A study of final Year Education Studies Undergraduate Students' Perceptions of Blended Learning within a Higher Education course

Abstract

This paper reports on a study of final Year Education Studies Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of Blended Learning within a Higher Education course. Blended learning uses a mixture of online and face-to-face teaching which has the potential to meet the diverse learning needs of students. An online questionnaire, incorporating closed and open questions, was used to gain the views of students. Analysis of the data revealed that students viewed aspects of elearning in a positive light, but also felt that traditional style learning with face-to-face contact with the lecturer was important in some instances. The data did not uncover any significant gender differences due to the small sample size, and imbalance of male and female participants. Students revealed a positive attitude to ICT in general, and particularly value how it helps them with the university work. The effectiveness of this can, however, be affected by the level of lecturer engagement with the relevant technologies. The study reveals that students appreciate blended learning as it offers the greatest level of choice to them, p