The implementation of blended learning in an English communication course for first-year university engineering students - a case study

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACTS: Engineering qualifications in South Africa are required to include an English communication module or course that equips students with the necessary academic and professional English communication competencies. Owing to the time and content burden of engineering-related modules and associated teaching and learning constraints, English communication courses subsequently receive less notional hours for achieving the module's learning outcomes, and alternative methods for the delivery and facilitation of teaching and learning English have to be explored.This study investigated the implementation of flipped blended learning as a methodological approach to teaching writing from an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) perspective. The study was conducted in an English communication module, and the approach was explored through the lens of first-year university engineering student experiences.In particular, the investigation explored blended learning and flipped teaching practices, learning theories, pedagogical practices, learning styles, online learning and applied linguistic theories to inform the empirical case study set at a South African university.Following an interpretivist and qualitative research design, the interpretations and perceptions of participant experiences of flipped blended language learning practices were explored.The investigation yielded rich data about engineering student experiences with flipped blended language learning and concluded that individual student learning styles and preferences are directly linked to participant perceptions, experiences of and preferences for blended and flipped learning in the English communication module. The participants supported the approach and found flipped blended learning to be an effective teaching and learning strategy in the module. The participants also highlighted time management as one of the challenges experienced during the online learning phase of the flipped blended learning implementation.The findings of the study were limited to the context and experiences of the study's participants, but encouraged future researchers to evaluate whether contextual resonance may be established.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University