Blended Learning Technology in Education
18 means the university level. Thus, the higher education blended learning models by
Twigg 2003 are one of the models which can be used by the students and lecturers in applying the blended learning. The blended learning models by Twigg
2003 are as follows.
Table 2.1 Higher Education Blended Learning Models by Twigg 2003 as cited in Khosrow-Pour, 2015, p. 2474
Model Description
Supplemental model Intact lecture portion
Supplemental online materials Online quizzes
Additional online activities Online portion either at home or in on-campus computer lab
Replacement model Replacement of F2F class time online activities reducing in-
class meeting time Online activities either at home or in on-campus computer lab
Buffet model Student chooses learning options
Lecture Online
Discovery laboratories Individual projects
Teamgroup activities Many others
Emporium model No class meetings
Online materials and on-demand personal assistance instead of learning resource center
Fully online All learning activities online
No required F2F class meetings Optional F2F in some cases
The first model by Twigg 2003 is the supplemental model. Twigg 2003 claims that this model consists of the
“intact lecture portion, supplemental online materials, online quizzes, additional online activities, online portion either at
home or in on-campus computer lab ” as cited in Khosrow-Pour, 2015, p. 2474.
In this model, the students still get the full face-to-face meetings in all courses and the lecturers teach the students in the classroom. The students will also get some
19 additional online materials which cannot be delivered in the classroom. Then, the
students can fill the online quizzes and additional online activities which are given by their lecturers. The last, the students can do the online activities either in
campus or at home. The second model by Twigg 2003 is the replacement model. Twigg
2003 claims that this model consists of the “replacement of F2F class time
online activities reducing in-class meeting time, online activities either at home or in on-campus computer lab
” as cited in Khosrow-Pour, 2015, p. 2474. In this model, the students do not have full the face-to-face meetings in the classroom
with their lecturers because this model reduces the face-to-face meetings. Hence, the students can learn the materials by themselves either at home or the campus
laboratory. The third model by Twigg 2003 is the buffet model. Twigg 2003
claims that this model consists of “lecture, online, discovery laboratories,
individual projects, teamgroup activities, many others ” as cited in Khosrow-
Pour, 2015, p. 2474. In this model, the students can choose the learning options which are suitable for them.
The fourth model by Twigg 2003 is the emporium model. Twigg 2003 claims that this model consists of
“no class meetings, online materials and on- demand personal assistance instead of learning resource center
” as cited in Khosrow-Pour, 2015, p. 2474. In this model, there is no class meeting. The
students get the learning resources from the online materials and on-demand
20 personal assistance. Other learning resources center, such as textbooks or face-to-
face meetings are not really needed. The fifth model by Twigg 2003 is the fully online model. Twigg 2003
claims that this model consists of “all learning activities online, no required f2f
class meetings, optional f2f in some cases ” as cited in Khosrow-Pour, 2015, p.
2474. In this model, the students have no class meetings because all activities are online. Hence, there is no face-to-face meeting except there are some cases, i.e.,
the lecturers ask the students to have a class on the certain day.
4 Advantages and Disadvantages of Blended Learning
There are some experts who mention the advantages and disadvantages of blended learning. Welker and Berardino 2005 state there are four advantages of
blended learning in their findings, namely the ease of use, independence, advanced learning, and flexibility p. 43 45. First, in the ease of use category,
Welker and Berardino 2005 mention some advantages such as “easier to post an
assignment compared to typing, printing, driving to campus and handing it in; plenty of opportunity to interact with students and professor in class or online” p.
43. The researcher agrees with Welker and Berardino’s 2005 explanation of the
first advantage. Applying a blended learning approach will be useful for the students because they can post the assignments easily without spending much
money. By posting the students’ assignment, they do not have to go to campus to submit it. It will be efficient for those whose houses are far. If the lecturers do not
have time in the classroom while the students want to ask the lecturers, blended learning gives the students opportunity to communicate with their lecturers.
21 Second, in the independence category, Welker and Berardino 2005
mention some advantages such as “learning how self-motivated or self-disciplined
one is; obtaining more computer experience ” p. 45. In this independence
category, the students should motivate themselves to learn. A high motivation will build a good self independence. Since the blended learning involves the online
learning, the students can have more the computer exercises by operating the computers and technologies independently.
Third, in the advanced learning category, Welker and Berardino 2005 mention some advantages such as the
“ability to viewreview as allowed by the professor assignments posted by classmates; use of classroom meetings as a
workshop to clarify and develop concepts ” p. 45. This advanced learning
category is also related to the independence category. When the students are asked to post their assignments on the websites and then the lecturers ask them to give
some comments, the students will review other students’ assignments. Therefore,
the students can enrich their knowledge by reviewing other students’ assignments.
In the advanced learning category, the classroom meetings let the lecturers and the students clarify something what they misunderstand in the online delivery because
it is possible to get the unclear instruction. Fourth, in the flexibility category, Welker and Berardino 2005 mention
some advantages such as “working on the course anytime and anywhere the web
is available; working at one’s own pace; contribute to student savings in terms of
time and resource expenditures ” p. 45. By applying the blended learning, the
students will get the flexibility. They can work the assignments anytime and
22 anywhere. For those who cannot adjust their learning style in the classroom, the
blended learning lets them apply their own learning pace. Applying blended l
earning also reduces the students’ expenditures, i.e., printing the assignments. Then, Welker and Berardino 2005 also state four disadvantages, namely
the confusion, social interaction, access, and more work p. 45-46. First, in the confusion category, Welker and Berardino 2005 mention some disadvantages
such as “unclear or incomplete instructions; not always being clear on when the
professor has provided feedback ” p. 45. Applying the blended learning which
involves the online usage is possible to get the unclear instruction because the individual
’s understanding is different. Then, the assignments which are posted by the students in the websites will make them wait for the lecturers
’ feedback. Therefore, the lecturers should inform the feedback to the students.
Second, in the social interaction category, Welker and Berardino 2005 mention some disadvantages such as
“reduced face-to-face exposure with the professor, reduced class-to-teacher interaction and reduced number of team
building activities ” p. 46. The blended learning approach which is applied by the
lecturers will be different to other lecturers in other universities. Hence, reducing the face-to-face interaction with the lecturers or professors and reducing the
number of team work are possible. Third, in the access category, Welker and Berardino 2005 mention some
disadvantages such as “limited access to the web due to technical capability at
home; technical difficulty with attaching assignment files; difficulty in keeping up with so many discussions going on at once
” p. 46. Since the blended learning
23 integrates the online technology, the common problem which is faced by the
lecturers and students is the access. They cannot access the websites by the limited Internet connection. Besides, the trouble in the websites or Internet also
makes them cannot attach the assignments or have the discussions. Fourth, in the more work category, Welker and Berardino 2005 mention
some disadvantages such as “more assignments compared to the traditional
classroom setting; consumption of more time to discuss a topic online than in the classroom; too much time expended with discussion group
” p. 46. Since the blended learning is the integration of online and traditional learning, the lecturers
who do not have time to give the assignment to the students in the classroom can post it in the online sites. The number of assignments depends on each lecturer.
Therefore, having the online discussion is also related to the access because the lecturers and the students should have a good Internet access and they need to
spend more time to have the discussion. Talking about the advantages and disadvantages, Jeffrey, Milne, and
Suddaby 2014 state the advantages of blended learning. First, they mention the online environment does not suffer the time and space limitation p. 133. It
means that there is no limitation of online environment. For example, the lecturers and students can interact easily.
Second, they mention that the teacher can make the available extra teaching notes and writing the
answers for the students’ question p. 133. If the teacher does not have time to give the notes to the students in the classroom, he or
she can give them the additional important notes through the online sites. For the
24 students who are shy or afraid in asking the questions in the classroom, they can
also ask the teacher privately. Hence, all the students can follow the course which is taught by the teacher.
Then, Jeffrey et al. 2014 also state the disadvantages. First, they mention the lack of time p. 134. Using the online learning means that people use the
technology. People cannot predict what will happen to the Internet. Therefore, they should be aware of spending their time to access the website.
Second, they mention that teachers feel frustrated to learn and use the system properly p. 134. The system can refer to the programs or even the
technology of the computer. If the teachers cannot use the technology or the Internet, they need more time to learn and practice. By using the online learning,
all the teachers either old and young or junior and senior should be able to use the system properly.