Blended Learning in Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

Online and blended instruction offers learners a unique opportunity to learn ubiquitously without being limited to the constraints of time and distance. Additionally, these pedagogies have the potential to open the doors of the university to a wider audience, provide choices for non-traditional students, and extend services to populations that would otherwise not be able to attend the classes on campus. However, complementing traditional teaching with blended learning techniques in a traditional university course presents various challenges. This chapter identify gaps in the factors affecting blended learning in the digital age. Based on the findings, the authors argue that instructors can rely on e-learning technologies to implement blended learning model by redesigning some lectures into new online learning activities, such as tutorials, self-testing exercises, and online group collaborations.