IDIA2009 Conference
Learners View of Blended Learning in an Information Technology Classroom
Anrieta Draganova
College of Information Technology, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the learner’s perceptions and the effects using online discussion as an instructional modality of increasing learner’s participation and interaction on the traditional classroom IT Essentials students in ZU. Over the past years, tertiary educational institutions in UAE have used orientation activities to improve the learners’ learning experience while they are undertaking traditional face-to-face teaching. This study examines learners’ perceptions of integrating online components in undergraduate information technology courses where students completed online learning modules while in class discussion. The findings revealed that the majority of learners responded that the asynchronous discussions provide a user-friendly interface to motivate their learning in instructional objectives. The findings indicate that participants in a required course rated the online modules considerably well than those in a traditional face-to-face course. For most participants of the study, this was their first experience completing an online learning activity or module. Future research is encouraged to explore the effects of interspersing online discussion that are significantly shorter in length into the traditional F2F classroom model. This additional research can provide greater insight into which factors promote e-learning success.
