Abstract: The purpose of this instructional design project was to create and evaluate an interactive PDF module on establishing a hybrid learning course for the Vietnamese teachers of English at the Center for Foreign Affairs and Language Training (CEFALT) in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. The module provided the teachers with basic concepts about hybrid learning, skills in using Ning (a social network site) for class, effective incorporation of available technologies into a lesson plan, and a framework for establishing a hybrid learning course. This project included a formative evaluation which was conducted on 16 Vietnamese teachers of English at CEFALT. The data collected from the teachers’ work on the module, pre-test, post-test, and surveys indicated they learned a lot from the instructional module and wished for their school to adopt a hybrid learning mode in the near future. The research findings further revealed that the interactive PDF features of the module greatly helped engage and stimulate the teachers in their learning process. Introduction – 1.5 pages A myriad of schools around the world have successfully utilized the advancement of technologies to create more appropriate learning conditions for learners. Beldarrin (2006) stated that the evolution of technology encouraged distance educators to use new tools to launch better learning environments where learners are prepared to be life-long learners. With distance education, schools have been able to take in more students, but they do not need to expand their physical space. Adult learners believe distance education is more accessible and self-regulated. Among the distance education models, hybrid learning has become more popular because of its combination of... ... middle of paper ... ...nd parking space limitations. As of December 2009, nearly five thousand were taking English courses through CEFALT. In order to provide more learning opportunities, CEFALT has rented other premises; however the training needs of many are still unmet. For those who have been able to register for courses, many have experienced difficulty attending class regularly and on time as they have to juggle jobs and family responsibilities and commitments. This situation has demonstrated a need for experts to create better learning environments. This introductory instructional module was produced to inform the Vietnamese teachers of English at CEFALT about hybrid learning. Through the module, the teachers were able to gain basic knowledge of hybrid learning, how to incorporate Ning (a social network site) into their teaching, and how to design a hybrid learning course.
Title of the book: Designing instruction for the traditional, adult, and distance learner: A new engine for technology-based teaching.
El Mansour, Bassou, and Davison M. Mupinga. "Students' positive and negative experiences in hybrid and online classes." College Student Journal 41.1 (2007): 242+. Academic OneFile. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
In his article, “Can You Be Education from a Distance?”, James Barszcz effectively weighs the pros and cons of online education compared to the traditional method, while effectively supporting his position with factual information and statistics. While distance education proves to be convenient for students, Barszcz asserts that it eliminates valuable experiences necessary in order to get the most out of the material being learned.
Cornella Brothers is a large excavating company that does excavation in a multitude of aspects on the Colorado Front Range. This ranges from Pueblo to Fort Collins Colorado. The organization also owns a home building company, and is an investor in multiple ventures in the Colorado area. However, their bread and butter so to speak, are the excavation aspects of their company. The following will describe the organizations professional context, learner characteristics, and what their typical subject matter is.
With the advances in online and mobile technologies that have come about in the last decade, the contexts in which we teach and the way students learn have become more diverse. Classes can be taught completely online, face-to-face in the traditional format, or a blended mix of the two. Learning has become less about memorizing information. It has become more about knowing how to use, evaluate, and interact with information in our daily lives. Students have come to expect, and benefit from, a mix of learning content in their lessons: text, graphics, video, audio and interactivity. The inclusion of multimedia learning objects in online or blended course design often enhances how students process information by appealing to the multiple ways students learn and giving them opportunities to test or practice their understanding of content.
To maximize student’s participation, modified suggestopedia made use of multi-media in the teaching-learning process especially in creating a sensory rich and relaxing classroom atmosphere. Schunk (2012) mentioned that the use of video clips, projectors or even social media in the teaching- learning process helps achieve students’ maximum participation. In connection to this, Sivakumaran (2012) found out that students perceived that incorporating technology on a higher level in their classrooms would make them more engaged and excited to learn.
Quoting Nelson Mandela, ¨Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world¨. Education is a never-ending process that requires constant learning, updating and guidance; much like technology which evolves very quickly trying to adjust to the everyday needs of the individuals all over the world. In the recent years, technology and education have tighten the knot to enhance learning and reach all learning styles; and enrich the teaching quality with great technologically developed teaching tools to ensure class success. Nicaraguan English Teaching institutions, though in a developing country, have made great efforts to keep up to date with the new teaching methodologies in the field including the integration of technology. Now the trend in Education refers to a new model and the English Teaching Institutions do not want to fall behind. Therefore, ELT in Nicaragua with the predilection of blended learning has to integrate technology to the classroom as a necessary tool for English teaching. For this reason, The Flipped classroom model, the new trend in teaching, offers a great advantage to EFL learners to engage in more collaborative tasks, become independent learners and use technology positively in and outside the classroom to acquire the language more naturally.
Online education, while offering clear advantages such as supporting a self-paced learning experience by allowing learning on an on-demand basis rather than a strict class schedule, also has significant drawbacks. Students in an online only course may struggle with structure and content without hands-on instruction, which can help motivate students who otherwise may be distracted or have difficulty working independently. The traditional structure of classroom education is effective, but also comes with a set of obstacles, particularly for nontraditional students. The best way to bridge this gap is hybrid education, which combines technology and personal interaction to support efficiency and self-paced learning while keeping students motivated, social, and connected to their professors and their peers through face to face interactions. While this newer learning model is still under investigation, there is evidence to prove that hybrid courses can lead to academic success.
The article “A study of the tablet computer’s application in K-12 school in China.” They explained the tablet computers access to K-12 education in China and other developing areas. Taotao Long is a doctoral student in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling at The University of Tennessee. She has a master degree in Instructional Technology in College of Educational Technology. Wenxin Liang is a Distance Education specialist in the Center for Distance Education. She is working on the Distance Education and Training for K-12 teachers. Shengquan Yu is a professor of Educational Technology, and Dean of the College of Educational Technology. Meanwhile, his research areas are design and sharing of Ubiquitous Learning resources, integrating Informational Technology into curriculum, educational information ecology, Educational Technology standards, knowledge media, etc.
Park, Yeonjeong (2011). A Pedagogical Framework for Mobile Learning: Categorizing Educational Applications of Mobile Technologies into Four Types. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. Volume 12.2. 79-102.
There have been many critics that strongly advocate against the use of distance learning in elementary schools. With the increased availability and choice of new technology, comes many new concerns about the quality of instruction and the threat it may pose to the already established methods of teaching. Many believe that this new teaching method may replace the existing classroom all together, and won’t give students the adequate face-to-face contact they need. Most critics fear that “ineffective face-to-face teaching methods could be made even worse when they become technology based” (Truell, 2001, p46). The computer and internet have become dominant distance learning technologies, and hold the potential to take away from the human aspect of learning, so students do not learn the proper social skills they need to develop early on. Children need to learn to interact with one another, and function properly in a social setting, they learn this primarily within the classroom, and if these classroom settings are altered by distance learning, then they will no learn how to function in the normal social school setting. Many critics also say that all schools do not have the appropriate technological support and infrastructure to make distance learning programs effective for students. Since all schools do not have the tools and financial means needed to establish and support effective distance learning programs, they would not be able to keep up with the advancing technology in education, and therefore their students would not receive the same advantages as other students in the schools around them (Ravaglia & Sommer, 2000). Greenwood (1998) states that schools using distance learning are just contracting out their educational responsibilities and that such courses result in the elimination of teaching jobs. He feels that by using distance learning to teach students, they are minimizing the teacher’s job of actually teaching the students and designing lesson plans, and therefore slowly eliminating the need for teachers in the classroom at all. It is thought that there is more emphasis being placed on teaching than learning, and as a consequence schools are using distance education as merely a means to extend the classroom walls . While the critics of distance learning feel that this is just a way for schools to educate students, and relieve themselves of their responsibilities, there has been even more substantial evidence that these programs improve the elementary curriculum, rather than replace it altogether.
Zhang, D., Zhao, J. L., Zhou, L., & Nunamaker Jr, J. F. (2004). Can e-learning replace classroom learning?. Communications of the ACM, 47(5), 75-79.
A hybrid study program works well in the modern world of today 's technology. Younger students are already familiar with digital technology, so they feel at home in a virtual classroom. Still, some face-to-face contact with
Online learning, also known as distance learning or online learning, has become a new and successful means of receiving an education in a highly technologically enhanced environment (Regan, Evmenova, Baker, Jerome, Spencer, Lawson, & Werner, 2012). Kaymak and Horzum (2013) defined online learning as using Internet technology to gain knowledge and skills through the use of synchronous and asynchronous learning tools. Allen and Seaman (2013) stated that about 6.7 million students attending colleges and universities across the United States were successfully enrolled in at least one online course in 2011. There is an increased interest in online learning that continues to grow as a result of the amplified demands from the work place and the escalating availability of nontraditional educational options and providers (Allen & Seaman, 2008).
Today’s generation of children and young adults grew up with technology access easily available to them. They carry cell phones that allow instant communication with their friends and instant access to the internet. Research to them means, pulling up an internet browser, typing in a subject and being presented with thousands of choices from which they can choose. Traditional teacher led instruction does not promote the interactive type of learning that technology has allowed students to use. Today’s teacher must learn to include a more interactive style of teaching that the technologically savvy student is wired to understand and enjoy. Interactive based learning engages student’s interests, improves student comprehension, and increases student achievement. Using the range of techniques offered by interactive based learning, it will drastically change the overall student performance.