Name: Koen Ma

Class: College Writing (A)

Teacher: Mr Nollan

For millennia, humanity passed their knowledge and culture down generations personally, by word of mouth, a process known as oral tradition. From the time of the Biblical Old Testament to the present day, oral tradition prevailed as “the single most dominant communicative technology” of the human species (MacKay 1-2).  However, since the beginning of the Information Age in the 1960s, humanity’s way of life has changed drastically. The Information Age and its technologies have taken mankind to unprecedented heights; nearly all metrics measuring human prosperity have shot upward in this period, like global population (Max, World Population Growth), GDP (Max, Economic Growth) and literacy rates (Max,  Literacy).  These technologies have also revolutionised the way people learn and acquire new knowledge; for example, a trip to the library has become a tap on a smartphone. As technology continues to transform education, institutions should embrace the use of blended learning, traditional learning supplemented with online learning technologies, as it is effective, increases flexibility, and allows for a personal touch that greatly enhances thestudents’ educational process and student learning experiences. 

    The use of online learning allows flexibility as students can easily access their materials wherever they are, allowing them to maximize their time studying even when they are not at school. With computers and the Internet, people all around the world can connect with each other in an instant; with the more recent innovations of the smartphone and tablet computer, the Internet is accessible anytime, anywhere. Therefore, blended learning is an opportunity for students to learn in an environment best suited to them. In fact, a study found that most students benefited from online learning flexibilities, such as the freedom to set their own schedules and choose a preferred study method (Rujiten and Hoojiman). A student of the aforementioned study, who created his own study method for a course, commented, “If you get an explanation [of the learning material] you will absorb [it] less well than going through [it] yourself.” A separate but similar case study saw 96% of its participants preferring a blended learning interface over traditional schooling, noting especially the interface’s flexibility (Nazarenko). This not only proves that blended learning courses provide flexibility, but also shows that such flexibility helps students understand the material better compared to traditional learning settings. These benefits are why blended learning methods are suggested to replace the traditional classroom setting, as it combines the flexibility of online learning and the ability to have discussions with others in the classroom (Newvine and Hannay). 

    Secondly, blended learning can personalise the learning experience. Today’s sophisticated technology is able to learn about and adapt to each student, optimising their learning experiences. For example, an online learning program can identify a student’s problem areas using measurable parameters like response time and answer accuracy, which it can analyse to create personalised assignments focused on those areas. This personalisation represents a solution for students who find it difficult to follow their teachers in class.  For example, classroom problems like progressing too quickly and focusing too heavily on elementary topics can be avoided with the implementation of a blended learning software. The data gleaned by these softwares can be used to show students their personal strengths and weaknesses (see Appendix 1) and provide teachers with insights on class and individual performances, allowing them to give better, more constructive feedback on a student’s progression (Montebello, et al). Another studyresearch done by Alla Nazarenko and his team on blended learning compared to traditional learning impacted the educational field. One of the conclusions to Nazarenko’s research was teachers could use the online portal to hand out different types of assignments to students as the interface presents the characteristics of each student (Nazarenko). This is a very useful tool as students no longer need to wait until the end of a term for feedback from the teacher, as the program can instantly display weaknesses and suggest exercises for improvement. With an online portal, teachers can also view the strengths and weaknesses as well as the characteristics of the students, rather than identifying patterns themselves. Personalised online learning platforms can save time and provide timely, useful feedback to greatly improve the learning process.

    Lastly, implementing blended learning technology in schools will allow time for students and teachers during class time (face to face) to be maximised. Although some have argued that the use of technology would estrange the relationship between teacher and student, according to an e-book by Daniel Robinson, blended learning actually brings more instructional time. Then the author goes on to provide that more instructional time brings better understanding for students in the subjects surrounding science (McCrudden, M. T., & Schraw, G. J.).With more learning and assignments done online, the teachers can better utilize their time in class (face to face) to answer questions, whereas traditional learning would yield less time for such Q&A. All things considered, blended learning maximizes the time spent in the classroom as well as at home, which benefits both student and teacher.

To conclude, blended learning provides a new opportunity to improve the existing learning system as it increases flexibility, provides personal feedback, and efficiently allocates instructional time. With technology becoming more and more accessible for everyone, implementing blended learning into our educational system provideswould be a necessary and significant improvement.

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Appendix 1

Source: Aster Plot for an individual student: Enriching Online Education through Differentiated Learning, Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018, Figure 1. 

Works Cited

Hannay, Maureen, and Tracy Newvine. “Perceptions of distance learning: A comparison of online and traditional learning.” Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 2.1 (2006): 1-11.

MacKay, Anne. Signs of Orality: The Oral Tradition and Its Influence in the Greek and Roman World (Mnemosyne, Bibliotheca Classica Batava Supplementum) (Mnemosyne, Supplements). Brill, 1999.

McCrudden, Matthew T., et al. “The Use of Adjunct Displays to Facilitate Comprehension of Causal Relationships in Expository Text.” Instructional Science, vol. 37, no. 1, 2007, pp. 65–86. Crossref, doi:10.1007/s11251-007-9036-3.

Montebello, Matthew, et al. Enriching Online Education through Differentiated Learning. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2018. EBSCOhost, doi:10.4995/HEAD18.2018.8019.

Nazarenko, Alla L. “Blended learning vs traditional learning: What works?(a case study research).” Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences 200 (2015): 77-82.

Robinson, Daniel R., et al. Learning Through Visual Displays. Information Age Publishing, 2013. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=591692&site=eds-live.

Roser, Max. “Economic Growth.” Our World in Data, 24 Nov. 2013, ourworldindata.org/economic-growth.

Roser, Max. “Literacy.” Our World in Data, 13 Aug. 2016, ourworldindata.org/literacy.

Roser, Max. “World Population Growth.” Our World in Data, 9 May 2013, ourworldindata.org/world-population-growth.

Ruijten, Peter, and Eline Hooijman. A Qualitative Analysis of Student Experiences of a Blended Learning Course. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València, 2019. EBSCOhost, doi:10.4995/HEAD19.2019.9473.

Rough Draft