Presentation at EUROCALL Nottingham 2011

Integrating Virtual Learning Environments into Blended Learning Courses: The Necessary Evolution of Pedagogical Practices

Higher Education Institutions in the United Kingdom are seen to make an ever-increasing use of Information and Communication Technologies for a variety of purposes and Virtual Learning Environments are an important feature of these developments, in a context of initiatives such as “Routes into Languages” and the ten-year e-learning strategy launched in 2005, and revised in 2009, by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. In addition, the students’ experience has been placed high on the agenda, with implications for pedagogical practices.
This paper will highlight the necessity for the evolution of pedagogical practices in order to boost the integration of Virtual Learning Environments into blended learning courses, using socio-constructivist principles and results of a phenomenological study conducted among students registered for blended learning courses on an Institution-Wide Language Programme. Recommendations will be made regarding the role to be played by lecturers towards the normalisation of Virtual Learning Environments for blended learning.

Slides
Student self-completion questionnaire
Interview questions
List of references

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