Blended Learning: Key to Skills, Content, and Language Learning Success

Blended Learning: Key to Skills, Content,
and Language Learning Success
Eric M. Brewster

Overview
 Principles and Fundamentals of (e-) Learning and
(e-)Teaching
 Challenges and Design for Curriculum Integration
 MuSSS English 1 & 2 - A Blended Learning Model
 Building Communities of Practice: A Case Study
 Experience and Observations
 Final Thoughts
Dr. Eric M. Brewster

Three Principles of Teaching and Learning
 "The acquisition of knowledge is a dynamic and interactive process in which
the learner seeks, discovers and applies learning in real world, problem-
solving situations.“
 "Self-access by definition is an individual path to knowledge, the discovery
of one’s own limitations, and the chance to break through individual
barriers.“
 “The goal of teaching is to enable learning to take place.”
-Laurillard (1993). Rethinking University Teaching.

Seven Principles – Best Practices
Encourage student-faculty contact
Encourage contact among students
Encourage active learning
Give prompt feedback
Emphasize time on task
Communicate high expectations
Respect diverse talents and ways of learning
(Chickering & Gamson, 1987)

Fundamentals of Teaching and Learning
LEARNERS
SKILLS
CONTENT
Learning
Learning
Learning
LANGUAGE in contextby doing
for life Brewster (1995, 2)

Thoughts on New Technologies
 Support for learning in a more effective way than
conventional classroom instruction
 Support for learning complex content and skills
 Promote and support communities of practice and
participatory, collaborative models of education
 Blended Learning among top 10 trends in education and
training
 Blended Learning to overtake other models of instruction
(Mean, Toyama, Murphy & Baki, 2013, 3-8)

The Current Situation at JKU
20,000 students – campus, commuters
Increasing numbers of students working
full or part time
Numerous single parents and care givers
Cannot leave jobs or families several days
a week to attend F2F classes
Regional orientation

Working Students at JKU
82% employed
19% 1>10 hrs./wk
35% 11>35 hrs./wk
27% 36>45 hrs./wk. with a rising tendency
50% to support themselves and their education
40% to improve their lifestyle/standard of living
(Batinic, Jodlbauer & Felbinger, 2009)

Need for Individualization
Increasing heterogenity and diversity of
students
Age of students increasing
Alternative educational paths
Language nouveau differences
Reasons for taking up studies

The Challenges –
in and outside of the Classroom
Use social and communication skills
Use IT skills
Use language skills
Use content knowledge
Work at a distance; work in a team
SAL
Work across “cultures”

The Goal
SALInteraction
Reflection

MuSSS
Multimedia Studies Service in Social and Economic Sciences
 MuSSS: “bring the campus to the student”
 Core courses – Social and Economic Sciences
 blended learning mode
 F2F – regional centers
 Online – MOODLE and Adobe Connect

The Solution: MuSSS
Courses with no or reduced F2F attendance
Condensed F2F phases
Courses on weekends and during summer months
Blended Learning emphasis and course design
Multimedia support
Regional centers
Half-semester modules

Development History
Pilotphase 2008
Currently 60 % of Curriculum in Business,
Economics, and Social Sciences offered as
MuSSS courses
English
First module WS 09/10
First summer courses 2010
First year long course 2015

MuSSS Curriculum for English
 Module English 1 :
 Communicative Skills
 Business English 1
6 ECTS (150 hrs.)
 Module English 2
 Intercultural Skills and Language Development
 Business English 2
6 ECTS (150 hrs.)

Strategies
Optimize learning environment
Promote willingness to learn English
Promote positive Teacher-Learner attitudes
Awareness of problems in English learning
Increase self-access and confidence
Group size
Limit numbers to 24 per course

Das Blended Learning Concept 1+1+1= 1
F2F
Self-studyOnline

BLENDED LEARNING
Intensive work with English in blocked course
meetings
Weekly chat sessions
1/3 more contact than in traditional courses
Self-access, self-study tasks, portfolio

Implementation
F2F
Online chats
Self-study- on and off line

Design and Support
F2F
Self-studyOnline
 Moodle
 Adobe Connect©
 KuSSS
 Email
 Telephone
----------------------------
 TellMeMore©
 Emmerson, Business Vocabulary Builder,
Macmillian, 2009

MuSSS Module Design
 25 hrs. F2F and Online Chat
 25 hrs. SAL with TMM
 25 hrs. Homework, Preparation, Learning Plan
F
L
E
X
I
B
L
E

Placement and Self-evaluation
GERS Self-assessment grid
Learning plan
Placement Test TMM
Individual Supervision

Weekly Chat Sessions
Agenda
Sign-on and system check
Discussion Questions on Identity and Nationality
Tasks for March 23
Sign-off

Evaluation 1
Weekly chats useful for practice of learned
material/content/language (14/15)
Problems seen with slow connections and waiting on
others less versed in technology (1/15)
4/15 expressed chat as help to overcome shyness
Problems overcome by activities, reshuffling in group
work, F2F community.

Evaluation Engl. 2
Ranking from S2014 course, n= 7
F2F and Chats = 1
Self-access tasks (homework, research) = 2
Online exam = 3
Positive feedback on all components
Feeling of contribution of all parts to learning
Feedback highly valued

Community and Place
Learners and Instructors
Goals and Requirements
Attitudes
Community Building Activities
Sense of Place
Success Factors

Academic Writing C1
Specialization in Social and Economic Sciences,
Law
Weekly, F2F, online (set time, asynchronous forum),
ECTS 3
Focus on Process Writing
Research
Feedback
Supervision

Task Topics Discussed in Blog
Writing status quo
Finding a topic
Writing a proposal
Developing a thesis statement
Outlining
Finding and evaluating resources
Referencing
Drafting
Mechanics
Paper to poster

Evaluation AW
AW Forum blog-Peer Review-F2F feedback
n= 18 from 20
Solutions and language skills development
(14/18)
Interaction (14/18)
Feedback (12/18)
Reflection (9/18)

Project Achievements
 400+ learners enrolled since WS 2009
 2 regional centers established
 Summer Schools 2010, 2014-present
 Evaluations 2010 – 2011 – 2014– 2015 to present
 ESIS (European Language Label) certification and award 2013
 Year long program implemented 2015

Lessons Learned
 Different (e-)Learner and (e-)Teacher demands
 Effective course design - Blended Learning
 Profit for learners: topics, technology, time on task
 Balance and discipline
 Awareness of principles and parameters

Speaking for Themselves
 R.W., June 21, Chat 14:
 “interest raising to continue on my own. All components
build a solid base. Nothing can substitute use to learn a
language in a sustainable way.”
 G.G., June 21, Chat 14:
 “amount of things to do, workload adds to effectiveness,
process of recognition, revision, recycling”

Speaking for Themselves
"Only the classroom is not enough."

Final Thoughts
 F2F and online demand a redefinition of roles for learners and
teachers.
 ICT promotes communicative capabilities, key skills, and
content understanding.
 Self-directed learning is the goal; the path, however, is free to
choose.

References
 Batinic, B., Jodlbauer, S., and Felbinger, G. (2009). Erhebung zur
Studiensituation an der JKU - 2008. (unpublished project survey report)
Linz: University of Linz.
 Brewster, E. (1995). Vocationally Oriented Language Learning: Problems,
Possibilities, Perspectives. Vienna: Braumüller Verlag.
 Chickering, A. and Gamson, Z. (Eds.). (1987). Seven principles for good
practice in undergraduate education. In: AAHE Bulletin, 38(7), 3-7.
 Laurillard, D. (1993/2002).Rethinking University Education, London:
Routledge.
 Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R. and Baki, M. (2013, March). The
Effectiveness of Online and Blended Learning: A Meta Analysis of the
Empirical Literature. In: Teachers College Record, Volume 115, 1-47.

Contact
Department of Business Languages and Intercultural Communication
Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria
eric.brewster@jku.at

Blended Learning: Key to Skills, Content, and Language Learning Success

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