Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on New Trends in Teaching and Education
Year: 2024
DOI:
[PDF]
Exploring Science Lecturers’ Perspectives on Blended Learning in a South African University of Technology
E. Jordaan, R Gouws-Meyer, M Abrie
ABSTRACT:
Universities of Technology are esteemed for their vocational-oriented education, playing a pivotal role in South Africa’s workforce development and economic strategy. Embracing alternative instructional technologies has been a focal point of progress in these institutions. Globally recognized educational leaders advocate for innovative teaching strategies, such as blended learning, to tackle the academic hurdles faced by higher education institutions. Integrating complex concepts into a purely online learning environment poses significant challenges. Blended learning, combining face-to-face and online approaches, emerged as a solution. The Faculty of Science at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) adopted this approach as its primary teaching and learning strategy. This study aimed to explore lecturers’ perspectives, on the efficacy and ease of implementation of blended learning. Utilizing digital questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, the study measured participants’ perceptions. Inductive thematic analysis was employed to extract themes and sub-themes from the gathered data. A modified conceptual framework identified seven main themes and forty-three sub-themes. The findings satisfactorily addressed the research questions. Key findings underscored participants’ strong endorsement of blended learning as an exceptionally effective teaching method for TUT. They expressed a firm commitment to maintaining this approach, acknowledging its flexible and adaptive nature, which aligns with contemporary educational trends worldwide. Participants indicated a preference for continuing to leverage the dynamic aspects of blended learning over reverting to traditional face-to-face teaching exclusively.
keywords: challenges, higher education, implementation, life sciences, vocational-oriented