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Introduction
Enhancing student learning experiences has become more important in higher education since the mid 1990s due to increased student enrollment and diversification. Blended learning is usually viewed as a combination of face-to-face and online delivery methods, with the aim of each complementing the other. Such an approach should, therefore, influence students' perceptions of the learning environment and, subsequently, their study approach and learning outcomes. It is thus expected that there is a significant relationship between blended learning, student learning experiences, and ultimate achievement.
The aim of this paper is to examine the benefits that blended learning provides to students' learning experiences via an institutional approach, focusing on the case of a single institution, Nottingham Trent University (NTU) in the United Kingdom. The application of blended learning for undergraduate and postgraduate programs at NTU and the students' experiences of using blended learning have been evaluated. The benefits of using blended learning for enhancing students' learning experiences, success factors for developing blended learning modules, and students' perceptions of and attitudes toward blended learning have also been identified. In addition, the similarities and differences between academics' and students' views on blended learning have been discussed. These discussions form the basis of recommendations for the development of learning and teaching practices and approaches that will potentially enhance students' learning experiences. Finally, recommendations for future research have been detailed.
The approach presented in this paper was based on practices at NTU. The University published an updated strategic plan in 2010 that outlined the University's intention to enhance the students' learning experiences and included teaching and learning strategies as part of this plan (NTU, 2010). One of the strategies mentioned in the plan was to include the use of blended learning as a delivery method. NTU's approach to blended learning involved utilizing a combination of traditional face-to-face and online instruction. In blended learning courses, the learning materials were mainly delivered through face-to-face interaction, but they were also available via a robust learning management system (LMS) in order to provide support and enhance after-class, online interactions for instructor-student and student-student communication.
In this paper, the author reports on the research findings of a project titled "An Evaluation of Good Practice in Blended Learning: An Examination of Student and Tutor Perspectives...