Blended Learning Tools and Practices: A Comprehensive Analysis

Abstract

Blended learning incorporates online learning experiences and helps students for meaningful learning through flexible online information and communication technologies, reduced overcrowded classroom presence, and planned teaching and learning experience. This study has conducted surveys of various tools, techniques, frameworks, and models useful for blended learning. This article has prepared a comprehensive survey of student, teacher, and management experiences in blended learning courses during COVID-19 and pre-COVID-19 times. The survey will be useful to faculty members, students, and management to adopt new tools and mindsets for positive outcomes. This work reports on implementing and assessing blended learning at two different universities (University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, India, and Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida, India). The assessments prepare the benefits and challenges of learning (by students) and teaching (by faculty) blended learning courses with different online learning tools. Additionally, student performance in the traditional and blended learning courses was compared to list the concerns about effectively shifting the face-to-face courses to a blended learning model in emergencies like COVID-19. As a result, it has been observed that blended learning is helpful for school, university, and professional training. A large set of online and e-learning platforms are developed in recent times that can be used in blended learning to improve the learner’s abilities. The use of similar tools (Blackboard, CodeTantra, and g suite) has fulfilled the requirements of the two universities, and timely conducted and completed all academic activities during pandemic times.

Keywords

• Active learning
• blended learning
• COVID-19
• E-learning
• learning tools
• online learning