Skip Navigation

Bournemouth University Logo

Staff
Content only version

Blended learning

blue sky and graduation caps

Contents:

BU defines blended learning as 'learning that is facilitated by the effective combination of different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of learning, and founded on transparent communication amongst all parties involved with a course'. (Heinze, A. and Proctor C., 2004. Reflections on the Use of Blended Learning. Education in a Changing Environment conference proceedings, University of Salford, Salford, Education Development Unit. Available on-line: http://www.ece.salford.ac.uk/proceedings/papers/ah_04.rtf)

These two examples illustrate how BU staff are adopting blended learning:

  • Students in the School of Applied Sciences develop their academic skills through a common Level C unit utilising lectures and weekly tasks submitted online, followed by regular formative feedback delivered through myBU.
    watchWatch Brian James talking about the award
  • A blend of lectures, online independent learning activities and practical assessment engages students in a biomechanics unit delivered in BU's Associate College, the Anglo European College of Chiropractic

For a challenging perspective on blended learning, see this research bulletin by Dziuban et alExternal Link.

^ Top

myBU

myBU is Bournemouth University's Virtual Learning Environment which is available to all students to support their learning. myBU is offered to students to:

  • help develop independent learning
  • provide access to flexible, student-centred resources
  • support communication and collaboration
  • support student and academic communities of interest

myBU logo

Click here to log in to myBU

Log in with your myBU username and password. If you have problems logging in to myBU or you do not have a username and password please contact the IT Service Desk:

Tel: +44 (0) 1202 965515
IT Services home page: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/itservices

Related pages

^ Top

Online content and resources

Resources for students to access online can include copies of lecture notes and powerpoint slides, or, in some of BU's lecture theatres, you can also video-record your lectures to enable students to review your lecture again to revise difficult points or expand their notes using Echo360.
Case studies using Echo360External Link
Lecture capture Echo360 at BU
Enhancing the Student Experience with Captured Lectures (PDF 161kb)

This example in engineering at the University of Leeds considers the benefits and some of the challenges of using lecture capture technology.
Lecture capture: making the most of face-to-face learningExternal Link

BU is reviewing its lecture-capture technology and a project is underway to pilot another system, Wimba.

The Subject Librarians can help staff locate e-books and other online resources. Publishers offer access to websites with supplementary material linked to their textbooks. These often contain question banks for use in e-assessment.

In this BU example in business studies the lecturer incorporated publisher's online material linked to a text book on human resources management.

A wealth of audio-visual material is available from sources such as YouTubeExternal Link, much of it may lack academic standing, but it can be useful for providing thought-provoking ice-breakers, such as this vision of today's students as learners.

Box of Broadcasts (BoB)External Link is a tool developed by the Centre for Excellence in Media PracticeExternal Link that enables you to record or retrieve broadcasts from national television and radio for editing and using within your teaching.

^ Top

Group learning

This BU example illustrates how students from different programmes in law and product design benefit from working collaboratively in groups to develop interdisciplinary outcomes.

Collaborative Student Centred Learning and Assessment for Intellectual Property Tania Humphries-Smith (DEC), Angel Adrian (BS)

Further guidance on making student group work effective, explaining different methods for assessing it, is available in this Handbook for Economics LecturersExternal Link.

^ Top

Blogs, wikis and online discussion

Blending the use of blogs, wikis or online discussion boards into teaching enhances learning by encouraging students to actively participate and make a contribution to knowledge creation, as these three BU examples demonstrate.

Student groups use wikis in archaeology to prepare material for seminars.

Services marketing students post to blogs their critiques of resources provided by the lecturer and other students.

Psychology students learn about the value of collaboration in learning through online discussion.

^ Top

Education on the move (mobile technologies)

Podcasting
A podcast is a digital media file, created and distributed over the internet for playback on portable media players such as MP3 players (eg iPods), mobile phones and personal computers.
The use of Pod-Casting to enhance students’ engagement and deeper learning (PDF 44kb)

The IMPALAExternal Link project at the University of Leicester has created some examples of the different uses for podcasts in support of learning. Gilly Salmon presents a podcast to introduce pedagogical models for podcasting hereExternal Link.

^ Top

 

 

 

 

 

 

Campaign Logo
go to myBU BU Academic Staff