Blended Learning for Global Students

With advancements in and widespread access to technology, blended learning is increasingly being used to enhance learning experiences across all levels of education and training. Specifically, blended classrooms offer opportunities to seamlessly address interruptions to the learning process (Koehler & Farmer, 2020) and improve on traditional classrooms to offer a new normal for learning that is accessible, flexible, and effective (Mentzer et al., 2023). By understanding blended learning models and their components, educators and instructional designers can create learning experiences that are flexible, student-centered, and engaging.

What is Blended Learning?

Blended learning combines both face-to-face and online instructional elements into a single learning experience (Archibald et al., 2021). Research suggests that benefits of blended learning include flexibility for accommodating changing needs and constraints (Mentzer et al., 2023), opportunities for individualizing learning experiences (Yang et al., 2013), increased student ownership in the learning process (Chism & Wilkins, 2018), and higher learner outcomes (Zahedi et al., 2023). Additionally, prominent challenges with blended learning experiences include balancing face-to-face and blended content, while maintaining student engagement across modalities (Mentzer et al., 2023) and technology access.

Popular blended learning models include flipped classroom, HyFlex, online lab, and rotational. Across these models, expectations vary regarding student attendance and the nature of instructional activities. See Table 1 for examples and definitions for each of these models.

Table 1 – Overview of Different Blended Learning Models

How to Include Blended Learning for International Students

First, blended learning offers opportunities for students to collaborate with other students, programs, and opportunities around the world (McPhee & Pickren, 2017). Second, the flexibility inherent in blended learning models can support diverse learner needs, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach and allowing students to access educational materials in accordance with their schedule (Zhao, 2023). Finally, as blended learning combines both online and face-to-face elements, international students can gain a broader perspective from online opportunities, while connecting with their local culture. For more instructor-centered approaches, lecture may be appropriate, while video may align more effectively in student-centered approaches.

As international students pursue educational opportunities, they commonly face challenges related to language barriers (Omar et al., 2016; Barnes & Austin, 2009), academic expectations (Omar et al., 2016; Barnes & Austin, 2009), and cultural adjustments and barriers (Ku et al., 2008; Zenner & Squire, 2020). Blended learning is particularly helpful for supporting learning for international students.

Incorporate Lectures and Videos

Traditionally, lectures or videos have been a common component of blended environments (Jia et al., 2022; Zhao, 2023). For example, an instructor may ask learners to watch a video or prerecorded lecture prior to attending class. Lectures or videos offer key advantages, including accessing the content at a personally convenient time. If a student only has access to technology at specific times or is working full-time, then they can review the material when it suits their schedule.

Additionally, language barriers sometimes prevent international students from understanding all that is being said during a real-time event in a non-native language. Videos can be played, replayed, paused, rewound, and so on to meet the needs of the students. Therefore, incorporating lectures and videos may be useful for helping communicate important topics and content. Other online tools and resources that may promote accessibility and comprehension across languages include screen reading, translation, and closed captioning videos.

Add more hands-on learning

Hands-on activities during blended experiences offer learners opportunities to apply what they gained from videos or other supplemental resources (e.g., readings). Hands-on learning may take many forms during blended learning and can leave room for international students to make connections to personally and culturally relevant experiences. Examples include scavenger hunts, labs, design work (e.g., prototype building), field trips, creation (e.g., food, art, digital collages), physical activity, data collection, and so on. By providing specific, yet flexible parameters, international students have space to select topics and content meaningful to them.

Create group learning options

Group learning can enhance blended learning in multiple ways. For instance, discussion is often used as a key collaborative activity for face-to-face learning time, as it promotes the consideration of diverse perspectives, requires learners to reflect, elaborate, and clarify their understanding, and offers a way for learners to gain experience vicariously (Ertmer & Koehler, 2014). During the hands-on activities discussed in the previous activities, learners can work with peers to complete these either physically in the same location, online through video conferencing, or online asynchronously through some sort of digital platform (e.g., Google Suite)—depending on their geographical location and availability.

Use online resources to assist diverse student populations

Technology can be useful for providing international students opportunities to self-pace and share ownership in their learning process. For instance, learning management systems (LMS) are useful for organizing and storing educational content. However, LMS are not always available in international settings, and social media tools (e.g., Facebook) offer an alternative platform to share resources, facilitate collaboration, and livestream content. Additionally, students sometimes prefer social media over LMS (Turnbull et al., 2023).

Offering learners flexibility in the way they contribute to assignments and demonstrate understanding can be meaningful for international students. Simulations, readings, video conferencing, games, virtual field trips, and eLearning modules can all be useful tools for enhancing the learning experience and supporting understanding in interactive ways.

Become a Stronger Educator

Effective educators understand their audience and use tools to meet diverse needs. Gaining a deep understanding of designing and facilitating blended learning offers educators ways to expand traditional physical classrooms and provide flexibility to students. To best serve diverse student needs, educators would be wise to develop their design and facilitation skills in blended learning, which offers opportunities to not only address interruptions to the learning process, but also enhance traditional learning environments.

If you’d like to learn more about blended learning for global students, an online MS in Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Purdue University is a great place to start.

Source: Adrie Koehler, Associate Professor