Running head: BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Blended Learning in the 21st Century

Emily Gill, Kaelii Stout, Madison Nittinger

Loyola University Maryland

Theory and Research on Teaching

ED 776 Fall Semester

October 22, 2018

Blended Learning in the 21st Century

Introduction

Overview of Educational Issue

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Blended learning has become adopted throughout higher education and some scholars

refer to it as the “new traditional model”(Dziuban, Graham, Moskal, Norberg & Sicilia, 2018,

p.1). Studies have shown a connection between the approaches teachers take, the types of

learning environments, as well as the engagement of students with the activities provided to them

(Dziuban, Graham, Moskal, Norberg & Sicilia, 2018, p.1). Blended learning can be defined as

“a learning environment that combines various delivery modes to provide an effective learning

experience for the participants” (Abbas, 2018, p.102). In simpler terms, “blended learning is the

thoughtful integration of classroom face-to-face learning experiences with online learning

experiences” (Garrison, R., Kanuka, H., 2004, p.95).It is a “fundamental redesign that transforms

the structure of and approach to, teaching and learning” (Abbas, 2018, p.102).

Problem Statement

Emerging technology has changed the way students and teachers interact with one

another, it allows for a combination of technology integration and the traditional face-to-face

learning environment to enhance student learning. This new approach to teaching is known as

blended learning. With new approaches, comes many challenges and inconsistencies. “Academic

practice is often underpinned by individuals’ own interpretations of the term rather than a

consistent approach…” (Mirriahi, Alonzo & Fox, 2015, p.2). We need to effectively implement

this new approach and have strategies or frameworks for teachers to use to aid them in

implementation. “... Frameworks are problematic either in their design or in the criteria and

standards or lack thereof.” (Mirriahi, Alonzo & Fox, 2015, p.2) On the flip side, we also need to

explore the effects blended learning has on the students, positive or negative. “The instructor, the

interconnectivity and interactivity along with technology are essential in affecting student’s

satisfaction” (Abbas, 2018, p.103).

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Review Questions

After reading various articles focused on blended learning we determined three themes:

the challenges blended learning programs face, identifying frameworks that support the

integration of blended learning and how blended learning affects students positively or

negatively. After identifying the three themes listed above, we determined the following review

questions:

● What are the most prevalent challenges blended learning programs face?

● How can frameworks help support teachers with effectively incorporate blended

learning into their classroom?

● How does blended learning affect students?

Purpose and Significance of Literature Review

Throughout our graduate courses so far, blended learning has been a topic of discussion

and research. Due to the consistent reinforcement of this topic, we can infer that this is an

important concept in regards to educational technology. We hope to further identify the

importance of this topic throughout this literature review as well in order to encourage

application into the classroom on a regular basis. The purpose of this paper is to review and

discuss the questions listed above in a way that will benefit both higher education and the K-12

environment. Our goal is to identify the challenges teachers may be facing in order to offer

solutions to overcome them. These are by no means all of the challenges a teacher may come

across in regards to implementing blended learning but are the main ones found within the

research conducted. We will identify frameworks that will best support a blended learning

environment in an effort to offer teachers a guideline for ways to implement blended learning.

There may be more frameworks out there for teachers to evaluate but this review is offering the
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best ones we have found throughout our research. In addition to offering ways of overcoming

challenges and frameworks to use for implementation, we will be explaining both the positive

and negative effects blended learning has on the students. If a teacher chooses to use blended

learning within his or her classroom, there could be other effects a teacher notices but for the

purpose of this literature review we are focusing on the ones we identified within the research we

found.

Organization of Literature Review

We began this literature review by identifying challenges blended learning faces for both

teachers and schools as a whole. We also touched on some problems administration could

potentially have when using blended learning. Overall, there are a variety of challenges but we

focused on the most prevalent. Within this review, we identify the best frameworks to use in

regards to blended learning. You will find the second argument focused on the Community of

Inquiry and TPACK frameworks. Through our research, those were identified as the best

frameworks to use. We then went onto determine the positive and negative impacts blended

learning has on the students. You will note, there are more positive than there are negative

effects that we could identify using the research we gathered. As stated above, we defined

blended learning as the intentional integration of classroom face-to-face learning experiences

with online learning experiences.

Literature Review

Background of Issue

The increased use and advancements in technology has changed how educators and

students learn. Due to these advancements in technology, blended learning has become a well-

known concept and a way of teaching in the 21st century. “Blended learning can take various
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forms, thus allowing users to adapt a program that best fits their pedagogical goals and physical

setting” (Kazakoff, Macaruso, & Hook, 2017, p.432). This means that teachers can use blended

learning in a way that best suits the way they teach and supports their students needs. We found

many studies that were focused on the higher education but very few on studies done within a K-

12 classroom. Combining technology with traditional literature is having an impact on higher

education institutions and the President of Penn State noted that it is “the single greatest

unrecognized trend in higher education today” (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004, p.96).

Since it is unrecognized and a fairly new trend to learning, there can be many

misconceptions that can occur. Some of the misconceptions are understanding and defining what

blended learning truly is, what frameworks can help support blended learning in the classroom,

and how it can aid or harm students’ achievement. These misconceptions are important to

address because they provide educators with a clear understanding of the purpose of a blended

learning experience for both the educators and the students. In order to implement blended

learning, educators need to be fully aware of the definition of blended learning and how it can

best aid students in their education. These misconceptions are addressed throughout the literature

review.

Argument 1

Due to blended learning being a relatively new concept, this can create many challenges

for teachers, administrators, and other professionals in the education field who are using it. The

most prevalent challenge associated with blended learning is the variety of definitions and ways

teachers implement it based on their understanding and views (Mirriahi, Alonzo & Fox, 2015).

Crawford and Jenkins (2018) stated that blended learning is more than a mix of learning

experiences, it is driven by pedagogical considerations, which are considered best teaching

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practices for students. These pedagogical considerations will depend on each individual teacher.

These considerations will create inconsistencies with the “design, pedagogical approaches,

portion of online versus face-to-face time, purpose of blending and the role of technology”

(Mirriahi, Alonzo & Fox, B, 2015, p.2).

That means another setback blended learning can face is being able to evaluate how

successful blended learning courses actually are. Due to individual teachers implementing

blended learning in a way that supports their own pedagogical approach and values, it is hard to

evaluate blended learning universally since “tools available to guide and evaluate blended

learning course designs are limited (Smythe, 2012)” (Mirriahi, Alonzo & Fox, 2015, p.2). This

can also lead to problems developing and implementing blended learning.

Another “current challenge for administrators, policymakers, and faculty of higher

education institutions is to acknowledge and accept that there have been significant and

irreversible changes in societal demands, funding shortfalls, competition, technological

innovations, and student demographics” (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004, p.102).

A challenge in regards to using the framework, Community of Inquiry, is being able to

ensure there is a strong teaching presence (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). “Teaching presence

manages the environment and focuses and facilitates learning experiences” (Garrison & Kanuka,

2004, p.98). Blended learning has the ability to provide free and open speech, debates,

negotiation and agreement (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). Teachers need to make sure they can

“provide the necessary teaching presence in a blended environment” (Garrison, & Kanuka, 2004,

p.99). This can correlate with the most prevalent challenge we discussed in the beginning. If

teachers have different definitions and values, they may implement blended learning in different
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ways. That means some may have a strong teaching presence and others may not. If we had tools

to evaluate and support blended learning, a lot of these challenges would become irrelevant.

The final challenge identified throughout the research conducted is that teachers and

schools are not comfortable in using online technologies, which leads to poor implementation of

blended learning. “Reason for the weaknesses of many VLE’s programs does not lie in the use of

technology, but in the basic education systems that support these programs” (Charboneau-

Gowdy, 2017, p.57). This means that education systems need to become more educated about

blended learning in order to support it. If we support the school system, then in turn we should be

supporting the teachers as well. “Teaching faculty require assistance with course development

needs, time management of their learning curve, and technical assistance” (Garrison & Kanuka,

2004, p.102). Some teachers may have a basic understanding of blended learning while others

have a more sophisticated understanding and implementing it. “Digital fluency or academics’

confidence and skills using online technologies remain low (Johnson et al.2014)” (Mirriahi,

Alonzo & Fox, 2015, p.1). We need to improve confidence and competency in using online

technologies if we want to effectively use blended learning for courses or classrooms. In order

for blended learning to be successful throughout the K-12 grades as well as higher education, we

need to be able to diminish these challenges argued above.

Argument 2

Our second review question identifies different frameworks of teaching that help support

a blended learning classroom. We believe this would increase teacher success and confidence

when trying to incorporate or learn about the blended learning model. Through the synthesis of

current literature, two frameworks emerged as being most successful in helping to prepare

teachers to successfully implement blended learning into their classroom. “Many teachers are
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still looking to find their way on how to integrate these new technologies into their teaching”

(Philipsen, Tondeur, and Zhu, 2015, p. 802), learning about and analyzing the frameworks will

help support those teachers who wish to incorporate blended learning into their classroom.

Blended learning is becoming a more common practice and teachers need to be properly

educated in order to meet the needs of their students. Through meaningful professional

development and integration of the blended learning frameworks in classrooms, teachers can

successfully implement blended learning. Current teachers and aspiring teachers need

opportunities to work with and understand the different technologies, “there is therefore a need

to investigate how to minimize barriers and develop faculty knowledge about emerging

technologies, especially in teacher education, to make teaching practices relevant to pre-service

teachers who are becoming digital learners. Furthermore, teacher education faculty need to

model how technology-enhanced teaching is implemented in K-12 schools for pre-service

teachers (Kivunja, 2013)” (Jaipal-Jamani, Figg, Collier, Gallagher, Winters, & Ciampa, 2018,

p.39).

The two frameworks that emerged as being the most helpful in training and informing

teachers about teaching in a blended setting are: TPACK and Community of Inquiry (COI). COI

and TPACK are research-validated frameworks for online and blended learning, “The TPACK

framework has been widely used in online and blended learning settings (Clark-Wilson, Robutti,

& Sinclair, 2014), so its use would also be expected in teacher education” (Papanikolaou, Makri,

& Roussos, 2017, p. 14). TPACK emphasizes the consideration of understanding the different

components of a lesson. The major components within the TPACK framework are technology,

knowledge, content knowledge, and pedagogical knowledge. When training and educating

teachers about technologies, it is necessary to consider the TPACK framework, “Hence,

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technology PD should focus on the content to be taught rather than on learning the technology,

and should emphasize the interactions between technology knowledge (TK), content knowledge

(CK) and pedagogical knowledge (PK) — referred to as technological pedagogical and content

knowledge (TPACK; Jaipal-Jam-ani & Figg, 2015; Mishra & Koehler, 2006)” (Jaipal-Jamani,

Figg, Collier, Gallagher, Winters, & Ciampa, pg.39, 2018). This will help all educators develop

digital literacy and competency. One study showed that through meaningful professional

development, educators can gain deeper insights about how to successfully interact with

technology ( Jaipal-Jamani, Figg, Collier, Gallagher, Winters, & Ciampa, 2018).

The second framework COI or Community of Inquiry supports teachers learning with

how to integrate blended learning. “The COI model has been submitted to extended empirical

testing for almost two decades, gaining a significant degree of validity. It has also been

extensively employed as a design blueprint for online and blended learning programs worldwide

(Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2010)” (Papanikolaou, Makri, & Roussos, 2017, p. 14). This

means that it is able to be used to help implement blended learning into classrooms globally and

the research is empirically validated. The COI model consists of three presences: social,

cognitive and teaching (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). Blended learning is more effective due to its

ability to facilitate COI (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). It is able to give the students and teachers

the ability to balance open communication and limitless access to the internet (Garrison &

Kanuka, 2004). Using the COI framework with blended learning, it supports free and open

communication, debates, negotiation and agreement (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). Blending

learning also adds a “reflective element with multiple forms of communication to meet specific

learning requirements.” (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004, p.97) Garrison and Kanuka (2004) identified

the teaching presence as a way to manage the learning environment as well as focus and assist in
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learning experiences (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). Using a cohesive COI and combining it with

synchronous verbal and asynchronous written contact, blended learning allows for supporting

higher levels of learning through communication and reflective activities (Garrison & Kanuka,

2004). This continues to support that COI is one of the best frameworks to use when

implementing blended learning into the classroom.

Argument 3

Our third and final review question is to identify both the positive and negative effects on

students who are involved within the blended learning environment. In order to develop 21st

century skills that are needed in today’s learning environment, “people are expected to be active

in creating and interpreting knowledge rather than directly obtaining information presented and

needing to be directed” (Sirakaya & Ozdemir, 2018, p.76). The blended learning environment

requires “students to take responsibility for their own learning, to actively participate in learning

processes, to control their own learning processes and create the environment where students

play a central role” (Sirakaya & Ozdemir, 2018, p.76). If students are able to develop these

skills, there are positive effects on their development as an individual.

Blended learning presents many positive effects on a student and their educational

opportunities as an individual learner. Blended learning fosters technological advancements, self-

regulated learning methods, which include the student determining the pacing and content of

their learning, and the student is in charge of their learning and social engagement and peer

interaction, with a focus in communication and feedback (Abbas, 2018, p.102). Blended learning

environments are also said to increase personal skills such as self-direction, motivation, and

students willingness to learn (Sirakaya & Ozdemir, 2018, p.76). Self-direction is an important

skill for students who are taking an active role in creating and interpreting their knowledge. Self-
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directed learning is a “process whereby students take the initiative with or without receiving

support, diagnose their learning goals, determine resources for learning, and choose and

implement their learning strategies for the knowledge to be learned” (Sirakaya & Ozdemir, 2018,

p.77). As part of becoming self-directed learners, students who have the opportunities to be

involved in their learning and receive feedback explained the students’ overall achievement

increases (Sirakaya & Ozdemir, 2018, p.82). When students are involved in their learning and

participate actively, they have the ability to guide their learning and utilize their critical thinking

skills, which is critical for self-direction and planning their learning (Adinda & Marquet, 2017,

p.3).

The negative effect identified within the research that were associated with blended

learning include students who felt limited in their learning as compared to face-to-face classes.

Researchers explain how blended learning environments provide plenty of content information

for students, however it limits their ability to develop a deeper understanding unless they have

already developed stimulated motivation (Sirakaya & Ozdemir, 2018, p.77). Some limitations

include lack of face-to-face interaction and the force to adapt to digital communication

technologies in order to share thoughts and develop the learning environment (Dziuban, Graham,

Moskal, Norberg & Sicilia, 2018, p.3). Blended learning certainly presents its negative effects,

but are unanimously outweighed by the positive effects on the individual.

Conclusions

Summary of Educational Issue and Background

Blended learning struggles to be defined universally but this review defined blended

learning as “a learning environment that combines various delivery modes to provide an

effective learning experience for the participants” (Abbas, 2018, p.102). To be more specific, it
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“is the thoughtful integration of classroom face-to-face learning experiences with online learning

experiences” (Garrison, Kanuka, 2004, p.95). Blended learning can be considered as “one of the

various methods being adopted to deliver meaningful learning experiences (Lim & Morris, 2009)

and is found to be effective in addressing diverse learning styles (Bielawski & Metcalf, 2003)”

because of its ability to flexibly deliver learning experiences to students (Tseng and Walsh, 2016,

p. 43).

Discussion Argument 1

Our review question focused on identifying the most prevalent challenges involved with

blended learning. We successfully identified those challenges within our argument one. All the

challenges seemed to relate with each other in one way or another. The challenge that we found

most present was the various definitions and views about blended learning that teachers and

administrators have. “Blended learning is problematic to define as documented understandings

and descriptions differ greatly” (Mirriahi & Alonzo, 2015). If we have one solid definition of

blended learning that is written down for everyone to use, then we can determine if the blended

learning in articles is actually blended learning. “Blended learning can take various forms, thus

allowing users to adapt a program that best fits their pedagogical goals and physical setting”

(Kazakoff, Macaruso & Hook, 2017, p. 432). This allows for each school, course, or classroom

to implement blended learning in a way that best fits their needs and goals that can solve one

problem but create another.

The challenge it creates is how to evaluate if the way you chose to implement is

successful or not. For example, “...graduate students such as those working toward a master’s

degree need effective blended online learning to pursue blended courses” (Amry, 2018, p.144). If

we have a universal evaluation tool to use to determine how effective the blended online learning
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is, then we will be able to accurately say if the blended courses are effective or not. “The use of

explicit criteria and standards in blended learning will facilitate more effective learning and

teaching activities…” (Mirriahi, Alonzo, & Fox , 2015, p.2). Mirriahi, Alonzo, & Fox (2015)

created a framework that is an option for evaluating the effectiveness of a blended learning

course. It contains one definition of blended learning, criteria for teachers to use, and standards

to help with the evaluation process and evolution of blended learning in higher education

(Mirriahi, Alonzo, & Fox, 2015). It could potentially be modified by researchers to benefit a K-

12 classroom. The classes would also be more effective since they have a definitive definition of

blended learning.

Garrison and Kanuka (2004) identified five problems administration faces when going to

implement blended learning, which are policy, planning, resources, scheduling, and support. In

regards to policy, Garrison and Kanuka (2004) claimed there needs to be a formal approach to

creating policies and operations so it supports blended learning. When planning for a blended

learning course, administration or other educators should strategically or operationally plan

(Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). If they plan using the strategic plan, they identify needs, goals,

costs, objectives as well as resources(Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). The operational plans

“operationalize the goals and objectives in an action plan.”(Garrison & Kanuka, 2004, p.101)

The following resources are required for blended learning: financial, human, and technical

(Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). Both the teachers and administration would need to determine how

they would want to offer the courses (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004).

Finally, the teachers need support as well as students with blended learning (Garrison &

Kanuka, 2004). This leads into the challenge of making sure the educators are competent with

the technologies being used for blended learning. “The low digital skills of academics
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compromise appropriate technology integration, limiting the facilitation of more effective

student learning (Torrisi-Steele & Drew, 2013)” (Mirriahi, Alonzo, & Fox, 2015, p.1) More

competent teachers, means more effective student learning and according to Mirriahi, Alonzo, &

Fox (2015) the digital technology is affordable and available. If it is available and affordable, it

should be utilized more than it is now. As stated from earlier in the review, teachers require

assistance in order to develop courses, and figure out the technologies (Garrison & Kanuka,

2004). We could offer professional development or resources for teachers. “Providing effective

support for blended learning requires an understanding of the course management environment

that students and teaching faculty will be using” (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004, p. 102) This further

supports the idea that professional development is critical in obtaining confident and competent

educators using blended learning. “With the combination of synchronous verbal and

asynchronous written communication...blended learning offers a distinct advantage in supporting

higher levels of learning…” (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004, p.98). This further supports the solution

to aiding teachers in overcoming challenges with blended learning.

Discussion Argument 2

Using a framework or having structure within a classroom is important for teachers and

students. After reviewing the literature about blended learning, two prominent frameworks of

teaching in the blended environment emerged as being helpful for successful integration of

technology and traditional teaching within the classroom. These frameworks will help educate

teachers on how to integrate blended learning. This could be through the means of professional

development or just simply applying the frameworks in daily planning. The two frameworks are

TPACK and COI. TPACK involves teachers considering different aspects of their practice while

planning a lesson. (Koehler & Mishra 2009) describe the TPACK model as, “Good teaching with
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technology requires knowledge of three core components: technological, pedagogical, and

content knowledge, often referred to as TPACK (Philipsen, Tondeur, and Zhu, p. 802, 2015).

Teacher training for blended learning through the lenses of TPACK is important, “Wolf (2006)

argues that teachers; effectiveness in face-to-face education does not automatically translate in

effective online teaching. Teacher professional development in the different aspects involved in

online, and blended, teaching, and learning are therefore important”(Philipsen, Tondeur, and

Zhu, p. 802, 2015). Training and informing teachers about TPACK may help teachers feel

competent in integrating technology into their classrooms.

The other teaching framework that emerged is known as COl or Community of Inquiry.

This model emphasizes building different presences to help create a community of learners that

feel empowered and motivated to learn,“The importance of the COI model lies in its

identification of three overlapping elements which are critical to a successful online learning

experience: teaching presence, cognitive presence, and social presence (Garrison, Anderson, &

Archer 2010; Garrison & Arbaugh, 2007)” (Majeski, Stover, and Valais, 2018, p. 53). The COI

framework is appropriate for an online or blended learning environment, “The model has

received considerable empirical support as a framework for understanding critical components of

the online learning experience (Arbaugh et al., 2008; Garrison & Arbaugh, 2007)”(Majeski,

Stover, and Valais, 2018, p. 53). The COI model is considering whether or not an emotional

presence is readily available for students to use in the classroom setting, “These elements of

emotional intelligence are linked with elements of the COI model and can be seen as integral to

successful learning, especially in the online environment” (Majeski, Stover, and Valais, 2018, p.

55). The learning process in any setting should consider how the learner and teacher can be

supported. This support could include professional development on the frameworks discussed in
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this literature review. Learning about the TPACK framework or the COI framework can help any

teacher who wishes to incorporate blended learning into their classroom.

Discussion Argument 3

Throughout researching the effects of blended learning, there were numerous positive

effects that were discussed and analyzed. First, the commonalities amongst majority of the

research studies was that blended learning affected the student’s overall educational experience

because of the cognitive advantages it presented throughout a blended course. Blended learning

allows the teachers and students to “maximize many positive education functions” (Dziuban,

Graham, Moskal, Norberg & Sicilia, 2018, p.12). These educational functions, such as

collaboration, communication, and utilizing thinking skills, contribute to the overall success and

growth of the student beyond the time of the course. During a blended learning course, students

are given the opportunity to interact and collaborate through multiple circumstances. Most of

these interactions are a result of digital communications, which “ reported that information and

communications technology tools can indirectly develop self-directed learning skill” (Sirakaya &

Ozdemir, 2018, p.76). Throughout these interactions, students are given the opportunity to

provide feedback and analyze their own learning, which is said to develop and strengthen their

self-directed learning. The discussion forums and communication tools “produced more

cognitive comments involving deeper information processing and higher-order reasoning skills”

(Kim, Park, Jang & Nam, 2017, p.281). Students were able to increase their thinking and

learning abilities to apply to other learning experiences. These are metacognitive skills that

associate with the brain and their way of thinking. Through one research study, it was proven

that a “blended course was successful in effectively providing knowledge to the students with the

help of feedback mechanisms, open communication, and supplementary course materials. The
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course also scored very high in terms of student satisfaction” (Abbas, 2018, p.103). While

interacting with one another, the “flipped classroom did appear to promote learners’ deeper

cognitive processing, higher-order thinking skills, cohesive discussion, and higher-level

knowledge elaboration” (Kim, Park, Jang & Nam, 2017, p.280). All of these education functions

can be applicable to multiple areas of study in the student’s future education. Having the

opportunity to utilize and develop them through a blended learning course will only prepare the

student for the continuation of their educational career.

Some of the positive effects that were mentioned throughout multiple research studies

focused around the idea of increasing one’s personal skills: motivation, self-direction, and the

student’s willingness to learn. One of the main effects that was emphasized throughout multiple

studies focused around the idea of self-direction. Student-centered learning approaches in a

blended learning environment also have a positive impact on students’ self-direction (Adinda &

Marquet, 2018, p.1). “Studies have shown that a relationship exists between self-directed

learning and achievement” (Sirakaya & Ozdemir, 2018, p.77). Students who have higher levels

of self-directed learning skills also have higher levels of achievement. Through student-centered

learning, the student is in charge and takes control of the pace of the learning experience as well

as the depth and complexity of the learning content. The purpose of a blended learning classroom

is “aimed to develop their (student) autonomy as well as their active participation in learning, are

becoming the reasons why blended learning is more and more implemented” (Adinda &

Marquet, 2018, p.1). Blended learning is beginning to shape a lot of secondary education

experiences because it is providing more personal advancements for a lot of the students that are

involved. As mentioned earlier, blended learning provides more opportunities for collaborative

tools to be used in order to communicate. Through the “uses of communication tools, like
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Forums, it facilitates the development of students’ self-direction” (Adinda & Marquet, 2018,

p.7). They are able to guide the discussion and determine where to advance the learning based on

feedback, reflections, and personal discussions. Another personal skill that was researched was

motivation and the increase in overall student success when they were more motivated and

wanted to learn. “Students are certainly motivated, work well collaboratively, work in strategic

ways, and solve complex problems” (O’Connor, Mortimer & Bond, 2011, p.11). Clearly, the

overall learning experience portrayed many positive attributes that reflected in a positive way

with the students. Overall, blended learning has many positive effects on the students that are

involved. “Blended learning results in improvement in student success and satisfaction”, which

becomes our goal, as educators we guide students through their educational careers (Dziuban,

Graham, Moskal, Norberg & Sicilia, 2018, p.2).

Although there were many positive effects that were explored, there were not as many

negative effects explained through the research that was found. The studies mentioned students

that were not satisfied with a blended learning course, but did not elaborate on their reasons why

or how it may have inhibited their development as a learner. Students who were involved in a

blended learning experience felt that they did not learn as much in the online class, as they would

in a face-to-face because they were not able to develop those personal relationships through

interactions with every class period (Abbas, 2018, p.104). In one of the research studies, it was

noted that “30 percent of the respondents believe that blended courses are generally not as

effective as face to face courses” (Abbas, 2018, p.104). The reasoning for this belief was not

shared or explored further.

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Most of the studies presented findings from secondary educational experiences. This led

to wonder and question if the effects could be more impacting if a blended learning course was

applicable and integrated into higher elementary or even middle school education.

Answer to Initial Review Questions

Our discussions and arguments have helped to answer our initial review questions. The

answer to our first question reveals that the challenges faced in blended learning are as diverse as

blended learning itself. They range from teachers lacking support and confidence to evaluation

tools not providing enough information about how effective blended learning actually is.

Blended learning allows for teachers to choose a way that works for them as far as

implementation, but that also poses the issue of blended learning being inconsistently used and

evaluated.

Our second question can be concluded as proper teacher training in the field of

technology and pedagogy is important to consider when teaching the blended learning model.

Two research validated frameworks that emerged as being successful in the blended learning

model are the TPACK (technology, pedagogy, content, and knowledge) and the COI

(Community of Inquiry). Understanding and learning about these frameworks will help teachers

develop competence in teaching with synchronous and asynchronous tools within the blended

setting.

Our final review question can be answered in a variety of ways due to students being

affected in multiple ways by the blended learning model. Student-centered and blended learning

environments allow students to maximize their educational opportunities and experiences by

taking control of their learning. Blended learning promotes an increase in cognitive and higher-

level thinking skills and deeper processing skills. Blended learning also increases students’ self-
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 20

direction and ability to grow as a learner because of student success and satisfaction in the

blended educational experience. The blended learning environment created a positive perspective

on their learning experience, which aligns with their success rates and abilities through the

learning.

Overall, the review of literature answered our initial review questions. There could

always be more research and evaluations to strengthen and deepen our discussion about the

complexities and intricacies of blended learning. However, we hope that our insights to these

questions and the background provided have helped explain the complex learning model known

as blended learning.
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 21

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