning? 2

What Helps Students Like Blended Learning?

Research Purpose

Wallace (2013) described Blended learning as "a combination of online and face-to-face

learning, aim(ed) to combine the best features of both methods to provide students with added

flexibility (Watson 2008)" (para. 1). Since my school is seeking to convert over to blended

learning, and students are apprehensive, I sought to discover the reason for students fears and if

anything can be done to alleviate them. Osgerby (2013) described research done on blended

learning when she wrote that "Focus groups raised issues concerning students expectations,

competence and engagement. Resources and institutional practices were identified as factors in

students attitudes towards blended learning. Issues about communication, student interaction

and collaboration also emerged" (p.85). With the many challenges that accompany

implementing new educational practices, it is best to have support from as many people as

possible . With students displaying a negative attitude towards blended learning, I want to

discover the reason--that our school can seek to eliminate the quandary before it takes root;

especially since parents' perspectives about a class often follow their students' attitudes.

Problem and Description of Setting

Littlejohn and Pegler (2014) described blended learning as "the blend of space, time and

media offer(ing) new possibilities as to...ways (students) can collaborate....The integration of

physical and online spaces means that communities can form and interact in ways that were

previously unimagined" (pp. 2-3). As students have positive experiences they will talk more,

parents will be more excited and communities will be more supportive of blended learning. The

problem is that the exact opposite is also true. If students complain about blended learning--


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much of the community will only see the negative aspects and take a negative stance--harming

chances for successful implementation. Currently, between 76-80% of students in my school

have a negative opinion about blended learning; thus the need for discovering the reason behind

students' negative views (based on a straw poll with my three Consumer Math classes).

Methodology

I initially collected qualitative data from 3 sources: Valley View alternative high school

in Sugar City, Idaho (where all classes are online), one of my three Senior Consumer Math

classes at South Fremont High School in Saint Anthony, Idaho, and former students, currently in

college (they answered an online questionnaire). The original survey was designed to get an idea

of possible reasons for students' negative thoughts, as well as possible strategies for helping

students to acquire positive attitudes.

The second phase was to collect quantitative data from students at my school. To do this

I used another of my Senior Consumer Math classes, as well as underclassmen that are taking

blended classes from two other teachers. 81 students took the survey I created based on the

original qualitative survey results. The quantitative data was intended to give focus to finding

answers to the questions of "why do students have negative attitudes towards blended learning?"

and "how can we help students obtain positive attitudes towards blended learning?". The survey

was created and taken through SurveyMonkey.com.

The last phase of the methodology was done by conducting interviews with the last of my

three Senior Consumer Math classes. This was designed to provide a way to ask deeper, more

probing questions that cannot be conducted via surveys. This method's design is to get to the


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root of students' feelings. Often the reason behind an answer isn't realized without additional

questions to help sift through students' thoughts and identify the underpinning cause.

Data Analysis

The initial data gave me possible reasons for students having poor attitudes towards

blended learning and likely reasons for acquiring a positive mind-set. The original six questions

intentionally overlapped some for the purpose of identifying connections. Due to the answers

received some questions were reworded and new ones formed for the quantitative survey. The

original six questions are found in Appendix 1.

The quantitative survey gave me numbers to support the qualitative data already

collected. I learned that students fear not retaining information the most, followed by having

teachers less involved, and blended classes being more challenging than traditional classes.

Students also feared technology not being reliable and having to learn in an unfamiliar

environment/way. I also learned that the things students liked the most were elements that

allowed them to be more in control of their education. The survey is found at the following link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-S7N8MW6L/

After analyzing the survey, I developed a line of questioning that I felt would help me get

to the core reasons for students fears by helping them analyze their own thoughts and feelings. I

discovered that the survey was correct, but that it didn't get to the main reason for students' being

apprehensive about blended learning. Whereas the survey gave evidence that students looked

forward to being more in control of their education, the interview showed they feared being

forcedto be a more active participant in their own education. This is a fine line that is

distinguishable only to each individual student. I contrast it with learning to swim. Every person
https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-S7N8MW6L/https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-S7N8MW6L/https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-S7N8MW6L/


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has a timeline and process by which they would like to learn how to swim, and most are fearful

of being thrown into the deep water on their own--before they feel ready.

Conclusion

I discovered that students are mostly fearful of blended learning forcing them to become

better students; someone that needs to put more time into getting good grades. Students see that

as a necessary step to attend college, but that high school only requires a basic level of effort.

They see high school as an environment where most information is "spoon fed" them by

teachers, and college is where they need to conduct more independent learning. I also

discovered that students are realizing the need to change their view and increase their effort

while in high school--due mostly to technology being implemented more, but that they want

helps provided from teachers that match their own increased effort.

Students would like classes to be well organized so they can understand what is required

and when. They would like to have more explanation/examples/directions, especially when

doing something new. Along with more in depth instructions comes more checks--not

assessment, but checks for understanding and progress. Students want to have little goals that

help them chip away at larger assignments. They feel this helps them to not procrastinate and

that their overall learning and quality of work increases. Students enjoy the option of watching

instructional videos as they can re-watch and pause them when needed; thus they would like

teachers to create more where possible. Students would also like to see more of a mix/variety,

not weeks on end where all they do is log on and work on their own; students actually would

prefer weeks of lecture to weeks of isolation on a computer teaching themselves.


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I would point out that the list of things students desire more--actually aids them in

becoming better students. Additional videos provide students an opportunity to spend more time

learning information and less time aimlessly searching the internet. Precise instructions enables

them to begin immediately and waste less time trying to understand the object of an assignment.

Practice problems give students immediate feedback, and help them to learn material quickly and

firmly sets it in their memories. They like it when teachers allow them to retake online quizzes;

they feel it helps them learn material much like having a friend with flash cards. Variety allows

them to be engaged--less bored, contributing more to the class as it helps them to come to class

with anticipation. Students also request more group work as it allows them to see the value in

other students ability, as well as help them prepare to be part of a team.

The most challenging requests from students is to work at their own pace. A positive

outcome is that it provides the opportunity for students to learn more about their own discipline

and ability to practice good study habits. However, it inherently incorporates the risk of

allowing students to slack off and fall behind; this is the one request from students I do not

recommend teachers try to accommodate other than once in awhile until they can help all

students stay on track.

Future Actions

I continue to go back to Draffan and Rainger's (2013) statement, and realize that I will

never have my questions fully answered. They wrote:

that learning interactions are represented in the model by a plane and not by a line. The

representation is used to emphasis the fact that learning interactions fall into a continuum

and they are affected by many other factors. It clarifies the fact that when adjustments are

made to a learning situation, there are many possible ways to approach the interaction butrarely is the pathway a direct one. (pp. 65-66)


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This statement actually gives me comfort, as well as a drive to learn better ways to teach blended

classes. It helps me recognize that there are many solutions and methods that I can have success

implementing. For right now I plan to work at organizing the blended portions of my class with

clear instructions/directions. I plan to have group work implemented into each unit, as well as

more practice problems for students to try (these will give instant feedback to students). The

biggest problem is the videos. Many school's current WiFi cannot handle every student watching

videos--thus the need for school districts to put money into a top of the line system, instead of

one that meets the minimum requirements. I don't believe in having students work at their own

pace for blended learning; as having an entire room of students working on different components

is not conducive for collaboration. However, working at your own pace is an advantage of

online learning.

This paper opened by quoting Wallace's definition of blended learning. If blended

learning is to be the best mix of online and traditional learning, teachers need to change it up. It

is the recipe for success when teachers switch instructional methods often--so students don't get

bored or lose interest in activities they enjoy when more variety is employed.

As educators, one of the most important things we hope to instill in our students is a love

of learning and the desire to produce quality work. The things outlined in this paper will help

students improve as they put forth a greater effort to complete their work. Helping students to

gain a greater sense of pride about their effort and the work they produce will help alleviate fears

about blended learning; while implementing more attractive/desired aspects of blended learning

will help students gain a more positive outlook and enjoyment in the learning process.


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References

Draffan, E. A., & Raingerb, P. (2013). A model for the identification of challenges to blended

learning.Approaches to Developing Accessible Learning Experiences: Conceptualising

Best Practice, 55.

Littlejohn, A., & Pegler, C. (2014).Preparing for blended e-learning. Routledge.

Osgerby, J. (2013). Students' perceptions of the introduction of a blended learning environment:

An exploratory case study.Accounting Education, 22(1), 85-99.

Wallace, P. (2012). Collaborative Virtual Environment Preferences in Online-only and Blended

Learning Cohorts. Ubiquitous Learning: An International Journal, 5(2).


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Appendix 1

1) What was your view of blended or online classes prior to taking any? (pro or con)

2) What reason did you have for this view?

3) How have your fears or apprehensions been fulfilled?

4) How have your fears or apprehensions been dismissed?

5) What aspects of online or blended classes do you enjoy the most?

6) What would you like to see improved or added concerning online or blended learning?

what helps students like blended learning

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