Blended Learning Experiences at Nakuru Training Institute

Abstract

This report presents the results of a survey conducted at Nakuru Training Institute, Kenya to evaluate the blended learning experiences of students and instructors in courses developed during a technology-enabled learning project and offered in the blended mode. The research looked at the effectiveness of blended learning in terms of student learning performance and perceptions of blended learning. It also assessed differences between student performance in blended course units and traditional course units. The study was carried out among 144 students and nine instructors of blended-learning classes. The courses were created and facilitated by instructors who had received blended learning implementation training from the Commonwealth of Learning. Mixed findings emerged from comparing the students’ grades in blended and non-blended learning courses: in three of the courses, there was a positive difference in grades, while in the other three, there was a negative difference. Because the blended learning experience gave students the freedom to learn when, where and at a speed that worked for them, learners’ opinions of the blended learning environment were generally favourable