Online and blended learning: reflective questions for students and staff
Publication date: 21 Oct 2024
This section explores guidance and support that learners require to make informed decisions about how and where they are studying. Learner preferences are often connected to issues such as lifestyle choices, familial responsibilities and convenience rather than about how they may, or may not, flourish in blended learning environments.
We also provide a framework to shape facilitated and meaningful discussions between educators and learners about active blended learning, address the issue of personal support and the digital experience of international learners.
Learners often have limited understandings about blended learning and what it entails; as Educause (2023) states:
It's as much a pragmatic question than a theoretical one for our learners about the choice of modality.
As early as 2012, studies were demonstrating that whilst technologies had been quickly and readily implemented for students in their learning, there was little understanding of the abilities required for learners to thrive in such environments (Cleveland-Innes and Campbell, 2012). Educators recognised the need for learners to be fully prepared for their active blended learning experiences (Stone, 2019) but few institutions have offered support for learning in different modalities (JISC Digital Insights survey 2023).
4.1 Enabling learners to flourish in active blended learning
In order to flourish in an active blended learning context, learners need:
- access to reliable and easy to use technology
- appropriate digital skills and capabilities.
Here we discuss these two critical areas.
Active blended learning requires easy and reliable access to technology: hardware, software and Internet access. If these are not available, reliable and user-friendly, they will degrade the learner experience.
Reliable Internet access is essential for active blended learning including access to reliable electricity supply. Internet access in India during the COVID pandemic was one of the most frequently cited problems (Singh et al 2021). Similar issues were reported in Indonesia (Surani and Hamidah, 2020), Australia (Stone, 2019) and the UK (Jisc Digital Insights).
The widespread use of smartphones and tablets has increased accessibility for many individuals: 94% of students use a laptop and 71% a smartphone (Jisc Digital Insights survey 2023). Not all learners have ready access to learning platforms and digital resources: 27% have no suitable device (Jisc Digital Insights survey 2023).
Institutions’ VLEs or learning management systems are often the cornerstone of their blended learning provision but are heavily criticised by learners (Elvy, 2022) who often want their institution to upgrade platforms and systems (JISC Digital Insights survey 2023).
Digital capabilities are those skills that:
equip someone to live, learn and work in a digital societyJisc
Tomás et al (2015) proposed that learners’ digital literacy is as important to academic success as other academic skills and attributes, such as the ability to read critically, evaluate and synthesis information and communicate. In 2013, the European Commission found that 50-80% of school pupils 'never use digital textbooks, exercise software, podcasts, simulations or learning games'. Whilst this position on the digital literacy of school pupils is likely to have changed significantly over the last 10 years, the Commission currently reports that 42% of Europeans lack basic digital skills. Learners in tertiary education can often use the relevant platforms for online learning, but less than half surveyed feel they have mastered their use (Surani and Hamidah, 2020). Learners want opportunities to develop and hone their digital skills for their future professional roles and to take an active role in society.
4.2 Facilitating discussions with learners about preparing for active blended learning
The Student Learning Experience (SLE) model was developed by students in partnership with educators - facilitated by sparqs - to focus on what matters most to students. The model is designed to sit at the heart of conversations with students, enabling students and staff to work together to identify priorities to enhance the quality of learning. The model is comprised of nine building blocks with each having an accompanying set of 10 reflective questions to support dialogues between learners and educators. A complete list of these questions is available on the SLE website.
Eight of the areas identified in this model could be used to shape facilitated and meaningful discussions between educators and learners about active blended learning, addressing barriers of access to technology and skills development. The aim of these dialogues would be to help develop understandings between learners and educators, identifying strengths and areas for learner support. For example, these guided dialogues help identify areas where learners need specific guidance, such as where to access laptop loans, where to find help for wi-fi or to identify who can help them to improve their learning in online spaces. This information could be added to a longitudinal induction by educators.
View the eight areas and suggested points of discussion in the resource below.
Additional questions and prompts to stimulate discussion can be found in the following document.
Areas for discussion between educators and learners about active blended learning
Publication date: 03 Oct 2024
4.3 Personal support for learners
As identified in the Student Learning Experience model, support and guidance is critical for learners, especially when they are engaging in active blended learning. Personal support, above academic support, has tended to be of poor quality for online and blended learners. There is an expectation from learners for high-quality support beyond structured learning sessions, whether online or face-to-face, and learners value educators who are available and approachable. Learners see the combination of help with both subject-specific and personal issues supports them to achieve positive outcomes. This may be the result of blurring the boundaries between academic and pastoral support as found by Armellini et al (2021) who reported that learners 'describe a good learning experience as a personal and holistic one'.
Further studies confirm this:
- Stone (2019) reports that there was poor access for online learners to the types of personal support services that are readily available to on-campus learners, such as personal counselling, mental health services and career services. They note that issues of accessibility and inclusivity within online delivery have been raised by non-academic staff, e.g. a disability advisor. In particular, Stone raises the importance of addressing the needs and voices of indigenous peoples as well as designing content for universal access to better support those with disabilities.
- In a study by Elvy (2022), college learners found maths difficult during enforced online learning due to the pandemic but reported high satisfaction with one-to-one support around mental health and maths that was provided face-to-face through a blended learning approach.
A ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to learner support was deemed perilous by a student counsellor (Stone, 2019). Connecting with learners early in personal ways such as telephone calls was seen as helping to develop a sense of belonging. Educators in Mavroudi’s (2022) case study included examples of such personalised support for online learners through meetings and emails and in some cases, telephone calls. It was noted, however, that colleagues who did not have previous experience of providing online education mainly provided support through the synchronous learning sessions which may not be seen as personal or effective by some learners.
4.4 The digital experience of international learners
Jisc has undertaken significant research into the digital experiences of international learners. The first report, published in 2023, addressed international learners - both postgraduate and undergraduate - who are studying in the UK. This work provides new insights into the international learner experience, focusing particularly upon their digital experiences.
Some of the key findings include:
The report concludes:
The changing nature of the UK international student cohort may require the development of new and different support to allow students to transition successfully into the UK higher education learning environment and get the most out of the courses they have invested inJisc (2023)
International learners may need additional help and guidance to support them to transition to an active blended learning approach in the context of UK education. Inclusive, longitudinal induction should be considered at the point of designing an active blended learning programme.
In a second report by Jisc - International students’ digital experience phase two: experiences and expectations - more than 2,000 international students studying in UK higher education describe their learning experiences with digital border crossings and digital shocks upon arrival.