Indore: Now, higher education institutions (HEIs) would be able to offer blended mode of teaching and learning to their students.Simply put, HEIs would teach up to 40 per cent of the syllabus of each course through online mode and remain 60 per cent of the course through online mode.
Exams, however, would be held in offline mode only. The University Grants Commission (UGC) shared the draft concept note on Blended Mode of Teaching and Learning and sought suggestions from stakeholders by June 6.UGC secretary Rajnish Jain on Friday issued a public notice seeking suggestions from stakeholders.
The draft of concept note says, “The advantages of blended learning for students include increased learning skills, greater access to information, improved satisfaction and learning outcomes, and opportunities both to learn with others and to teach others.”Recent research on blended learning revealed that individual students work together virtually in an intellectual endeavor as a learning practice.
Technology-enabled learning allows for learning anytime and anywhere, letting students learn without the barriers of time and location but with the possible support of in-person engagement.
The research says blended learning offers a platform to facilitate greater interactivity between students, as well as between students and teachers. “Additional types of learning activities improve engagement and can help students achieve higher and more meaningful levels of learning. Learners practice the ability to project themselves socially and academically in an online community of inquiry.
Digital learning skills are becoming essential to be a lifelong learner, and blended courses help learners master the skills for using a variety of technologies,” it adds.
Role of Teachers in BL Environment
BL shifts the teacher’s role from knowledge provider to coach and mentor. Teachers can have an even more profound influence and effect on students’ learning. BL provides teachers with a fuller, more accurate picture of how each student is doing. BL yields more frequent and more personal teacher interaction with individual students, teachers have the opportunity to deepen and strengthen student/teacher relationships. BL combines the best aspects of online learning with the best aspects of direct instruction, helping teachers easily manage to do much more to meet student needs without adding to an already weighty workload.
Role of a Learner in the BL Environment
The use of computers to look up information and data is a tremendous lifesaver, combined with access to resources such as the internet to conduct research. This engagement and interaction with the resources keep students focused for longer periods then they would be with books or paper resources, this engagement also helps develop learning through exploration and research.Students become self-driven and responsible, tracking their individual achievements, which helps develop the ability to find the resources or get the help they need, self-advocating so they can reach their goals.Due to the flexibility of BL and the ability to access internet resources allows students to learn at their own pace.
