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Contributions to Books:

P. Mazohl, L. Reitano:
"Our Understanding of Blended Learning";
in: "Blended Learning Quality - Concepts Optimized for Adult Education", P. Mazohl, H. Makl (ed.); issued by: Mazohl Publish; Mazohl Publish, Wiener Neustadt, 2016, ISBN: 978-3-901679-11-7, 13 - 17.



English abstract:
Blended Learning is a relatively new teaching method, which emerged in the last 8 years. Developed as a
combination of classroom teaching and distance learning, this method takes up an important role in the
educational system. Big companies were the first to use this teaching and training concept because they
expected cost reductions. Nowadays the first research work about the efficiency and the necessary
environment of Blended Learning are published. One of the issues mentioned is a missing quality concept for
Blended Learning.
There exists the ISO/IEC 19796 norm (designed for distance learning) that could be more or less applicable for
Blended Learning as well. As quality is beginning to play an increasingly important role in the educational
system, the consortium extended the mentioned norms with a special focus on learnersī needs. Additional, the
consortium analysed and transferred the results of the research work dealing with Blended Learning into a
quality framework for Blended Learning. The project focuses especially on the concepts of the quality of
courses, the courses itself, the quality in organizations responsible for Blended Learning courses and activities,
and last but not least on the needs and the environmental conditions of the learners. The result is a scientific
bases - more or less theoretical - description of a practicable quality framework for Blended Learning, added
by a course to teach the developed results. The consortium tested the course in a pilot environment (at the
University of Helsinki). An equivalent course was hold with ten participants as a first trial in Wiener Neustadt
by the EBI. Additional there was a compact eLearning course, based on a Moodle environment, developed.
The consortiumīs members are all involved in education or further education of adults and experienced in
organizing courses for adults.
The result of the project is a well proofed practicable quality concept (in written form) covering all issues of
Blended Learning with a special focus respecting the needs and the learning environment of learners as well.
The quality concepts are developed for Adult Education in the frame of a Grundtvig Multilateral Project 539717-
LLP-1-2013-1-IT-GRUNDTVIG-GMP. The versatile results of this project are also valid for Higher Education and
in the VET sector too. The project results can easily be transferred to equivalent teaching environments in these
other sectors of education.
"Our Understanding of Blended Learning" deals with the status of research in the frame of quality assurance in Blended Learning. Here the focus was laid on papers, documents and books describing the needs of learners


Electronic version of the publication:
http://publik.tuwien.ac.at/files/publik_255967.pdf


Created from the Publication Database of the Vienna University of Technology.