Interview Questions and Responses for Students
Student 1 (Female)
- Why do you think most students believe that BL has positively affected the relationship between them and the instructors?
This is because the number of students in the classroom is large, making it difficult for the teacher to personally interact with each students. The Online platforms allow students to interact with the teacher at a personal level and learn of answers to the questions that they could not ask in the classroom.
- Why do most students prefer E-learning as compared to face to face interaction with their instructors?
According to the student, e-leaning allows for convenience in accessing education, such that students are not limited by their geographical location or time in accessing education. Through e-learning, they are able to attend lessons from anywhere they are, do assignments and submit them electronically, and contact their teachers easily to consult them on various areas of the course.
- Why do most students believe that courses undertaken using BL pose challenges to them?
The student believed that the institutional culture has not been changed to accommodate the new system and that individuals are used to the traditional system of learning, which allows for physical class attendance and the reception of instructions from face to face interactions with the instructors.
- Why is the number of students who agree that BL allows them to attend classes regularly lower than that of those who disagree?
The participant argued that most students took advantage of the lack of a physical classes to miss classes provided via the online platform and that their initial preference for traditional classes allowed for the decreased attendance of classes.
- Most students believe that BL improves the quality of teaching. What do you make of this?
The participant was in agreement with this statement, arguing that BL provides multiple avenues of learning and assessment of the students. In this case, the student elaborated that the teachers are able to provide students with learning material in different forms, including videos, text, and even pictorial representations, hence increasing the understandability of course content.
- Do you agree with the high number of students who contest the notion that BL facilitates contact between students? Explain.
The student disagreed with the students, arguing that the confidence built by students via the virtual interaction crated b BL allowed them to increase in confidence when interacting with each other in the traditional classroom, hence increasing overall student interaction.
- Why do you think most students believe that the instructors at SEU lack the necessary skills and knowledge to implement Blended Learning in the delivery of their courses?
The participant argued that this was because the university had not put in place well-known initiatives to impart into the instructors up to date technological skills that would allow them not only to use the online platforms to teach, but to create user responsive instructions.
- Do you agree with the notion that SEU lack the tools to conduct competent online learning courses as indicated by most students?
According to the student, SEU does not have enough equipment including transmitters and servers to cater for the need that comes with the introduction of online learning. She argues that reliant on outside providers to host the institution’s system would cause various challenges with security and speed.
- Why do you think students from the computer college generated higher scores as compared to management and health science students when considering the experiences and advantages brought by BL?
The participant believed that the students from the computer college were familiar with the use of computers and that is why they were able to quickly adopt to the new approach to teaching provided by BL.
- Why do you think most female students find BL to be more advantageous that male students?
The participant maintained that female students believed that BL was more advantageous as BL provided them with a platform through which they could interact with each other, including the male students without cultural interventions.
- Why do you think the number of years of study is inversely proportional to the level of agreement with the advantages brought by BL?
The participant argued that the students in the advanced years of study had already fully embraced the traditional system of learning and hence were more resistant to change provided by BL.
- Most students of the students between ages 21 and 25 agreed that BL poses more challenges to them. Why do you think it occurred to this age bracket so?
The participant reported that he could not differentiate the age difference with regards to the challenges posed by BL.
Student 2 (Male)
- Why do you think most students believe that BL has positively affected the relationship between them and the instructors?
The student mentioned that some students are shy in the classroom and so they could not raise their hand to ask questions. The online platform allow the students to ask such questions to both their teachers and their peers, getting a better understanding of the courses. The students can also contact the teachers and get clarification on some of the learning content.
- Why do most students prefer E-learning as compared to face to face interaction with their instructors?
The student mentioned that the new wave of technological embracement among the young through online networking platforms such as Facebook and twitter have moved most youths to value the internet as a point of contact and creation of social interactions. As such, e-learning provides an already enjoyable and acceptable approach to knowledge accessibility and interaction between the young.
- Why do most students believe that courses undertaken using BL pose challenges to them?
The student maintained that most of the students in Oman are not introduced to online learning early in their lives. As such, they find it challenging to adjust to the new system considering the learning habits that they have developed as a result of prolonged exposure to traditional learning approaches.
- Why is the number of students who agree that BL allows them to attend classes regularly lower than that of those who disagree?
The student argued that this is because most of the students do not have proper access to computers, hence were unable to attend online classes.
- Most students believe that BL improves the quality of teaching. What do you make of this?
The student agreed with this statement, suggesting that BL allowed students to develop online research skills and to utilize other online tools to facilitate their learning experience and improve their prior knowledge on course content.
- Do you agree with the high number of students who contest the notion that BL facilitates contact between students? Explain.
The student disagreed with these students, arguing that the online forums created by BL allowed students, including those who are inactive in the traditional class, to equally participate in interactive learning, under the cover of the virtual environment.
- Why do you think most students believe that the instructors at SEU lack the necessary skills and knowledge to implement Blended Learning in the delivery of their courses?
The student argued that the institution did not have enough computer systems to supply all the students and instructors who participate in BL.
- Do you agree with the notion that SEU lack the tools to conduct competent online learning courses as indicated by most students?
The student disagreed with this notion arguing that Blended Learning had just been introduced into the institution and that it was in the phase of capacity building. The student believed that the available resources are capable of taking care of the BL needs of both students and instructors.
- Why do you think students from the computer college generated higher scores as compared to management and health science students when considering the experiences and advantages brought by BL?
The student argued that the students from the computer college had a good attitude towards the use of computers in learning while most of those from the health sciences and management did not have a god attitude towards the use of computers as they were already used to the traditional system.
- Why do you think most female students find BL to be more advantageous that male students?
The student did not have a response to the question.
- Why do you think the number of years of study is inversely proportional to the level of agreement with the advantages brought by BL?
The participant argued that the junior students at the university were more open to learning new approaches and skills as they had less to cover in terms of their course content, while the senior students in the school had much to cover that they did not have time to learn new approaches and skills required for BL implementation.
- Most students of the students between ages 21 and 25 agreed that BL poses more challenges to them. Why do you think it occurred to this age bracket so?
The student postulated that most students between these ages face an increase in the amount of course content and activities that are given to them and so find it a challenge to attend other lessons online and to engage other students virtually in order to find assistance with their assignments.
Student 3 (Male)
- Why do you think most students believe that BL has positively affected the relationship between them and the instructors?
The student reported that the ability to record, pause, and play the lesson sessions conducted via the online platform allowed students to go through the learning content over and over again, increasing their interaction with the teachers’ instructions and developing a better understanding of the course content.
- Why do most students prefer E-learning as compared to face to face interaction with their instructors?
The student suggested that e-learning improved the confidence of the students as opposed to the physical classroom, allowing each of the students to gain more from the learning experience than they would in the traditional classes through increased opportunities to communicate their ideas and to ask questions.
- Why do most students believe that courses undertaken using BL pose challenges to them?
The student believed that most of the students did not have proper access to personal computers and hence it made it difficult for them to participate in the learning process away from the classroom. The requirement for online interaction brought about by BL hence is a major problem for such students as they are unable to effectively participate in the learning process, access instructions, complete and submit assignments, and share ideas with their peers and teachers.
- Why is the number of students who agree that BL allows them to attend classes regularly lower than that of those who disagree?
The student suggested that the decreased rate of class attendance was as a consequence of the poor attitude that students have towards BL, hence, less were more embracing of the approaches used to pass across instructions.
- Most students believe that BL improves the quality of teaching. What do you make of this?
The student believed that this was as a result of the interactive platform created by BL learning, whereby the students do not only have to receive knowledge from the instructors like it is in the traditional learning system, but they are provided with an opportunity to participate in the creation of knowledge.
- Do you agree with the high number of students who contest the notion that BL facilitates contact between students? Explain.
The student agreed with the students, maintaining that in as much as the BL online platform created an avenue for students to interact via forums and discussions, student participation was limited by lack of access to vital resources such as computers and the internet.
- Why do you think most students believe that the instructors at SEU lack the necessary skills and knowledge to implement Blended Learning in the delivery of their courses?
The participant suggested that such a take was due to the inadequate content developed by the instructors for BL, which in some cases forced the students to do much research on their own in order to meet the course outcomes.
- Do you agree with the notion that SEU lack the tools to conduct competent online learning courses as indicated by most students?
According to the student, the institution does not have the capacity to conduct online learning as it initially depended on the traditional system of learning. The student suggested that the school will ultimately attain the capacity it requires for effective BL implementation, but such would take years of investment.
- Why do you think students from the computer college generated higher scores as compared to management and health science students when considering the experiences and advantages brought by BL?
The participant argued that students from the computer college had the required technical skills including computer skills to effectively implement BL, as compared to health science and management students.
- Why do you think most female students find BL to be more advantageous that male students?
The student suggested that female students have been for a long time prevented from taking part in public discussions with male students. Hence, the BL system provides them with a virtual system through which they can openly share their ideas and ask their questions from male students.
- Why do you think the number of years of study is inversely proportional to the level of agreement with the advantages brought by BL?
The student maintained that senior students took longer to adopt the BL system as they had been used to the traditional system more than the junior students who had only experienced the traditional system for one or two years before the introduction of BL.
- Most students of the students between ages 21 and 25 agreed that BL poses more challenges to them. Why do you think it occurred so to this age bracket?
The participant believed that this is because this population includes the largest portion of the entire students’ body at the institution and that the high rates of lack of access to resources such as computers among the majority of the students reflected the increased challenges in this age group.
Student 4 (Female)
- Why do you think most students believe that BL has positively affected the relationship between them and the instructors?
The student reported that the one-on-one discussions are probably the main reason why some students believe that BL increases the interaction with students. She maintained that this is because the discussions allow the students to effectively communicate with the instructors and bring out their opinions without fear.
- Why do most students prefer E-learning as compared to face to face interaction with their instructors?
According to the student, the e-Learning provided an opportunity for students to interact away from school at any time of the day, making learning a continuous process as the students freely share their ideas and expand on each other’s knowledge as gained from the courses.
- Why do most students believe that courses undertaken using BL pose challenges to them?
The student believed that most of the students lacked the technical skills required to maneuver the online environment and access information from the online classes, an aspect that limits their perception of Blended Learning as an effective approach to learning.
- Why is the number of students who agree that BL allows them to attend classes regularly lower than that of those who disagree?
The participant suggested that the wrong attitude that the students had developed towards BL was a major contributing factor towards the reduced class attendance as some of the students believed that they could not gain as much from online learning as they would via blended learning.
- Most students believe that BL improves the quality of teaching. What do you make of this?
The student argued that BL allowed teachers a closer interaction with the students through creating a system of timely response to the various questions that may be raised by the students during the learning process.
- Do you agree with the high number of students who contest the notion that BL facilitates contact between students? Explain.
The student agreed with these students suggesting that it was not mandatory for students to interact with each other via the online platform and that students did so by choice. On the other hand, the traditional classroom allowed students to create groups in which they carried out discussions or did their group assignments, increasing the need for interaction.
- Why do you think most students believe that the instructors at SEU lack the necessary skills and knowledge to implement Blended Learning in the delivery of their courses?
The students suggested that this was because most of the instructors showed less reception towards BL, indicating their lack of capacity and confidence in the implementation of the learning approach.
- Do you agree with the notion that SEU lack the tools to conduct competent online learning courses as indicated by most students?
The student agreed with the notion, suggesting that the institution did not have both the technical resources such as computers and servers, and the human resource including teachers well-trained in BL, to facilitate their effective implementation of the new system.
- Why do you think students from the computer college generated higher scores as compared to management and health science students when considering the experiences and advantages brought by BL?
The student suggested that the fact that students from the computer college had already been trained in the use of computers and the internet underlies their high acceptance of BL and the related high scores.
- Why do you think most female students find BL to be more advantageous that male students?
The student suggested that this was because female students were more pro-technology as compared to male students and would hence quickly embrace technological solutions once they came up as replacement for traditional practices.
- Why do you think the number of years of study is inversely proportional to the level of agreement with the advantages brought by BL?
The student suggested that this was because the first and second year students were still fresh and susceptible to new ideas as compared to their counterparts in the third and fourth year who had already been worn out by the education system and were hence less interested in new educational related things.
- Most students of the students between ages 21 and 25 agreed that BL poses more challenges to them. Why do you think it occurred to this age bracket so?
The student suggested that most of the students between ages 21 and 25 were between the second and the fourth years of study and thus these students were exposed to more learning content than the rest of the classes, making it difficult to coordinate learning using a newly adopted less popular system.
Student 5 (Male)
- Why do you think most students believe that BL has positively affected the relationship between them and the instructors?
The student mentioned that students are able to build on what they learn in the classroom via the face-to-face interaction with the teacher through the online platforms presented by Blended learning by directly inquiring more from their teachers on issues that they did not understand better, hence increasing their relationship.
- Why do most students prefer E-learning as compared to face to face interaction with their instructors?
The student argued that gender segregation in Oman, as defined by the social and cultural values, has made it almost impossible for members of the opposite sex to communicate, entreat, or meet to discuss and share ideas. As such, BL allows for such interaction via the online platform.
- Why do most students believe that courses undertaken using BL pose challenges to them?
The student suggested that the prevalence of traditional and religious norms in the society and the insistence on conservatism are predetermining factors to the continued embracement of traditional learning approaches with the notion that BL and online learning approaches are more western and eroding of the cultural provisions of the society of Oman.
- Why is the number of students who agree that BL allows them to attend classes regularly lower than that of those who disagree?
According to the participant, the irregular class attendance associated with BL could be as a result of the lack of proper technical skills among most of the students, such that they are unable to effectively access and utilize information designed and provided by the instructors via online platforms.
- Most students believe that BL improves the quality of teaching. What do you make of this?
The participant argued that students were exposed to vast information via online learning than they could be provided with by the instructor through traditional learning. As such, the traditional lessons are limited in terms of the available time for the instructor to share knowledge with the students, unlike the online platforms.
- Do you agree with the high number of students who contest the notion that BL facilitates contact between students? Explain.
The student agreed with these students, arguing that the virtual relationship created between students via the online portal could not be compared with the physical relationship that could be created between students as they come into contact with each other in the classroom.
- Why do you think most students believe that the instructors at SEU lack the necessary skills and knowledge to implement Blended Learning in the delivery of their courses?
The student argued that this was because the university had failed to put in place proper initiatives to ensure the adequate training of instructors in the application of Blended Learning.
- Do you agree with the notion that SEU lack the tools to conduct competent online learning courses as indicated by most students?
According to the student, SEU did not have the tools to effectively implement the online learning as most of the students did not have access to computers and hence could not access the online classes when they are away from school.
- Why do you think students from the computer college generated higher scores as compared to management and health science students when considering the experiences and advantages brought by BL?
The student believed that the high scores among computer college students were as a result of the early introduction of these students to the use of computers in learning as opposed to their counterparts in management and health sciences.
- Why do you think most female students find BL to be more advantageous that male students?
The student believed that the increased experience of advantages of BL among female students is as a result of their increased desire to use the system, which provides them with the freedom they are denied in the traditional learning system due to cultural provisions.
- Why do you think the number of years of study is inversely proportional to the level of agreement with the advantages brought by BL?
The participant suggested that the students who were in the advanced years of their courses had already established constructs for the knowledge that they had received via traditional learning approaches, and hence transforming to such a system proves more costly, thus the reduced adoption of the learning approach and realization of advantages among these students.
- Most of the students between ages 21 and 25 agreed that BL poses more challenges to them. Why do you think it occurred to this age bracket so?
The student believed that this is because these age bracket consisted of the largest part of the student population. Other factors affecting BL implementation including lack of technical skills and computers affecting most of these students would hence indicate such high rates of perception of challenges associated with BL.
Student 6 (Female)
- Why do you think most students believe that BL has positively affected the relationship between them and the instructors?
The student argued that some of the courses enrolled a large number of students, making it difficult for each of the students to interact personally with the teacher and for the teacher to effectively monitor the progress of each student without examinations or assessment test. As such, the online platforms allowed teacher to note the struggling students via the discussions and forums and to respond to their concerns.
- Why do most students prefer E-learning as compared to face to face interaction with their instructors?
The student argued that e-learning promoted the interaction between the faculty members and the students. The online forums allowed students to freely share ideas with their teachers as opposed to the uncertainty created by the traditional classroom setting, increasing their active participation in knowledge creation.
- Why do most students believe that courses undertaken using BL pose challenges to them?
The student suggested that the constantly changing technology environment requires students to continuously update their technical skills in order to catch up and effectively access and use materials provided to them via online learning platforms. As such, with most students lacking such skills, they find themselves in preference of the traditional learning system.
- Why is the number of students who agree that BL allows them to attend classes regularly lower than that of those who disagree?
The student suggested that the low number of students could be as a consequence of the lack of access to computers among a majority of the students, an aspect that makes it difficult for them to access online classes.
- Most students believe that BL improves the quality of teaching. What do you make of this?
The student believed that BL introduced the students to a new system of instruction that allows them to access learning content at their convenience, transforming teaching from the old system that requires strict physical attendance of classes.
- Do you agree with the high number of students who contest the notion that BL facilitates contact between students? Explain.
The student disagreed with this students suggesting that students were able to interact with their class wide peers more through the BL online forums as compared to the physical classrooms in which most students only form small groups within which they interact.
- Why do you think most students believe that the instructors at SEU lack the necessary skills and knowledge to implement Blended Learning in the delivery of their courses?
The student argued that this was because the instructors showed less competence with the application of BL teaching approaches such as video-conferencing and in the use of the online system to distribute assignments and activities.
- Do you agree with the notion that SEU lack the tools to conduct competent online learning courses as indicated by most students?
The student disagreed with the notion, maintaining that the institution had a computer college that could provide enough resources including servers and computers required to meet the demand for BL as it grows in the institution.
- Why do you think students from the computer college generated higher scores as compared to management and health science students when considering the experiences and advantages brought by BL?
The student argued that the computer college students had underlying technical skills that allowed them to effectively embrace BL and gain from its provisions for online learning.
- Why do you think most female students find BL to be more advantageous that male students?
The student argued that this is because BL eliminated the religious barriers to interaction that they experience with traditional learning, and that the low reception among male students was as a result of the fact that males do not have any impediments to interaction and communication, hence the reduced desire to embrace a new system of interaction.
- Why do you think the number of years of study is inversely proportional to the level of agreement with the advantages brought by BL?
The student argued that unlike junior students, the students who had already spend more years in the institution had a lot to cover in terms of course content and hence found BL as less appealing in meeting their educational needs as they required close face-to-face interactions with their instructors.
- Most students of the students between ages 21 and 25 agreed that BL poses more challenges to them. Why do you think it occurred to this age bracket so?
The student believed that this was due to the fact that most of the students between this ages did not have access to personal computers as they were more independent as compared to those between 18 and 20 years who were still dependent on their parents, and those above 25, who take on part-time jobs and are able to purchase their own computers to facilitate BL.
Student 7 (Male)
- Why do you think most students believe that BL has positively affected the relationship between them and the instructors?
The student believed that most of the students did not attend the traditional classes regularly for various reasons and thus had an impaired relationship with the teachers. Nevertheless, the online platform for learning as created by BL allowed students to attend classes at their convenience without having to physically move to the classroom.
- Why do most students prefer E-learning as compared to face to face interaction with their instructors?
The student argued that E-learning allowed students to ask questions, post their messages, and contribute to the learning content without fear, increasing student participation in the learning process and making learning more enjoyable as compared to the traditional learning process.
- Why do most students believe that courses undertaken using BL pose challenges to them?
The student suggested that the lessons provided via the online approaches such as lecture videos posed a major challenge to most students as they lacked deeper explanation of the content presented. The videos could not provide impromptu examples to explain the concept in a more understandable manner as in the traditional classes where the teacher may use the context to come up with a more applicable and clear way of explaining concepts.
- Why is the number of students who agree that BL allows them to attend classes regularly lower than that of those who disagree?
The student believed that this is because most students do not have the resources, such as computers, to allow them to attend classes online.
- Most students believe that BL improves the quality of teaching. What do you make of this?
The student believed that with the large number of students in classes, BL provides an interactive environment in which student-centered learning can be achieved as the students are increasingly involved in active learning problem solving, and knowledge building via the online discussion forums.
- Do you agree with the high number of students who contest the notion that BL facilitates contact between students? Explain.
The student expressed her disagreement with such a take arguing that BL creates both a formal and informal setup through which students can create networks that allow them to interact with each other, sharing their learning experiences, knowledge developments, and asking and responding to each other’s questions.
- Why do you think most students believe that the instructors at SEU lack the necessary skills and knowledge to implement Blended Learning in the delivery of their courses?
The student suggested that this could be due to the fact that the students have not yet seen the full indulgence of the teachers in implementation of the BL system.
- Do you agree with the notion that SEU lacks the tools to conduct competent online learning courses as indicated by most students?
The student agreed with this notion, mentioning that the University had not been keen to put in place proper measures to build its capacity to implement the system including creation of adequate workshops to train both the instructors and the students.
- Why do you think students from the computer college generated higher scores as compared to management and health science students when considering the experiences and advantages brought by BL?
The student argued that to perfect their computer skills, the students from the computer college had already been introduced to Blended Learning in a way that some of the instructions they received from the teachers were provided for them online. Hence, they had developed their technical capability to effectively engage in BL, as opposed to the other students, to whom BL was a new idea.
- Why do you think most female students find BL to be more advantageous that male students?
The student suggested that most female students in Oman long for a system that would allow them to freely interact and learn from their male counterparts, who have been given more priorities by customary beliefs, hence their quick adoption of the online system.
- Why do you think the number of years of study is inversely proportional to the level of agreement with the advantages brought by BL?
The student argued that the junior members of the institution were still open to academic exploration and in search of learning alternatives that would facilitate their success as well as their convenience, as opposed to the senior students, who were already settled deep into the traditional system and adjusted to make the best out of it.
- Most students of the students between ages 21 and 25 agreed that BL poses more challenges to them. Why do you think it occurred to this age bracket so?
This is because most of this students are introduced to an increased amount of course content that that they find difficult coordinating via the online platform.
Student 8 (Female)
- Why do you think most students believe that BL has positively affected the relationship between them and the instructors?
The student maintained that the large classes prevented students from adequately asking questions to the teachers and that BL provided the online platform through which they had the freedom to ask such questions without fear of intimidation from their peers and with more confidence than they would in the traditional classroom.
- Why do most students prefer E-learning as compared to face to face interaction with their instructors?
The student believed that the Islamic religion prevented male students from interacting with female students and that BL allowed such interactions to occur without physical contact via the online discussions and forums.
- Why do most students believe that courses undertaken using BL pose challenges to them?
According to the student, some of the students believed that some of the students did not have proper internet or computer skills to allow them to effectively navigate the provided platforms for learning. As effect, the students do not have proper access to the learning materials provided by their instructors.
- Why is the number of students who agree that BL allows them to attend classes regularly lower than that of those who disagree?
The student pointed out that as much as BL provided students with a solution to ensure that they attend class at their convenience, without having to physically travel to the classroom, most students did not have personal computers and hence they could not access the content provided by the instructors via the online portal.
- Most students believe that BL improves the quality of teaching. What do you make of this?
The student postulated that this belief could be as a result of the interactive platform that students are provided with via the online learning platform, such that students who cannot be able to fully participate in the learning process in the traditional approach of learning due to confidence issues are able to interact freely via the online platform.
- Do you agree with the high number of students who contest the notion that BL facilitates contact between students? Explain.
The student agreed with the students, postulating that the online platform did not allow the teacher to follow up on students who do not attend classes and hence the teacher could not be able to measure up the progress of such students. She suggested that the traditional approach allows teachers to monitor class attendance, organize impromptu quizzes, and directly ask the students questions during the classroom while assessing feedback to allow for proper evaluation of progress.
- Why do you think most students believe that the instructors at SEU lack the necessary skills and knowledge to implement Blended Learning in the delivery of their courses?
The student argued that this is because most of the instructors are less receptive to implementing BL in the institution as they are likely to lack both the technical and instructional skills required to effectively meet their teaching goals by implementing this new approach to teaching.
- Do you agree with the notion that SEU lack the tools to conduct competent online learning courses as indicated by most students?
The student agreed with this notion arguing that the institution’s online system was slow and unable to allow for effective multiple interactions through the online platforms. He suggested that the institution should consider investing in new servers as they would allow it to increase its capacity in handling the increasing number of students who enroll into the BL system.
- Why do you think students from the computer college generated higher scores as compared to management and health science students when considering the experiences and advantages brought by BL?
The student argued that such students achieved high scores because they had a positive attitude towards computer based learning due to their daily interaction with computers, as opposed to management and health science students who interact less with computers and hence have a negative attitude towards BL, regarding it as a complicated system of learning.
- Why do you think most female students find BL to be more advantageous that male students?
The student believed that female students were more receptive to BL because it is the only avenue through which they can interact with their male counterparts and engage in educational discussions together given that societal norms do not allow them to interact physically in the learning environment.
- Why do you think the number of years of study is inversely proportional to the level of agreement with the advantages brought by BL?
The student suggested that this could be due to the fact that most of the students in the final years have finished most of their theoretical work and dealing more with practical work, which cannot be well catered for by online interactions rather than physical interactions between students and the instructors.
- Most students of the students between ages 21 and 25 agreed that BL poses more challenges to them. Why do you think it occurred to this age bracket so?
The student believed that a large number of students in this age group were self-reliant and contesting with their economic backgrounds, hence they were not able to place pressure on their parents to procure for them personal computers to take part in BL classes. This is unlike students between 18 and 20 years, most of whom are still fully dependent on their caregivers, and those above 26 years, most of who are independent, working part-time jobs, and can obtain their personal computers.
Student 9 (Female)
- Why do you think most students believe that BL has positively affected the relationship between them and the instructors?
The student argued that the time allocated for each lesson in the traditional classroom made it difficult for the teacher to teach and respond to each of the questions that each student has. As such, the online platforms in BL provide forums and discussions through which the teacher can be able to respond to each of the questions without bounds of time.
- Why do most students prefer E-learning as compared to face to face interaction with their instructors?
The student suggested the cultural bounds in the Arabic countries created a barrier between students based on gender, and so the female students are separated from male students, making it difficult for them to help each other in their studies, but the online platforms allow them to effectively interact and address areas of learning that concern them all.
- Why do most students believe that courses undertaken using BL pose challenges to them?
The students pointed out the lack of computer access among the students as the main reason why they found courses offered using BL a challenge as they are expected to use computers to access the course material, carry out assignments, and interact with other students and teachers in the online forums and discussions in order to expand on their knowledge.
- Why is the number of students who agree that BL allows them to attend classes regularly lower than that of those who disagree?
According to the student, most of the students observe online learning as an alternative to the traditional learning approach and hence accessing the learning materials provided through BL online as opposed to attending class.
- Most students believe that BL improves the quality of teaching. What do you make of this?
The student agreed with this notion, arguing that BL improved the interaction between students, allowing for maximum learning within the class as opposed to the traditional learning approach, whereby some students are limited with lack of confidence in their interactions with other students.
- Do you agree with the high number of students who contest the notion that BL facilitates contact between students? Explain.
The student suggested that she does not agree with such students as BL provides numerous approaches through which students can interact with their instructors, including the online discussion forums, in which they can ask or respond to questions. In addition, the students can directly contact their instructors via email, video-calls, or the phone to seek clarification concerning the courses provided.
- Why do you think most students believe that the instructors at SEU lack the necessary skills and knowledge to implement Blended Learning in the delivery of their courses?
The student mentioned that some of the BL content developed by some of the instructors was shallow as compared to what the students receive in the traditional learning environment. As such, students did not receive as much information from the learning experience as they should.
- Do you agree with the notion that SEU lack the tools to conduct competent online learning courses as indicated by most students?
The student argued that she did not agree with this notion as SEU had put in place adequate measures to ensure the success of Blended Learning. On the contrary, she believed that it were the students who required to change their attitudes and perception of BL to allow the university to further develop on the already created online learning systems.
- Why do you think students from the computer college generated higher scores as compared to management and health science students when considering the experiences and advantages brought by BL?
The student maintained that students from the computer college were more accepting of the learning values provided by the computer based BL system of learning as they were used to carrying out most of their learning and assignments via the online platforms and BL only provided them with an opportunity to put their skills into practice. This is unlike the management and health science students who did not have prior interactions with computers and computer systems, unless at a personal level for some of them.
- Why do you think most female students find BL to be more advantageous that male students?
The student postulated that the female students have been impeded by the Arabic cultural practices from fully participating in discussion forums and the online forums provided by BL allow them an opportunity to effectively interact with other students, including male students and engage in discussions that would allow them to express their opinions and ideas.
- Why do you think the number of years of study is inversely proportional to the level of agreement with the advantages brought by BL?
The student suggested that students in the advanced years of learning had more to do including placement and part-time work, apart from the class work, hence did not have enough time to visit the online platforms to attend the classes post their ideas online, or interact with the instructors and other students through the online platforms provided by BL.
- Most students of the students between ages 21 and 25 agreed that BL poses more challenges to them. Why do you think it occurred to this age bracket so?
The student argued that this could be due to the fact that most of the students between these ages cover a large part of their entire course and so need closer interaction with the instructors than they believe could be provided by BL. As such, they opt to carry on with the traditional learning approaches.
Student 10 (Male)
- Why do you think most students believe that BL has positively affected the relationship between them and the instructors?
The student maintained that some students lacked the confidence to participate effectively in the classroom by responding to posed questions or contributing ideas. He postulated that the online platforms in BL allow such students to effectively contribute to the learning process and receive correction wherever they make mistakes, improving their interaction with the teachers.
- Why do most students prefer E-learning as compared to face to face interaction with their instructors?
The student argued that most students prefer E-learning as they do not have to physically move to their classrooms to study and can instead study from their home or wherever they are at their convenience.
- Why do most students believe that courses undertaken using BL pose challenges to them?
The student maintained that the students are used to the traditional system of education as prescribed by the educational culture in Oman and so are less receptive to the uncertainty of change. The traditional system of education involves simplified instructions offered to the students via the direct interaction between the teachers and the students while the online classes involve rigid instructions that cannot be simply altered in the lesson context to suit the specific needs of the students.
- Why is the number of students who agree that BL allows them to attend classes regularly lower than that of those who disagree?
The student believed that the low rate of class attendance under BL is as a result of most students procrastinating with online courses as opposed to the traditional classes whereby their presence is required in the classroom during each lesson.
- Most students believe that BL improves the quality of teaching. What do you make of this?
As suggested by the student, the additional information provided to the students after lessons have been introduced to them via the traditional learning approaches allowed them to increase their knowledge of course content and further expand on their understanding of the course contents and provisions.
- Do you agree with the high number of students who contest the notion that BL facilitates contact between students? Explain.
The student agreed with such students citing more practical courses such as the health sciences that require more contact learning, whereby the teacher needs to demonstrate the concepts being discussed and answer any questions that may rise within the learning process. In such courses, the student argued that BL limits proper interaction between the students and the teachers, reducing the amount of knowledge that the students can gain from the teachers.
- Why do you think most students believe that the instructors at SEU lack the necessary skills and knowledge to implement Blended Learning in the delivery of their courses?
The student suggested that Blended Learning was a system wise process and its introduction into SEU involved a system wide change, which is gradual and cautionary. As such, the student believed that since this new system of learning had just been introduced at the learning institution, most of the instructors were yet to adjust their teaching approaches.
- Do you agree with the notion that SEU lack the tools to conduct competent online learning courses as indicated by most students?
The student agreed that SEU lacks proper tools to conduct online learning, citing the resource that the institution did not have enough computers to cater for the needs of the needs of student and that they did not have the capacity to host the amount of data that was being shared via the online classes, an aspect that contributed to the slowed communication between the students and the teachers.
- Why do you think students from the computer college generated higher scores as compared to management and health science students when considering the experiences and advantages brought by BL?
The student suggested that the students from the computer college were more receptive to online approaches of learning as they had prior technical knowledge gained through their course that would allow them to properly navigate the learning platform and access learning content to their benefit.
- Why do you think most female students find BL to be more advantageous that male students?
The student argued that the strict rules established by the society to control communication and interaction between students made BL a good experience for them as it allowed them to easily interact with their peers within the need for contact on issues involving their education. The males, who already had an advanced traditional platform of interaction find BL as a challenging and less acceptable change.
- Why do you think the number of years of study is inversely proportional to the level of agreement with the advantages brought by BL?
The student maintained that students in the third and fourth years of study were already in advanced stages of their studies and had completely embraced the traditional system of learning. As such, they were not receptive to a change of system as they were uncertain of the impact t would have on their final years of study. On the other hand, the second and first year’s students were just being introduced to their courses and were more receptive to systemic changes that would improve their learning experience in the remaining years of study.
- Most of the students between ages 21 and 25 agreed that BL poses more challenges to them. Why do you think it so occurred to this age bracket?
The student argued that most of the students in this age bracket lacked the proper technical skills required of them to partake online classes and yet were in their prime years of study. As such, they were afraid of having to balance between technical training and continuing their studies through BL platforms.
