Blended e-learning

Neil Coaten, The Open University Business School (OUBS), UK

The e-learning environment is changing as the move towards blended e-learning, which combines face-to-face and virtual teaching, gathers pace.

At the Open University Business School (OUBS), blended e-learning has always been at the forefront of its e-learning activities. It recognises that the best outcomes for learning are usually achieved by striking a balance between using traditional and new media, as the products and tools that are best suited for each course are carefully selected and used.

Often, of course, that does mean the use of new media and e-learning tools. On other occasions, other tools, such as audio-visual products or conventional teaching methods, are used.

The OUBS strongly believes that new media offer a more advanced and interactive form of learning, but it is important to stress that the university does not strive to become solely an "online university".

Instead, for many of its courses, e-learning tools form an important part of the methods used, alongside other non-electronic tools. Almost 200 of the Open University's courses require the student to have online access; a further 100 allow the student to use online services if they wish. Thirty-one of its courses are described as "web-based".

And, with e-learning materials available at the click of a mouse, they bring an added benefit in that they can give the busy executive extra flexibility. It allows him to study when and where he likes, so long as they have a laptop - an important consideration for OUBS students, the majority of whom are combining busy working and family lives with their studies.

Of course, the question is not which of the two - blended e-learning or a 100 per cent virtual learning approach - is the more effective or of a higher standard and therefore better for students.

Their effectiveness depends to a large extent on the materials and courses being studied, so at the Open University Business School the decision about which media to choose for course material delivery is based on a simple principle. Courses adopt e-learning techniques where their use will enhance the student learning experience.

Dr Paul Clark, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) at the Open University, says: "High-quality teaching is achieved by using complementary technologies - old and new - and by concentrating on the needs of our students. We use the new technologies appropriately for teaching and by focussing on the value they add to learning."

E-learning can be used very effectively as a learning medium but, like all other media, it needs to be used appropriately. Just as with all other study material, so the content of e-learning tools must not lose its impact as the medium itself detracts users. In a similar way, those people who develop and use e-learning tools must not become more concerned with their appearance and delivery than with the content and learning that those tools contai

Finally, let us consider the student's perspective. For some of them, 100 per cent virtual learning can be a lonely experience, with its limited opportunities for interaction with other students. Blended e-learning, with its potential to offer face-to-face learning alongside sitting at a PC using e-tools, can go some way to alleviate those feelings of isolation while, at the same time, making the most of the increased opportunities that e-learning can offer.