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Blended Synchronous Learning-A Handbook for Educators Blended synchronous learning: a handbook for educators
Abstract and Figures
The Blended Synchronous Learning Handbook is the primary output of the Blended Synchronous Learning Project. It includes the summative findings of the Blended Synchronous Learning case studies, a Blended Synchronous Learning Design Framework, and a range of other resources and information to support blended synchronous learning design research and practice.
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... Designing successful hybrid or completely online oral communication courses depends on an awareness of these many points of view as educational institutions move to post-pandemic learning environments (Bower et al., 2015). Examining students' perceptions of online oral communication courses, this study groups their responses into themes of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. ...
... By providing both flexibility and real-time interaction, the blended learning model, which combines online and in-person instruction, might help to close this disparity (Hrastinski, 2019). Supporting this point of view, Bower et al. (2015) argue that hybrid approaches enable students to enjoy the advantages of both learning environments while reducing the negative effects of just online instruction. ...
This paper investigates the experiences of 54 Japanese EFL university students in online oral communication courses during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting both benefits and challenges. Positive results included improved confidence, fluency, and listening abilities; limitations such as limited participation and fewer speaking chances were highlighted. The results underline the importance of a student-centered curriculum that balances speaking and listening abilities, stimulates motivation, and offers a conducive learning environment. The study recommends including role-plays, real-life communication assignments, and hybrid learning models combining online and in-person formats to handle these challenges. Strategies for skill-building including goal setting, formative feedback, and methodical techniques, improve involvement and speaking ability. Using lessons from the pandemic, this study highlights practical improvements in curriculum design. Through hands-on, real-world activities and group projects, it promotes flexible, inclusive, and participatory teaching strategies, therefore preparing students for global communication issues.
... There is a need for further research into how students' technical skills and access to technology impact their experience in HyFlex/Hybrid learning environments. Bower et al. (2014) provided insights into blended synchronous learning benefits and challenges, student perceptions, and recommendations for designing and implementing lessons. It also included case studies that provide examples of how it has been implemented in different educational settings. ...
... This is in accordance with the broader shift towards learner-centred pedagogies that accommodate diverse learning styles and needs. The findings demonstrated that hybrid learning, when implemented thoughtfully and inclusively, could serve as a potent alternative to traditional classroom teaching, supplementing and, in certain instances, surpassing it in terms of flexibility and accessibility (Bower et al., 2014;Naffi, 2021). ...
... Implementing interactive elements, incorporating gamification, and fostering collaborative learning experiences are effective strategies [15]. Additionally, the integration of social learning platforms and real-world application of knowledge can contribute to heightened engagement levels [16]. In conclusion, addressing the challenges of technological disparities and sustaining learner engagement is crucial for unlocking the full potential of E-Learning. ...
... Synchronous Interaction: Conducting virtual classrooms and webinars in real-time fosters synchronous interaction among students and instructors. Live Q&A Sessions: Interactive sessions provide opportunities for live discussions, clarifications, and immediate feedback [16]. ...
This research paper explores the dynamic realm of E-Learning and its pivotal role in modern education, aiming to enhance learning outcomes through effective strategies. Investigating the current state of E-Learning, the study addresses challenges such as technological disparities and the need for sustained learner engagement. It identifies key strategies, including pedagogical design, technology integration, collaboration, and continuous assessment, offering insights into their implementation for optimal results. Through the examination of successful case studies, the paper provides tangible examples of how these strategies can be applied in real-world educational contexts. As education continues to embrace digital transformation, this research serves as a valuable resource for educators and stakeholders, fostering a deeper understanding of E-Learning's potential and guiding the development of practices that maximize learning outcomes in diverse educational settings.
... For example, il n VR sil mulatil ons, students may be faced wil th sil tuatil ons where they must apply the laws of physil cs to solve practil cal problems, such as desil gnil ng a bril dge or predil ctil ng the trajectory of a projectil le (Azevil ch, 2019) Furthermore, the observed il mprovement il n scil ence lil teracy il n thil s study can be attril buted to hil gher learnil ng motil vatil on tril ggered by the use of VR. Motil vatil on il s a key factor il n learnil ng, and research il ndil cates that il mmersil ve technologil es lil ke VR can enhance student motil vatil on by provil dil ng a more engagil ng and enjoyable learnil ng experil ence (Bower et al., 2014). Prospectil ve physil cs teachers il nvolved il n thil s study reported feelil ng more motil vated to learn and explore physil cs materil al when usil ng VR medil a, whil ch ultil mately il mproved theil r scil ence lil teracy (Zacharil a et al., 2008). ...
This research aims to develop interactive learning materials for reflective microteaching to cultivate the professional character of prospective teachers. The study employs a development research design using the ADDIE model, which consists of five stages: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Expert validation indicates that the media is highly valid, with scores of 75.01 (Valid) and 80.93 (Highly Valid). The feasibility of the media was assessed by lecturers applying Virtual Reality in the classroom using a case method learning model. The instructional design utilized a pretest-posttest group design involving 30 physics students (prospective physics teachers). After implementing the media, an evaluation was conducted to measure initial and final data on science literacy and Habits of Mind, which were then statistically analyzed. The statistical results for science literacy and Habits of Mind showed that the normality test (Shapiro-Wilk) was normally distributed, and the hypothesis test (paired samples) yielded a significance value of < 0.05, leading to the acceptance of Ha (Virtual Reality media in case method learning can enhance science literacy and Habits of Mind in prospective physics teachers). Based on data analysis, it can be concluded that: 1) the Virtual Reality media is valid and suitable for use in teaching, and 2) the media in case method learning can improve science literacy and Habits of Mind in prospective physics teachers, contributing to achieving sustainable development goals.
... A potential benefit of BSLEs is that they provide multiple communication channels for real-time interaction, which enables students to participate in different ways (Szeto, 2015). Previous research shows that online students report lower levels of connectedness and perceive that they learn less than the onsite students, which, to some extent, can be redeemed by the interactive possibilities that BSLEs can offer (Bower et al., 2014;Butz & Stupnisky, 2016). Whether the context is onsite, online, or blended synchronous, some define student participation as the extent to which students attend classes, take part in various educational activities and course material, interact with educators and peers, submit assignments, and actively contribute to class discussions or group activities (Dixson, 2010;Martin & Bolliger, 2018). ...
The interest in blended synchronous learning environments has increased dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a key challenge is how to simultaneously encourage online and onsite student participation. Response systems have been found to stimulate student participation in classroom and online education settings. This study investigates how online and onsite students participate in blended synchronous seminars where a response system is being used. The data comprises observations of blended synchronous seminars, students’ written reflections, and student interviews, all of which were thematically analyzed. It was found that using a response system encouraged online and onsite students to participate in various ways. Although online students mostly remained quiet, they perceived to engage through listening and thinking, participating in the seminars by absorbing information, and interacting with the content displayed via the response system. The onsite students participated vocally and more spontaneously. All students participated in written, anonymous, and game-based modes, suggesting that there were different and complementary ways for students to participate when using a response system, which extended beyond merely talking or chatting. Notably, most students perceived the response system crucial to their participation in the blended synchronous seminars. The findings underscore the importance of encouraging student participation in blended synchronous learning environments, highlighting response systems as effective tools to encourage onsite and, particularly, online student participation.
In this paper, the authors adopted a mixed methods explanatory sequential approach to examine student teachers’ satisfaction and its relationship with participation modalities in a HyFlex course. It also explored the factors behind their extent of satisfaction and choice of participation modalities. Twenty-six student teachers completed the satisfaction questionnaire, and four participants were recruited for a focus group discussion. The research findings indicated that students were very satisfied with the HyFlex course because the flexibility in attendance and the easy access to learning materials accommodated their learning needs and personal commitments; this promoted self-directed learning and reduced their academic pressure. The student teachers were also satisfied with the HyFlex course because they gained exposure to an innovative learning format. As for the factors affecting student choice of participation modalities in the HyFlex course, peer influence is one of the significant factors. Students also reported that they chose the synchronous mode based on their learning preferences and empathy towards the instructor's commitment, while they chose the online options due to their energy level, health conditions, and personal matters. Overall, this study suggests that HyFlex may be considered as a learning model that could cater to various learning needs among student teachers majoring in baccalaureate in education (physical education), and potentially enhance their learning outcomes.
The recent Covid-19 pandemic made universities rethink their traditional educational models, shifting, in some cases, to pure online or hybrid models. Hybrid settings usually involve onsite (i.e., in the classroom) and online (e.g., in a different classroom, at home) students simultaneously under the instruction of the same teacher. However, while these models provide more flexibility to students, hybridity poses additional challenges for the specific case of collaborative learning, likely increasing the teachers' orchestration load and potentially hampering fruitful interactions among learners. In order to gather empirical evidence on the impact of hybridity in collaborative learning, this paper reports a study conducted in a hybrid classroom where a Jigsaw collaborative pattern was implemented with the Engageli software. The study involved 2 teachers and 67 students enrolled in a computer science undergraduate course. Teachers' post-interviews, questionnaires and an epistemic network analysis (ENA) were used to produce study findings. Results show that teachers reported a medium-to-high orchestration load for implementing and setting up the collaborative activities in the hybrid classroom. Among the factors that contributed most to such load, teachers highlighted the creation and live management of groups and collaborative documents. Additionally, the ENA showed that teachers put much effort on monitoring group interactions and solving technical issues. Finally, we observed relevant differences on students' perceptions (e.g., satisfaction with the attention received by the teachers) based on the cohort sizes and on the students’ attendance modality (onsite vs. online).
El presente artículo aborda la necesidad de avanzar hacia la inclusión educativa en el campo de la educación física, centrándose específicamente en la atención a estudiantes con déficit cognitivo. Los objetivos de investigación conducen a que los docentes deben adoptar una mentalidad abierta y flexible, proporcionar una perspectiva informada y valiosa sobre la necesidad de avanzar hacia una educación física más inclusiva, resaltando no solo la urgencia del tema, sino también las posibles rutas hacia una solución. Reconociendo las capacidades y necesidades individuales de cada estudiante. La formación profesional en estrategias de inclusión y en el manejo de adaptaciones curriculares resulta esencial para garantizar que los estudiantes con déficit cognitivo reciban la atención y el apoyo adecuados en el aula de educación física. Producto de la metodología cualitativa y descrita más adelante se destaca que la personalización también juega un papel crucial en la inclusión educativa. Conociendo las habilidades y preferencias individuales de cada estudiante, los docentes pueden diseñar experiencias de aprendizaje a medida, lo que fomenta la motivación y la participación en las clases de educación física. El uso de la tecnología en el aula de educación física ofrece nuevas oportunidades para lograr la inclusión. En conclusión, avanzar hacia una educación física inclusiva para estudiantes con déficit cognitivo es un desafío importante que requiere un compromiso conjunto de los docentes, instituciones educativas y la sociedad en general.
This study explores students' choices of verbal and text interaction in a synchronous Live Virtual Classroom (LVC) environment that mixed onsite and online learners. Data were collected from analysis of recorded LVC sessions and post-course interviews with students in two different offerings of a graduate instructional design course that used Adobe Connect as a live virtual classroom. Students could choose whether to participate onsite in a computer classroom or "live" online using Connect. Over the course of both semesters students increasingly chose to participate online and, overall, students chose to participate online (57%) morethan onsite (43%). However, some students-especially international students-preferred to participate onsite even though it was less convenient and also meant that they were more likely to be "called on" for verbal responses. Analysis ofLVC recordings andpost-course interviews showed that text interaction in which students asked questions or made comments in the LVC chat box during the instructor'slectures was a preferred mode of interaction for students when they were participating both online and onsite. The emergent pedagogical strategy of integrated text interaction during lecture suggests a benefit of synchronous online learning.
Every day, teachers design and test new ways of teaching, using learning technology to help their students. Sadly, their discoveries often remain local. By representing and communicating their best ideas as structured pedagogical patterns, teachers could develop this vital professional knowledge collectively
The purpose of this case study was to determine the feasibility of delivering a course on-campus and in real time, simultaneously transmitting it to students who were remotely accessing the same course. In future years, it is anticipated that universities will have inadequate physical facilities to meet the demands of an increasing student population. Additionally, with warnings of impending pandemics, universities need to be prepared to deliver courses in alternative ways to ensure continuity of instruction. Thus, this pilot project was designed to deliver a course to a large section of students while also allowing off-campus students access to the course in real time. The planning and delivery of the course is described, including the technology used, the support provided by the university and technology support staff, the course that was used for the pilot project, and how students were selected to participate as the off-campus students. The perspectives of the instructor, teaching assistant, students (both on- and off-campus), and technology support personnel are summarized.
Higher education students can and do take courses delivered in a variety of ways. But, to date, little research has been done on the effectiveness of different delivery modes. This study sought to fill that void by comparing the effectiveness of three undergraduate course delivery modes: classroom, online, and video conference at a technical institute in a mid-Atlantic state. Students (N = 1,206) and faculty (N = 160) completed questionnaires on effectiveness, in terms of satisfaction, for each mode. The questionnaire response rates were 74% for students and 86% for faculty. In terms of student satisfaction, the results revealed that classroom delivery was more effective than technologically delivery with online being slightly more effective than video conference. The same results were found for faculty satisfaction. The results of this research should assist leaders in higher education to understand the benefits associated with different undergraduate course delivery modes. In addition, by developing and testing a framework that can be used for estimating effectiveness of different delivery methods, the study provides leaders with a useful tool for securing and applying this type of information when making decisions about the modes best suited to serve their academic communities.