OSIAS COLLEGES, INC.

F. Tañedo Street cor. McArthur Highway, Tarlac City, Philippines 2300

Email Address: [email protected]
Website: http://osiascolleges.edu.ph/

BLENDED LEARNING
A CASE STUDY

Submitted to:

DR. CLARA DUPITAS

Professor

Course:

SEMINAR IN TEACHING
MAEd - Administration and Supervision

Submitted by:

MIRASOL C. ROCHA, LPT

Student

Abstract
 The growth of blended learning has led to creative and impactful training solutions.
Companies from all industries are using the methodology to meet their learning goals and reduce
training costs. “Blended learning is an approach to education that combines online educational
materials and opportunities for interaction online with traditional place-based classroom
methods. It requires the physical presence of both teacher and student, with some elements of
student control over time, place, path, or place.”

Introduction

Nowadays, people have reached the generation of modernization. Technology transforms

different stages of people's lives and has a big impact on the society. Computers make our way of
living more advanced. Technology plays a vital role in today’s life it makes our daily activities
faster, easier and more reliable. Technology helps the society to define and solve problems.
Computers are very useful to academic institutions that help them accomplish things easily that
enable them to provide excellent quality of services with ease. Computers plays a vital role in
terms of education all over the world, one good example of the use of the computers in
educational institutions is what they call School Management System (SMS). A SMS is a system
where it processes all the data of the schools such as student information, accounting, payroll and
etc. into information which can be used for more precise calculations and faster processing of
services.
Another example of a use of computer in educational institutions is what we call:
Blended Learning. It is a new system of education that combines the teacher’s educational
materials and student interaction into online. Creating an online classroom where in the Teachers
and Students can interact just like in a normal classroom even though both parties are just at
home or somewhere else as long as they both have the device and the internet connection.
Osias Colleges Inc. (OCI), Tarlac City one of the well-known educational institutions in
Tarlac City. OCI is the first ever in Tarlac City to incorporate blended learning to its education
system, where now it is being used for the K12, Undergraduate and Graduate Department of the
School.
As a Teacher from the K12 Department of OCI. This implementation is a very good and
rare opportunity. Though the classes are suspended because of the COVID-19 Virus happening
now all over the world, we the teachers together with the students cooperation are at a advantage
compared to other schools in Tarlac City for we are still in continuation of the studies of the
students where they are still learning at their own home because of the Enhanced Community
Quarantine happening not just in Tarlac but in the whole country of the Philippines.
 ANALYSIS/ KEY FINDINGS
Benefits of blended learning
A blended learning model is undoubtedly a great way to augment the learner’s
experience, but its advantages go beyond that. Whether you’re training employees, partners,
customers or planning compliance training, organizations using blended learning will reap many
rewards. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits for learners and organizations:
Benefits for learners
Blended learning offers the learner convenience and flexibility; they have the ability to
control their learning pace and learn remotely.
Academic research suggests that blended learning gives learners a more comprehensive
understanding of the course content.
Because blended learning allows learners to interact with instructors and fellow learners,
social learning is supported.
Benefits for organizations
Blended learning reduces face-to-face training costs, such as travel, accommodation, and
printed training materials.
Companies can use varying eLearning methods, such as webinars, gamification, etc.,
which result in better learner engagement.
Because blended learning is a more efficient and cost-effective way to train, you’ll see a
quicker and greater return on investment.
It’s also easier to track exactly who has, or hasn’t, completed training
Blended learning pitfalls
Now that you know more about what blended learning is, hopefully, we’ve gotten you
excited about what it can offer. Before we let you in on how you can start utilizing it in your
training strategy, let’s first outline a few major pitfalls to avoid before you begin.
The most important pitfall you’ll need to avoid is using an LMS that doesn’t meet your
needs. You’ll need an LMS like LearnUpon to manage and deliver your blended learning
strategy, including the integration of webinar software.
Keep in mind that what works for in-person training may not necessarily work for online
training. You should not automatically assume existing courses are ready for online distribution.
Analyze who your learners are, identify what they need to know, review your course content, and
use this analysis formulate a blended learning strategy.
 If switching from solely face-to-face learning, take your time when incorporating blended
learning into your learning strategy. Starting slow not only enables you to assess what is and is
not working from a content perspective, but also gives your learners time to adapt gradually to
the blended learning concept.
Of course, it’s important that blended learning isn’t used just for the sake of it. Once you
have identified your learning goals, you can think about how each goal could be achieved in an
online and/or offline setting.
Webinars: an easy route to blended learning
To get started with blended learning, you can utilize webinars in the instructor-led portion
of your course. To run a webinar, you’ll need a webinar tool. There are many options available;
you’ll just need to find the one that suits your needs. Things to consider when choosing one
include the size of your audience, their requirements, and the learner experience. Some webinar
tool options include:
Zoom
GoToWebinar
Cisco WebEx
Adobe Connect
Google Hangouts
AnyMeeting
These tools integrate with your LMS to synchronize setup, registration, and attendance
reporting. Make sure you record each session so that you can use these recordings at a later date.
This is a superb way to generate reusable training content. These videos can then be added to
eLearning courses and delivered to your learners.
What are the benefits of integrating a webinar tool with your LMS?
If webinar sessions are part of your blended learning, integrating your chosen tool with
your LMS makes sense. This will enable you to: Schedule sessions in your LMS that
automatically reflect in your webinar tool. This means you’ll only have to set up a session
once, and there’ll be no scheduling conflicts.Register your attendees through your LMS, with the
data being sent to your webinar tool automatically.
Monitor attendance data that is automatically transferred back to your LMS, meaning you
don’t have to waste time by manually updating this information.Halt the repetition of tasks,
improve reporting, streamline workflows, etc. It’s also super easy to set up.
 Research on blended teaching and learning

Research indicates that blended approaches involve a range of advantages for students
including, but not limited to, increased flexibility (Pratt & Trewern, 2011; Parkes, Zaka, &
Davis, 2011), student engagement and motivation (Barbour & Reeves, 2009; Wang & Reeves,
2006), development of independent learning (Bolstad & Lin, 2009; Parkes et al., 2011) and new
ICT skills (O’Dwyer, Carey, & Kleiman, 2007; Tunison & Noonan, 2001). Most importantly,e-
learning, including blended approaches, is regarded as a means for educational reform,
modernisation of schools, and increased access to a world-class education (Powell &
Barbour,2011).However, the effective implementation of blended approaches is a complex
process, especially when aiming for educational change rather than supplementing traditional
practices (Davis,2008). Research indicates that some of the main challenges that emerge are
linked to studentsand their readiness to learn in a blended environment (Wright, 2010; Bolstad &
Lin, 2009;O’Dwyer et al., 2007), teachers and their commitment and capability to effectively
teach throughblended approaches (Frailich, Kesner, & Hofstein, 2007; Mupinga, 2005; Parkes et
al., 2011),and school leaders and their provision of adequate support to teachers and students
(Lee, 2006;Parkes et al., 2011; Stevens, 2011).Given the growth of blended teaching and
learning in New Zealand and internationally (Horn &Staker, 2011) and the complexity of
educational change as a result of Information andCommunication Technologies (ICT), it is
apparent that there is a need for further research on theuse of blended approaches in schools and
the implications for key stakeholders to informprofessional and organisational development. In
New Zealand in particular, further research isneeded at a time when the government is
implementing UFBiS, and the need to increase flexiblelearning opportunities becomes more and
more important, especially in light of disruptionscaused by natural hazards in the last 3 years (i.e.
Canterbury earthquakes, 2010–2011) (Parkes etal., 2011).
 Advantages and challenges

Blended teaching and learning, either in the form of blended web-enhanced or blended
distancecourses, involved a range of advantages.

Opportunities for independent learning

Blended approaches encouraged student-centred learning. As a result, the students

developedindependent learning skills that depended on their confidence, maturity, and available
support.

Students’ development of new ICT skills

The students developed new ICT skills because they explored a variety of new tools in
their classes. Some students taught these skills to their parents who were less familiar with
computer use.

More opportunities for interaction

Students in blended web-enhanced courses had more opportunities to interact online or

face-to face with one another. Some students also benefitted from face-to-face
collaboration, while supporting or receiving support from other students in their class. Some
teacher participants mentioned that some students were developing useful online
collaboration and communication skills.

Increased student engagement and motivation

Student engagement and motivation increased for a range of reasons, such as the
opportunity to work independently, use multimedia, learn new ICT skills, or showcase their work
to others, including their parents.

Using blended approaches also raised several challenges.

Limited access issues

Student access to adequate resources at home was a challenge, mainly due to the slow
speed of their home internet connection. The school was already responsive to increased resource
demands, but as the number of teachers experimenting with blended approaches increased, some
teacher participants expressed concern about the current resources and their access to them.

Students’ low readiness for blended learning

Students’ low readiness to learn in a blended environment was an important challenge,

especially in terms of learning independently and confidently, and effectively interacting online,
as well as understanding the usefulness of the implemented practices

An ecological perspective

Taking an ecological perspective, Davis (2008) presented a framework that shows the
many varieties of stakeholders and their organisations that hold important roles in the process of
change with ICT in schools. Teachers “are the keystone species in the educational ecologies of
the twenty-first century world” (Davis, 2008, p. 517), but the whole school ecology (including
individual teachers, students and school leaders) is also affected by a range of external
organisations (professional, bureaucratic, political, commercial/Open Educational Resources
[OER]). Embedding the findings of this study in Davis’ (2008) ecological framework illustrates
the complexity of educational change with blended approaches and the multiple connected
threads affecting and being affected by the process of change. Figure 1 presents a view of the
school ecology and the multiple organisations and stakeholders that affect/are affected by the
development of blended teaching and learning at the school. The framework is also informed by
Zaka, P.Fullan and Stiegelbauer’s (1991) model on the meaning of educational change that
acknowledges multiple change agents.
 Figure 1 Davis, Eickelman, and Zaka (in press), adapted from Zaka (2012)
© 2012 Google Inc. All rights reserved. Mahara logo © Catalyst IT Ltd. (New Zealand)
The class in which blended teaching and learning is implemented is at the centre of the
figure.
The students and the teacher (or e-teacher, in the case of courses through the VLN) are in
the centre, affecting/being affected by the implementation of blended approaches. This
class ispositioned within the rural secondary school, where there are additional
teachers/e- teachers (one of whom is also the e-dean) the school principal, as well
as parents/community, who also have an effect on the development of
blended approaches at the school. The school is placed in a wider context, where
professional organisations, such as the rural e-learning cluster, the regional ICT PD
cluster, and the VLN and its community of schools are also part of the
school’s ecology.
Bureaucratic organisations (such as the Ministry of Education), political organisations
(such as the New Zealand government), and commercial/OER organisations also affect
the school’s ecology.The ways in which organisations and stakeholders are interrelated is
now described, beginningfrom the class and then moving out towards stake
CONCLUSION OR RECOMMENDATION
This case study show that blended learning that involves many contributing
factors in the school progress through online class like moodle, edmodo or canvas. It's important
to remember that in the blended learning environment, teachers' roles are to facilitate that deep
learning, discussion, and collaboration. Not only are they the teacher, but they're also the coach
and the tutor. They're coordinating cooperative grouping. And making sure that they differentiate
and personalize the material. It's important to remember that in a blended learning environment
the teacher really needs to focus on foundational skills, problem solving and those high order
thinking skills.
REFERENCES
https://www.learnupon.com/blog/what-is-blended-learning/
https://trainingindustry.com/articles/content-development/case-studies-the-benefits-
of-blended-learning/
https://www.talentlms.com/blog/5-reasons-why-blended-learning-works/