Supporting Learning Through the Use of Self-Reflection Blogs: A study of the experience of blended learning students in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

This exploratory study seeks to examine how the use of student-written blogs support student learning through the student perspective. The blogs were introduced to provide support in four distinct areas: as a medium for facilitating learning; as a medium for interactivity; as a medium for metacognitive thought and reflection; and as a learning tool. This study was conducted over the course of one academic year with undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in a blended learning university located in the United Arab Emirates. Results indicate that for the students in this study, the use of blogs provided support in all four identified areas, as well as in additional areas not expected by the researchers. This paper provides details of the results of the data analysis, provides suggestions for classroom implementation, discusses the limitations of this research study, and proposes research questions which can guide future research studies on this topic.

Keywords

• blogs
• learning facilitation
• online learning
• student perspectives
• united arab emirates
• web 2.0 technology