THE IMPORTANCE OF IMPLEMENTATION OF BLENDED LEARNING IN EDUCATION

ABSTRACT

The article is concerned with the theoretical bases of positive sides and implementation blended learning in English language lessons. The key findings of an experimental application of blended learning technology in the study of a foreign language by first-year students are presented in this paper. Nowadays, due to the convenience, ease of use, socialization, ability to coordinate joint events, and influence, blended learning combines "live" learning with learning through the Internet, allowing to take advantage of the high educational value of technological tools and apply current teaching principles. In this regard, it is preferably to use blended learning technique as it creates the interaction and collaboration between students and makes the process of learning interactive and interesting.

Keywords: “blended learning”, “education”, “informatization of education”.

The age of informatization, which is marked by the use of information and communication technology in many fields of human life, including education, is where contemporary society is developing. Obskov A.V. states that “blended learning is currently one of the most exciting fields of application of information and communication technology (ICT) in the field of education” [6, 178–182p.].

Blended learning combines conventional learning, such as face-to-face learning in the classroom with real-time guidance and assistance from a teacher, with digital technology-assisted learning through a computer. Students attend standard classroom courses and accept assignments for independent study through a specific curriculum or in an online portal.

Person and community work on the subject should be done from a distance. Simultaneously, the teacher's function is reduced to that of a supervisor who partly monitors and, if possible, advises students. When conducting a training course in a blended learning format, the teacher's primary responsibility is to prepare the curriculum of the training course and distribute instructional materials. That is, it is necessary to decide the assignments will be completed in the classroom and what students will learn individually, as well as which tasks are appropriate for individual classes and which for group work. Traditional classes can take many forms, including project defenses, lectures, conversations (between students or with an instructor present), debates, round-table discussions, and so on.

According to scientists Bonk, C. J., and Graham, C. R., “blended learning is a combination of face-to-face and computer-mediated teaching” [4, 150-153 p.]. Sennamo K. and Kalk D., agree that “this is a mixture of classroom and individual online work done at a speed and volume that is appropriate for each student's needs” [5, 230-238 p.].

Blended learning brings together the benefits of both formal and distance learning. Blended instruction, in comparison to the conventional approach, provides the instructor and students with many opportunities to engage during instruction. The instructor instructs, studies, reviews, and provides student input. Students have several opportunities to read, observe, ask questions, and gain input from the instructor in the conventional approach. This intense engagement provides an atmosphere that is conducive to development. Students should use traditional learning to not only understand, but also to share what they have learned with others.

The use of blended learning concepts in pedagogical instruction helps the instructor to accomplish the following objectives:

- broaden students' educational opportunities by improving educational accessibility and versatility, taking into account their unique educational needs as well as the speed and rhythm of learning content development;

- to encourage the student to take an active role in his or her education by increasing his or her inspiration, independence, social interaction, including participation in the production of instructional materials, contemplation, and introspection, and, as a result, the educational process' overall effectiveness;

- change the teacher's style: shift from knowledge translation to interactive engagement with students, assisting in the creation of students' own knowledge;

- individualize and personalize the instructional process, through which the student decides their educational objectives and ways to accomplish them on their own, taking into account their educational desires, preferences, and skills, with the instructor acting as a guide and tutor.

The below are some of the drawbacks of blended learning:

- insufficient preparation of the school's information and instructional environment to promote a comprehensive e-learning process;

- lack of electronic teaching practices, required programme of advanced training in the area of electronic technologies;

- inadequate e-learning and teaching materials;

- teachers' lack of preparation to provide e-learning;

- lack of knowledge of its potential and need to use it.

Along with the drawbacks of blended learning, the following benefits should be mentioned:

- the instructional process's adaptability. There can be any number of teachers and students involved. Teachers can offer master lessons even though they are on another continent, and e-learning resources can be accessed at any time and from any place.

- a willingness to read. Furthermore, communication tools enable students and teachers to retain continuous feedback, allowing them to better understand one another.

- a personalized solution Depending on the personal characteristics of students, teachers may vary the speed and volume of learning material production. Furthermore, the integration of various models encourages each student to progress in the exact way that he desires.

- the growth of democracy. The student must be able to efficiently control their time, prepare ahead, and be disciplined. A blended scheme, on the other hand, would not yield results.

Blended learning is a quickly evolving and diverse mode of education today. Employees earn high-quality education on the job, which has also had a positive impact on many big businesses. As a result, we should expect blended learning to overtake conventional modes of education in the future, and to become one of the key strategic advantages of higher education institutions that offer educational facilities based on Internet infrastructure and "online" connectivity.

To successfully integrate specialization analysis in a blended learning environment, it is first important to develop methodological support for the training program. Skibitsky E., said “we understand an educational and methodological complex structured for the study of a particular academic discipline, which involves a collection of interrelated aims and priorities of education and upbringing of different forms of pedagogically useful, substantive educational material on various platforms” [8, 173-180 p.]. The methodological assistance in the case of blended training is as follows: materials for curriculum and methodology, computer assistance based on new information and communication technology.

Software supply of information systems of educational activities in universities in the field of blended learning depends on the type of university, the system of organization of the educational process, the level of informatization of the university and the information and communication technologies used for learning.

Today, blended learning is one of the most important ways to organize the educational process with the use of ICT. It`s advantages are due to the fact that it combines traditional and online training.

The purpose of the conducted study is to determine the attitude of students towards blended learning, to identify negative and positive causes and determine the need of implementation in educational process.

Several researchers have been conducted to identify the effectiveness of blended learning by different authors. It was found that blended learning responds to the educational needs of students, giving them the satisfaction of shaping and improving language skills, as well as developing critical thinking skills. Alwehaibi H.O., revealed the relationship between the positive attitude of students to blended learning with such factors as experience, confidence, usage, intention, motivation and readiness skills in ICT [1, 1–15p.].

Other studies have clarified additional factors that determine the effectiveness of blended learning. Bendania A., revealed that the adoption of e-learning depends on various factors. He states, “that student's attitude towards e-learning and their decision to use it is shaped by society’s opinion” [3, 223-241p.]. At the same time, the availability of e-learning plays a significant role in the formation of a behavioral model regarding the adoption of e-learning.

Artino A.R., revealed the “influence of such personal factors as satisfaction and the ability to learn new things from the Internet” [2, 272–276 p.]. Sayers D. and Walker R., found that “students who tried different blended learning models indicated that such system of course organization is more useful than traditional classroom classes” [7, 430–442 p.].

From these studies, it becomes obvious that students enjoy using multimedia tools, but such technologies must be implemented correctly and effectively, in order to improve and maximize learning outcomes.

Methods of research

For our research we chose a simple survey in order to collect standardized data over a brief period of time from an undifferentiated representative sample of a larger population. And within this survey we took representative sampling type, since we got an accurate proportional representation of the population under study, which were master students. We found it to be more appropriate that representative sampling is an excellent alternative for sampling research because it is intended to provide insights and conclusions that closely match the whole population group.

The significance of our research is to determine the students' attitude towards blended learning, which will allow teachers to correctly assess the effectiveness of the learning process. The expectation of results, readiness and opinion about the course play an important role in assessing such effectiveness. When students study with motivation to acquire an experience, are interested in what they personally do, they tend to have more interaction, which improves learning outcomes.

The study uses a descriptive method to examine various variables, representing a qualitative study using a survey method to collect information from respondents. Data was collected with an online questionnaire given to the students. The purpose of the questionnaire was to determine how effective they thought the blended learning was, how satisfied they were, and if they would be willing to have more blended learning for their courses. A questionnaire was used to assess and compare students’ learning attitudes. It is divided into the following three categories:

-to determine the attitude of students towards blended learning;

-to determine the negative attitude and impressions of students from blended learning;

-to rate the completeness of their knowledge of innovative learning models and determine the perception of students about blended learning.

The questionnaire was developed following a five-point Likert scale, which was interpreted as follows: Strongly agree, Agree, Undecided, Disagree and Strongly Disagree.

The hypothesis of the study: the use blended learning method based on the principles of multilevel, modularity, humanistic and professional orientation of the content, contributes to the optimization of educational and cognitive activities, the formation of language competence, the development of independence and creativity, and the improvement of the information competence of future specialists.

The research is based on the method of collecting data and questions. Students were interviewed to express their opinions about learning English in a blended learning using learning management system (LMS). The five responses in the questionnaire were intended to serve as a way for students to express either a positive or negative assessment.

Table 1

Students’ understanding the need for blended learning when learning English

Research results and discussion

As can be seen from the table, the answers to the category of questions that determine the attitude of students to English language teaching revealed that the majority of students expressed a positive attitude to this type of teaching. It is quite natural that there are some students who have expressed their dissatisfaction with participation in the blended learning process.

In general, the results show students' satisfaction with the use of blended learning, as it improves their English language skills and makes the learning process collaborative, interactive and interesting. In addition, it was confirmed that it promotes interaction between the teacher and students outside of the classroom and gives students more time to complete tasks.

On the other hand, there are negative opinions of students towards using LMS as a part of blended learning. Among them were the low internet connection, lack of live communication and time to complete the tasks. Some students find it difficult to work with technologies and less effective to improve language skills. One of the major negative comments is lack of social interaction.

Conclusion

Digitalization has rapidly become a global trend. There are about 35 billion devices in the world, which allows constantly generate and share data. It is 5 times larger than the world's population, showing the global involvement in the processes of digitalization.

The digitalization of education is one of the leading trends in Kazakhstan. The vision of educational process in future is most often associated with the transition to a cloud-based learning system, implementing innovative technologies. These are online textbooks and virtual laboratories, open educational courses, flexible and individual learning models. Students will have an opportunity to complete the homework together online. School libraries are transformed into online.

Digitalization of schools involves the creation of comfortable and effective tools for all members involved in this process: students, their parents, teachers, and administrators of the education system. At the same time, it is important that an optimal balance of live communication and being online, a synthesis of the real and digital world, is observed.  That is blended learning model, which combines face-to-face learning in the classroom with real-time guidance and assistance from a teacher, with digital technology-assisted learning through a computer.

The conducted research allowed to assess the attitude of students to the use of blended learning. The results of the study demonstrated students' satisfaction with this method of training, as it helped them to improve their language skills, made the process of learning interactive, interesting, and turned it into a joint work with other students and the teacher. Students had the opportunity to take responsibility for their own learning process and decide in what conditions and what resources to use.

We found that one of the main challenges in online education is to develop a sense of community in an online environment. To create such a community, several studies have been reviewed to point the importance of promoting social presence, interaction, and collaboration.

Thus, students and teachers should make an effort to get deeply involved in creating the interaction and collaboration between teacher and student, as well as between students, to create an effective online learning community.

References:

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