A Study on the Necessity of Blended Learning in Classroom after the Pandemic Period

ABSTRACT

Rescheduling the usual elements of educational materials predominantly helps the learner to seek
knowledge much easier than before. Developing e-sources is the next level of advancement in
providing support for all learning categories. This study is an attempt to find out the necessity of
blended learning in the classroom after the pandemic period .This study was conducted with a
quantitative research design using a survey methodology to gather data about the learners’ interest
among the blended learning from the sample of 50 undergraduate students in the state of Tamil
Nadu, India. The necessity of updating to the present scenario is challenging the teachers to upgrade
themselves and support the students. During the pandemic, the teaching and learning process is quite
difficult to acquire education, but the integration of technology balances the mutuality. The core
objective of this study is to examine the effects of the online mode of education among students and
find out the requirements of blended learning for future education.
Keywords: Technology, Education, Blended Learning, E-Sources, Online Education

INTRODUCTION

The pandemic caused a major catastrophic disruption to education than ever before. The task of learning from
the crisis is very difficult. Continuity of learning and delivery of education is radically changed through distance
education. The mode of online learning during a crisis is becoming a part of the teaching and learning process in
which all teachers educate the learners through using technological aids to afford education. Major efforts are
needed to mitigate the situation to continue the learning process. During the crisis rapidly shifting the education
sector to adapt of online mode of teaching and learning is changed the curriculum of the education. The teachers
had to use effective and efficient ways to interact with their students to deliver the education. The mediums
range from Televisions to radio to promote online learning and the channels like using phones, computers, and
tablets. Apps assisted learning platforms like Whatsapp, Google Meet, Zoom, YouTube, blogs, Microsoft Teams
and more apps helps to share communication among teaching and learning process. The basic smartphones
stood out as an effective solutions for education. After the pandemic period, research on effective way of using
the technology for advanced classroom in education have exposed improved results, in English language
teaching and learning, also from different language settings with the establishment of authenticity (Nguyen,
2019). A hybrid classroom encourages student-centred learning in nature. It supports the learners to have facility
to do homework, practice questions, and learning materials. Interaction in offline mode and communication of
sharing materials for language education in technology-based facilities supports the student confidence level,
representing that the knowledge in technology conveys both self-attention and collaborative techniques to global
language acquisitioning skills and practices. In present scenario most of the teachers is changed the regular style
of teaching methodology to using of online based activities and strategy of using gamification methods in the
class to promotes students interesting. Prior to the pandemic period, hybrid learning was a choice and now, it’s a
necessity for present scenario.

Literature Review

The origin of hybrid learning founded when Sir Issac Pitman tossed the concept of distance learning for
students. Notes were sent to learners via postcards and they were needed to finish the task and return it back for
grade and feedback. One important key to note down that feedback in testing and evaluation in testing were very
important even though android devices and computers were not consumed (Pappas, 2015). According to
Dziuban et al. (2004), Blended (hybrid) learning, is an instructional strategy that involves the competency and
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socializing opportunities of the traditional mode of classroom with the technologically improved learning
promises of the online mode of communication. Students who interest in traditional face-to-face classroom
instruction, class-time discussions, and an organic bonding between teacher and students may not interest in an
online learning methods (Roval & Jordan, 2004). Blended learning based communication permit the students to
experience both traditional method of face-to-face instruction and online based learning platforms, as well as
planned and self-centred class works (Singh, 2017).After the pandemic period, teachers resumed to use the
regular pedagogy such as focussing to the lecture method and teacher-centred methodology throughout the
classes which make sense of limited accessibility in interaction during the classroom period. In regular mode
classroom, using traditional method based classroom students experiencing that they are disconnected from the
existence situation’ and consider that this form of classroom is counterfeit and false (Baker et al., 2012). Hybrid
form of education can be the new norm and it’s also permits the educationalists to reinvent and modify the
subject matter principally in disciplines where trainers struggled to offer engaging and promoting learning
experience for learners in an online mode of instruction (Rodriguez, 2020). A real understanding of blended
learning, however, where the traditional which is face-to-face classroom and online tools are incorporated and
uniformly important is usually measured complex to set up and run, requiring considerable institutional change
(Dörnyei,Z.(2003).

Methodology

Settings and participants

The study was conceded out in July 2022 in English Department at TPGASC College, Tamil Nadu, India.
Close-ended questions method was used to gather the data from the participants of the study. A close-ended
question method asking for one or more than one answer: this type of question asking participants to choose the
most key value from the questionnaire. This is a common technique in research to collect the insights. This kind
of questionnaire method have participants’ answers are limited to a fixed set of responses. Most scales are close
ended questions in format. A whole of fifty undergraduate students (females: 26 and males: 24) enrolled in the
department willingly participated in the study, responding to the questions on a close ended scale. The
participants were second year students taking the approaches to the third semester course. Without any
discussion among themselves, they finished the anonymous survey and also gave consent for data collection.

Research design

This research study was conducted with a quantitative research method using a survey methodology to gather
data about the learners’ attitudes towards blended learning and interest among the technological support. Google
Forms was used to collect data, this design is valuable to utilize when researchers try to collect information
rapidly and efficiently. Additional related data were also gathered from the participants like age and their
gender, interested software apps for using educational purposes.
Research questions
In order to discover perspective of blended learning, four research questions were formulated:

What are the perspectives of learning in online mode of education among students?

What are online tools assisted for education and the attitudes and motivation for students in Blended learning?

Is there a need to change the curriculum to new methodology in the classroom?

Is the hybrid learning is necessary for future education?

RESULTS

During the pandemic period teachers used basic technology materials such as software “apps,’ and presentations
as a tools of communication, instruction, and administration.
Research Question 1: What are the perspectives of learning in online mode of education among students?
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Figure 1

The usage of the internet values among the students shows that they can use online mode of teaching supports
the necessity for technological based classroom. Perspectives of learning in online mode is supporting the
learners to acquire learning very eagerly. Figure 1 represents the student’s usage of internet which is clearly
indicates the need of support for learning new things. From the figure 1 38% of the learners using internet one to
two hours, 28% of the learners using internet three to four hours , 18% of the learners using internet more than
four hours accomplishes the newer perspective in online.
Figure 2
The purpose of using internet indicates the major value for from the figure2 clearly represents music and
education is major part in internet. From the Figure- 2, 29% of the learners browsing for education, and 26 % of
the learners interested in Audio-visual learning which clearly shows the need of awareness to use educational
platforms.
Research Question 2: What are online tools assisted for education and the attitudes and motivation for students
in Blended learning?
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Figure 3
Students are most interested in using apps like You Tube and Whatsapp represents the medium influenced more.
During pandemic period students most of the data shared through these applications. So instructors should
follow the familiarised mediums to support students. Towards continuity of using of these platforms helps to
retain the sound of technically advanced support for students. From the Figure-3 43% of the learners show the
interest in using apps like YouTube and Whatsapp. Providing materials through YouTube and Whatsapp encage
the students more effectively.
Research Question 3: Is there a need to change the curriculum to new methodology in the classroom?
Figure 4
From the Figure 4, students mostly like to learn from sources like audio-visual learning, website based learning,
and online quizzes. The Necessity of using online tools for classroom helps the learner to self-motivated
learning, independent in attitude towards learner centred classroom. Using Audio- visual materials and website
based learning helps the learners to study thoroughly. Instructors must change the outdated pedagogy to modern
advanced methodology.
Research Question 4: Is the hybrid learning is necessary for future education?
From the above mentioned the data learners interest among technology based approach have positive results.
After pandemic crisis resumed to regular teaching methodology is not supporting the learners to acquire the
better learning. Blend Learning helps the teachers and students to work effectively for best results. Learner
centred methods help the students in developing in ideas, plans, and opportunities to get the new ideas.
Implications &Conclusions
The massive change of curriculum of the regular education methodology impacts the learners to adopt new
methods in teaching and learning process. Regularizing the traditional classroom in education massively affects
the learning platform from the influence of online class during the Pandemic period. The participation towards
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the online classes during the pandemic period influenced the learners for getting sources through online and
audio-visual elements, and more e-sources. Technology-aided approaches have many benefits, using
technological aids in the classroom supports the students enormously. It’s also posed many challenges for
teacher such as lack of digital training, difficulties in developing e-sources, availability of technologic tools and
so on. The study proposes visualization to reimagining pandemic period of education and the required blended
learning strategy to present a theoretical framework that unites the instructional models essential to be
investigated by educationalists. This research study asserts that the majority of learners were highly confident
and showed increased passion in regards to mixed learning.
Teachers and educationalists that see technology as a source for solving problems be apt to change their
methodology. Teachers should transform their pedagogy from a behavioural approach to a more constructionist
approach. Online based interactive learning with the use of technological aids through technology is more
encouraging to project-based learning. This paper reviewed necessity of blended learning in classroom after the
pandemic period. To be competent to provide significant and engaging learning experiences to learners,
instructors, educationalists and academic administrators have to attention on structuring appropriate groundwork
to support hybrid and blended learning methods in classrooms. It is enormously important to spotlight on
capacity building of facility so they become more recognizable with hybrid learning approaches, e-learning
tools, websites and usage of innovative technology to facilitate teaching and learning. High level of necessity
and preparedness is also needed so faculty, administrators, educationalists and learners can quickly adapt to
changes that are beyond one’s control. Thus, the study investigated the necessity of Blended learning in
classrooms after the pandemic Period.

REFERENCES

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https://digibug.ugr.es/handle/10481/21841