Journal of Pedagogical Inventions and Practices ISSN NO: 2770-2367

https://zienjournals.com Date of Publication: 08-06-2022

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Advantages and disadvantages of blended learning

in higher education
Khoshimova Mukhtaramkhon
Student in the literature of English in the Pedagogical institute of Andijan State University
Scientific supervisor: Egamberdiev Jasur Jakhongirovich
Ph.D in the Pedagogical institute of Andijan State University

Annotation: The educational system at present is in a transition stage. To meet the challenges of
expansion and for catering individuals need trying to adopt new technologies and exploring new
paths to reach the goal of quality educational opportunities for all. At the same time due to various
factors like deficient budgets, lack of facilities, advantages of face to face interaction, it is not
completely ready to leave the traditional modes of knowledge transfer. The present paper tries to
explain that how blended learning is an approach that needs to be adopted and it analyses the
positive and negative sides of blended learning.

Key words: blended learning, technology, online learning, traditional learning, face-to-face
driver approach, rotation approach, flex and self-blend approaches, teacher-led instruction,
exploratory enrichment

What is blended learning?

There are many approaches, methods, and techniques (strategies) of teaching languages. One of
the teaching strategies that has been a major growth point in the English Language Teaching (ELT)
industry over the last ten years is blended learning. It combines face-to-face teaching with distance
education, either computer-based or web-based. Blended learning, also known as hybrid learning,
is an approach to education that combines online educational materials and opportunities for
interaction online with traditional place-based classroom methods. Instead of learning only from
their teacher, and only interacting with their peers, students also engage with technology in order
to meet learning goals. Given the advances of technology over the last 10 years, the majority of
students already have experienced at least some form of blended learning. At the same time, it’s
important to note that simply the use of technology to type an essay or to submit a homework
assignment — does not constitute blended learning. In addition to the production of knowledge,
students engaging in blended learning also acquire and apply knowledge with a combination of
online and in-person modalities.
Blended Learning (BL)
• BL is an education program that combines online digital media with traditional classroom
methods.
• It requires the physical presence of both teacher and student, with some element of student
control over time, place, path, or pace.
• While students still attend “brick-and-mortar” schools with a teacher present, in-person
classroom practices are combined with computer-mediated activities regarding content and
delivery.
• Blended learning is also used in professional development and training settings.
• A lack of consensus on a definition of blended learning has led to difficulties in research on its
effectiveness in the classroom.
• Blended learning is also highly context-dependent and therefore a universal conception of it is
hard to come by.
Why is blended learning important?
Blended learning may be one of many approaches for providing a more flexible approach within
higher education, however, it’s become an extremely prominent approach. This method is
important to the future of higher education as a whole, as it provides a range of ways for students
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A Bi-Monthly, Peer Reviewed International Journal [14]
Volume 9
Journal of Pedagogical Inventions and Practices ISSN NO: 2770-2367
https://zienjournals.com Date of Publication: 08-06-2022
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to engage. In a changing, increasingly technologically savvy world, blended learning is a valuable
way to utilise technology for e-learning without reducing the importance and value of in-person
teaching.
Blended learning is important in a number of ways:
a. Takes the best attributes of online and in-person learning, in order to maximise the benefits of
both
b. Focus on individual rather than group work, allowing teachers to get a better grasp on the
strengths and weaknesses of each student
c. Can promote closer relationships and allow tutors to understand how to tailor their approach to
each student
d. More personalised instruction to suit the learning style of individual students
e. Finally, blended learning is important when you take into account the events of the COVID-19
pandemic. This caused higher education organizations to reflect on how they can best adapt and
change, both in emergency situations and for those with individual complications.
Both of these scenarios can interrupt and impact education. Blended learning being implemented
as a long-term option allows students and staff to be able to adapt quickly rather than needing to
shift entire working strategies at short notice.
Depending on the interest and skill of the teacher, as well as access to technology, there are several
model types of blended learning. The face-to-face driver approach involves a majority of
whole-class teacher-led instruction, with the teacher also in charge of delivering the online content
and monitoring students. This online component is also done as a whole class, without students
splitting off in groups or working individually. When it comes to blended learning, a rotation
approach, students in groups move through a set of online learning activities in the classroom
with the guidance of a teacher. In other words, teacher-led instruction is minimized, and the
students engage in common tasks online. The teacher determines the learning activities and
requires that every student complete them all, like a checklist. The flex and the self-blend
approaches offer teachers and students more choice and flexibility. In flex, the online platform
provides most of the curriculum and learning activities, while the teacher is available to support
students individually or in small groups.in an online driver approach, the students do not or rarely
come to a physical school, working remotely on online content. Teachers are available remotely for
support. Students currently participating in distance or remote learning are learning with an
online driver approach to blended learning.
Advantages of blended learning
There are many benefits of blended learning. The first is that the practice offers more flexibility in
the learning process. Rather than assuming that all students need the same information and skill-
building, at the same time and in the same way, blended learning allows for various learning
activities, teaching approaches, pacing, and student groupings. The second major benefit is that
students enjoy a combination of face-to-face and online learning, resulting in greater engagement.
Some learning — like applying knowledge, solving complex problems, exploratory enrichment and
working on a project together — is best done with other young people. Blended learning also
provides students with time to work with faculty staff, as teachers are able to connect with them
individually through technology. This provides a greater level of bonding between students and
their teacher, and lets students who may be less confident in group environments to reach out. If
students are struggling, they have the time and privacy to ask for extra support.
On the other hand, other learning — like targeted skill development, individual research, and
exploratory enrichment — is best done alone, with the use of technology and the internet. Perhaps
the most crucial benefit, though, is that blended learning provides easier and more effective ways
for teachers to differentiate learning material for their students. A simple example is that some
students with Individualized Education Programs learn better when they have access to audio
versions of texts. In a traditional classroom, that accommodation would mean that a teacher or an
aide would need to read the text to the student. A blended approach, on the other hand, supports
the student in a more tailored and efficient way. BL also allows for personalized education,
replacing the model where a teacher stands in front of the classroom and everyone is expected to
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A Bi-Monthly, Peer Reviewed International Journal [15]
Volume 9
Journal of Pedagogical Inventions and Practices ISSN NO: 2770-2367
https://zienjournals.com Date of Publication: 08-06-2022
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stay at the same pace. It allows students to work at their own pace, making sure they fully
understand new concepts before moving on. A classroom environment that incorporates BL
naturally requires learners to demonstrate more autonomy, self-regulation, and independence in
order to succeed. Furthermore, because blended learning normalizes the frequent use of
technology, students who may unfortunately experience stigma because of their learning
differences more comfortably engage in the classroom experience with less anxiety.The level of
freedom and trust in students to control their own learning, combined with the flexibility of time
and location, can improve student retention overall. With students encouraged to stay on in
education, this way of learning can help to prepare them for their working life, as they have more
control over when and how they learn, managing their own time and workload to suit their lives.
These are invaluable transferable skills for the future.
Disadvantages of blended learning for learners and educators
Unless successfully planned and executed, BL could have disadvantages in technical aspects since
it has a strong dependence on the technical resources or tools with which the BL experience is
delivered. These tools need to be reliable, easy to use, and up to date, for them to have a
meaningful impact on the learning experienc. A blended learning model often requires students to
utilise technology outside of the classroom. Not every learner will have equal access to the
resources, which can make online learning difficult or even impossible. IT literacy can serve as a
significant barrier for students attempting to get access to the course materials, making the
availability of high-quality technical support paramount. Other aspects of BL that can be
challenging is group work because of difficulties with management in an online setting. Using e-
learning platforms can be more time consuming than traditional methods and can also come with
new costs as e-learning platforms. Another critical issue is access to network infrastructure.
Although the digital divide is narrowing as the Internet becomes more pervasive, many students
do not have access to the Internet, even in their classrooms. Any attempt to incorporate BL
strategies into an organization’s pedagogical strategy needs to account for this. This is why
learning centers are built with good Wi-Fi connections to make sure this issue is addressed.
Challenges in blended learning
The challenges of blended learning in higher education are numerous and their emergence is
encouraged permanently based upon the innovative technological developments and interaction
through traditional learning environments, which emphasises blended learning transformational
force. For higher education courses blended learning has become the reality characterized by
continuous investigation and debates of the benefits, potential and effectiveness to transform and
improve the learning process. New, highly interactive, meaningful and student centred blended
learning environments have been developed fostered by the current and advanced technologies.
The convergence of traditional face-to-face and distributed learning environment that were
sharply separated in the past has been in progress by developing blended learning environment.
Different media/method combinations and the needs of different audiences have enabled the
approach of face-to-face practiced in a lecturer centred environment and person-to-person
classroom activities, and distance learning system based on self-paced learning.
Problem: The negative effect of the blended learning for students is mainly in the cognitive load,
learning styles, and working conditions. One misunderstanding teachers often make in the
implementation of blended learning is that teachers pay much attention on the network platform
and they design a lot of activities to allow students to learn more. But the result of doing so makes
the students' cognitive load increased blended learning counterproductive. In addition, the
different backgrounds of the students have their own learning styles, some students are
accustomed to reading a textbook, they like outlined and annotated in the textbooks. If we give
students a lot of learning content and ask them for digital learning, it will influence the learning
effect. Once again, Because function of the network platform is not good cause the negative effects
of the navigation lost, not easy operation. Finally, in the process of blended learning
implementation, because the high expenses increase the cost of getting resources, it will also affect
students' learning effect.

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A Bi-Monthly, Peer Reviewed International Journal [16]
Volume 9
Journal of Pedagogical Inventions and Practices ISSN NO: 2770-2367
https://zienjournals.com Date of Publication: 08-06-2022
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Solution: Motivation can link the goal of blended learning and learner’s expectation, and then
spread blended learning to students. So when teacher design a blended learning course, it’s
necessary to analyze student by questionnaires to have a better understanding about students’
learning style and the convenience of Internet. On this basis, we should determine what learning
resources to provide the network of digital resources, which learning resources to provide the
paper. The support platform of online teaching should obey the design of the content of network
while supporting the rich network of interactive teaching principles.
Problem: Assessment abuout blended learning is diversified. It contains classroom performance,
examinations, and practical in traditional classroom teaching, and online learning, online
discussion, online quizzes, and online assessment in online learning. This make students' learning
effectiveness evaluation becomes difficult to grasp in blended learning, such as electronic job
plagiarism problem and the proportion of evaluation. Online learning provide students a wealth of
learning resources, convenient interaction and sharing of resources, at the same time online
learning give birth to the “network research” family, “network copy” family, and “passive” family.
Solution: To avoid the negative effect. The first, we should strengthen the education of integrity
and awareness of intellectual property rights, we should let them to realize that plagiarism is an
offense. The second, when a teacher designs homework to students, they try to designs the
homework which can’t directly search it’s answer by Internet. This will avoid plagiarism to some
extent. For example, when teaching image processing technology, the teacher can require students
to use their own digital photos as a material, learning acquisition and processing technology of
sound material, require students to record their own voice and then use it. The third, to students
plagiarism, we can use some technical means, such as anti-plagiarism detection to prevent
copying. Such as online jobs which based on Moodle network, we can use the platform to provide
“anti-copying plug-ins” to stop plagiarism.

Conclusion: Great success often comes from great collaborations, so it is exciting to see how
educational technology (EduTech) is giving both students and teachers more opportunities to
network through the use of collaborative tools such as Google Docs, online calendars, and virtual
workrooms. Plus, Skype, email, and even texting allow us to stay in touch with each other and meet
colleagues from around the world. Blended instruction is more effective than purely face-to-face or
purely online classes. BL methods can also result in high levels of student achievement more
effective than face-to-face learning. By using a combination of digital instruction and one-on-one
face time, students can work on their own with new concepts which frees teachers up to circulate
and support individual students who may need individualized attention. Rather than playing to the
lowest common denominator – as they would in a traditional classroom – teachers can now
streamline their instruction to help all students reach their full potential. BL facilitates a
simultaneous independent and collaborative learning experience for university students. The use
of information and communication technologies has been found to improve student attitudes
towards learning.

References:
1. Blended Learning: A Disruptive Innovation". Knewton
2. Epic (2009a) White Paper – Blended Learning
3. (2009b) White Paper – Blended Learning in practice
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5. www-07.ibm.com/services/pdf/blended_learning
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Transfer to Distance Learning at the Stage of Pre-university Learning for Foreign Students.
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Humanities Research, 489, 74-78.
6. Carman, J. M. (2005). Blended learning design: Five key ingredients. Salt Lake City, UT:
Agilant Learning.
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A Bi-Monthly, Peer Reviewed International Journal [17]
Volume 9
Journal of Pedagogical Inventions and Practices ISSN NO: 2770-2367
https://zienjournals.com Date of Publication: 08-06-2022
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7. Garrison, D. R., & Vaughan, N. (2008). Blended learning in higher education: Framework,
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https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based practices/finalreport.pdf,
Accessed on: 2015-03-20.

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