The Transition from Traditional to Blended On-Campus Learning Experience

• Main Author: Singleton, Devena M.
• Format: Others
• Published: NSUWorks 2012
• Subjects: blended learning; cultural change; time format change; transitional change; Computer Sciences
• Online Access: http://nsuworks.nova.edu/gscis_etd/306; http://nsuworks.nova.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1305&context=gscis_etd

Blended learning is the term used for a course with online and on-campus components. Multiple different versions have proliferated across higher education during the past decade. As with any new learning modality there are many issues which need to be addressed when considering a move of an entire institution's curriculum in this direction. The problem identified for investigation was the phenomenon of transitional change of DeVry University's instructional modality from a traditional on-campus to a blended on-campus experience. The explanatory case study explored the phenomenon through two main factors including the impact of the change on the culture of the university and the change in time format for the courses. Eight themes were analyzed and addressed including course format changes, communicating the change, training faculty, common course shell, workload changes, cultural impacts, communication and evaluation of the transition. The university went from a traditional 15- to 8-week course format while making the transition to blended learning. Reasons given for this schedule change were investigated. When creating a large institutional change communication is a key factor and how the change was communicated to both faculty and students is explored. Training faculty for the new blended environment as well as the introduction to a common course shell for all courses is analyzed. The perceived workload of both faculty and students in the new blended learning environment in regard to faculty course load taught and student credit hours taken is considered. The impacts on culture were addressed during the transition including faculty, students and administration impacts. A comparison is given for communication between faculty and students in the new blended learning environment. The evaluation considered the hiatus of rolling out the common course shells to faculty and students is given as well as the planned assessment for the blended learning environment.