Teaching in ‘blended’ learning environments

How are conceptions of teaching and eTeaching associated?

Abstract

Combining face-to-face learning and teaching experiences with online tasks and activities has become an increasingly common practice for a growing number of university teachers. This phenomenon, known as ‘blended’ learning, has become part of the educational provision of most ‘conventional’ on-campus universities. The present study investigated how conceptions of teaching and eTeaching, both sides of the ‘blended’ experience, are associated. Three conceptions of ‘blended’ teaching were proposed as emerging from these associations: 1) as a disintegrated way of supporting transmission of information, 2) as a ‘dissonant’ way of combining face-to-face and online tasks and activities; and 3) as an embedded way of supporting students’ learning. Conceptions one and three suggested that teachers tended to conceive of teaching ‘consonantly’ both face to face and online. Conception two represented an un-expected pattern of association. These results have important implications for eTeaching development programs. Not only technical skills should be emphasised, but also teachers’ pedagogical awareness as those who held student- focused conceptions of teaching seemed to be more likely of conceiving of eTeaching as a medium for supporting quality learning experiences.