Literature Review Final Paper
Literature Review Final Paper
Literature Review Final Paper
Introduction
Blended learning has become adopted throughout higher education and some scholars
refer to it as the “new traditional model”(Dziuban, Graham, Moskal, Norberg & Sicilia, 2018,
p.1). Studies have shown a connection between the approaches teachers take, the types of
learning environments, as well as the engagement of students with the activities provided to them
(Dziuban, Graham, Moskal, Norberg & Sicilia, 2018, p.1). Blended learning can be defined as
“a learning environment that combines various delivery modes to provide an effective learning
experience for the participants” (Abbas, 2018, p.102). In simpler terms, “blended learning is the
experiences” (Garrison, R., Kanuka, H., 2004, p.95).It is a “fundamental redesign that transforms
the structure of and approach to, teaching and learning” (Abbas, 2018, p.102).
Problem Statement
Emerging technology has changed the way students and teachers interact with one
another, it allows for a combination of technology integration and the traditional face-to-face
learning environment to enhance student learning. This new approach to teaching is known as
blended learning. With new approaches, comes many challenges and inconsistencies. “Academic
practice is often underpinned by individuals’ own interpretations of the term rather than a
consistent approach…” (Mirriahi, Alonzo & Fox, 2015, p.2). We need to effectively implement
this new approach and have strategies or frameworks for teachers to use to aid them in
implementation. “... Frameworks are problematic either in their design or in the criteria and
standards or lack thereof.” (Mirriahi, Alonzo & Fox, 2015, p.2) On the flip side, we also need to
explore the effects blended learning has on the students, positive or negative. “The instructor, the
interconnectivity and interactivity along with technology are essential in affecting student’s
Review Questions
After reading various articles focused on blended learning we determined three themes:
the challenges blended learning programs face, identifying frameworks that support the
integration of blended learning and how blended learning affects students positively or
negatively. After identifying the three themes listed above, we determined the following review
questions:
● What are the most prevalent challenges blended learning programs face?
● How can frameworks help support teachers with effectively incorporate blended
Throughout our graduate courses so far, blended learning has been a topic of discussion
and research. Due to the consistent reinforcement of this topic, we can infer that this is an
importance of this topic throughout this literature review as well in order to encourage
application into the classroom on a regular basis. The purpose of this paper is to review and
discuss the questions listed above in a way that will benefit both higher education and the K-12
environment. Our goal is to identify the challenges teachers may be facing in order to offer
solutions to overcome them. These are by no means all of the challenges a teacher may come
across in regards to implementing blended learning but are the main ones found within the
research conducted. We will identify frameworks that will best support a blended learning
environment in an effort to offer teachers a guideline for ways to implement blended learning.
There may be more frameworks out there for teachers to evaluate but this review is offering the
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 4
best ones we have found throughout our research. In addition to offering ways of overcoming
challenges and frameworks to use for implementation, we will be explaining both the positive
and negative effects blended learning has on the students. If a teacher chooses to use blended
learning within his or her classroom, there could be other effects a teacher notices but for the
purpose of this literature review we are focusing on the ones we identified within the research we
found.
We began this literature review by identifying challenges blended learning faces for both
teachers and schools as a whole. We also touched on some problems administration could
potentially have when using blended learning. Overall, there are a variety of challenges but we
focused on the most prevalent. Within this review, we identify the best frameworks to use in
regards to blended learning. You will find the second argument focused on the Community of
Inquiry and TPACK frameworks. Through our research, those were identified as the best
frameworks to use. We then went onto determine the positive and negative impacts blended
learning has on the students. You will note, there are more positive than there are negative
effects that we could identify using the research we gathered. As stated above, we defined
Literature Review
Background of Issue
The increased use and advancements in technology has changed how educators and
students learn. Due to these advancements in technology, blended learning has become a well-
known concept and a way of teaching in the 21st century. “Blended learning can take various
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 5
forms, thus allowing users to adapt a program that best fits their pedagogical goals and physical
setting” (Kazakoff, Macaruso, & Hook, 2017, p.432). This means that teachers can use blended
learning in a way that best suits the way they teach and supports their students needs. We found
many studies that were focused on the higher education but very few on studies done within a K-
education institutions and the President of Penn State noted that it is “the single greatest
unrecognized trend in higher education today” (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004, p.96).
Since it is unrecognized and a fairly new trend to learning, there can be many
misconceptions that can occur. Some of the misconceptions are understanding and defining what
blended learning truly is, what frameworks can help support blended learning in the classroom,
and how it can aid or harm students’ achievement. These misconceptions are important to
address because they provide educators with a clear understanding of the purpose of a blended
learning experience for both the educators and the students. In order to implement blended
learning, educators need to be fully aware of the definition of blended learning and how it can
best aid students in their education. These misconceptions are addressed throughout the literature
review.
Argument 1
Due to blended learning being a relatively new concept, this can create many challenges
for teachers, administrators, and other professionals in the education field who are using it. The
most prevalent challenge associated with blended learning is the variety of definitions and ways
teachers implement it based on their understanding and views (Mirriahi, Alonzo & Fox, 2015).
Crawford and Jenkins (2018) stated that blended learning is more than a mix of learning
practices for students. These pedagogical considerations will depend on each individual teacher.
These considerations will create inconsistencies with the “design, pedagogical approaches,
portion of online versus face-to-face time, purpose of blending and the role of technology”
That means another setback blended learning can face is being able to evaluate how
successful blended learning courses actually are. Due to individual teachers implementing
blended learning in a way that supports their own pedagogical approach and values, it is hard to
evaluate blended learning universally since “tools available to guide and evaluate blended
learning course designs are limited (Smythe, 2012)” (Mirriahi, Alonzo & Fox, 2015, p.2). This
education institutions is to acknowledge and accept that there have been significant and
ensure there is a strong teaching presence (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). “Teaching presence
manages the environment and focuses and facilitates learning experiences” (Garrison & Kanuka,
2004, p.98). Blended learning has the ability to provide free and open speech, debates,
negotiation and agreement (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). Teachers need to make sure they can
“provide the necessary teaching presence in a blended environment” (Garrison, & Kanuka, 2004,
p.99). This can correlate with the most prevalent challenge we discussed in the beginning. If
teachers have different definitions and values, they may implement blended learning in different
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 7
ways. That means some may have a strong teaching presence and others may not. If we had tools
to evaluate and support blended learning, a lot of these challenges would become irrelevant.
The final challenge identified throughout the research conducted is that teachers and
schools are not comfortable in using online technologies, which leads to poor implementation of
blended learning. “Reason for the weaknesses of many VLE’s programs does not lie in the use of
technology, but in the basic education systems that support these programs” (Charboneau-
Gowdy, 2017, p.57). This means that education systems need to become more educated about
blended learning in order to support it. If we support the school system, then in turn we should be
supporting the teachers as well. “Teaching faculty require assistance with course development
needs, time management of their learning curve, and technical assistance” (Garrison & Kanuka,
2004, p.102). Some teachers may have a basic understanding of blended learning while others
have a more sophisticated understanding and implementing it. “Digital fluency or academics’
confidence and skills using online technologies remain low (Johnson et al.2014)” (Mirriahi,
Alonzo & Fox, 2015, p.1). We need to improve confidence and competency in using online
technologies if we want to effectively use blended learning for courses or classrooms. In order
for blended learning to be successful throughout the K-12 grades as well as higher education, we
Argument 2
Our second review question identifies different frameworks of teaching that help support
a blended learning classroom. We believe this would increase teacher success and confidence
when trying to incorporate or learn about the blended learning model. Through the synthesis of
current literature, two frameworks emerged as being most successful in helping to prepare
teachers to successfully implement blended learning into their classroom. “Many teachers are
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 8
still looking to find their way on how to integrate these new technologies into their teaching”
(Philipsen, Tondeur, and Zhu, 2015, p. 802), learning about and analyzing the frameworks will
help support those teachers who wish to incorporate blended learning into their classroom.
Blended learning is becoming a more common practice and teachers need to be properly
educated in order to meet the needs of their students. Through meaningful professional
development and integration of the blended learning frameworks in classrooms, teachers can
successfully implement blended learning. Current teachers and aspiring teachers need
opportunities to work with and understand the different technologies, “there is therefore a need
to investigate how to minimize barriers and develop faculty knowledge about emerging
teachers who are becoming digital learners. Furthermore, teacher education faculty need to
teachers (Kivunja, 2013)” (Jaipal-Jamani, Figg, Collier, Gallagher, Winters, & Ciampa, 2018,
p.39).
The two frameworks that emerged as being the most helpful in training and informing
teachers about teaching in a blended setting are: TPACK and Community of Inquiry (COI). COI
and TPACK are research-validated frameworks for online and blended learning, “The TPACK
framework has been widely used in online and blended learning settings (Clark-Wilson, Robutti,
& Sinclair, 2014), so its use would also be expected in teacher education” (Papanikolaou, Makri,
& Roussos, 2017, p. 14). TPACK emphasizes the consideration of understanding the different
components of a lesson. The major components within the TPACK framework are technology,
knowledge, content knowledge, and pedagogical knowledge. When training and educating
technology PD should focus on the content to be taught rather than on learning the technology,
and should emphasize the interactions between technology knowledge (TK), content knowledge
(CK) and pedagogical knowledge (PK) — referred to as technological pedagogical and content
knowledge (TPACK; Jaipal-Jam-ani & Figg, 2015; Mishra & Koehler, 2006)” (Jaipal-Jamani,
Figg, Collier, Gallagher, Winters, & Ciampa, pg.39, 2018). This will help all educators develop
digital literacy and competency. One study showed that through meaningful professional
development, educators can gain deeper insights about how to successfully interact with
The second framework COI or Community of Inquiry supports teachers learning with
how to integrate blended learning. “The COI model has been submitted to extended empirical
testing for almost two decades, gaining a significant degree of validity. It has also been
extensively employed as a design blueprint for online and blended learning programs worldwide
(Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2010)” (Papanikolaou, Makri, & Roussos, 2017, p. 14). This
means that it is able to be used to help implement blended learning into classrooms globally and
the research is empirically validated. The COI model consists of three presences: social,
cognitive and teaching (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). Blended learning is more effective due to its
ability to facilitate COI (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). It is able to give the students and teachers
the ability to balance open communication and limitless access to the internet (Garrison &
Kanuka, 2004). Using the COI framework with blended learning, it supports free and open
communication, debates, negotiation and agreement (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). Blending
learning also adds a “reflective element with multiple forms of communication to meet specific
learning requirements.” (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004, p.97) Garrison and Kanuka (2004) identified
the teaching presence as a way to manage the learning environment as well as focus and assist in
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 10
learning experiences (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). Using a cohesive COI and combining it with
synchronous verbal and asynchronous written contact, blended learning allows for supporting
higher levels of learning through communication and reflective activities (Garrison & Kanuka,
2004). This continues to support that COI is one of the best frameworks to use when
Argument 3
Our third and final review question is to identify both the positive and negative effects on
students who are involved within the blended learning environment. In order to develop 21st
century skills that are needed in today’s learning environment, “people are expected to be active
in creating and interpreting knowledge rather than directly obtaining information presented and
needing to be directed” (Sirakaya & Ozdemir, 2018, p.76). The blended learning environment
requires “students to take responsibility for their own learning, to actively participate in learning
processes, to control their own learning processes and create the environment where students
play a central role” (Sirakaya & Ozdemir, 2018, p.76). If students are able to develop these
Blended learning presents many positive effects on a student and their educational
regulated learning methods, which include the student determining the pacing and content of
their learning, and the student is in charge of their learning and social engagement and peer
interaction, with a focus in communication and feedback (Abbas, 2018, p.102). Blended learning
environments are also said to increase personal skills such as self-direction, motivation, and
students willingness to learn (Sirakaya & Ozdemir, 2018, p.76). Self-direction is an important
skill for students who are taking an active role in creating and interpreting their knowledge. Self-
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 11
directed learning is a “process whereby students take the initiative with or without receiving
support, diagnose their learning goals, determine resources for learning, and choose and
implement their learning strategies for the knowledge to be learned” (Sirakaya & Ozdemir, 2018,
p.77). As part of becoming self-directed learners, students who have the opportunities to be
involved in their learning and receive feedback explained the students’ overall achievement
increases (Sirakaya & Ozdemir, 2018, p.82). When students are involved in their learning and
participate actively, they have the ability to guide their learning and utilize their critical thinking
skills, which is critical for self-direction and planning their learning (Adinda & Marquet, 2017,
p.3).
The negative effect identified within the research that were associated with blended
learning include students who felt limited in their learning as compared to face-to-face classes.
Researchers explain how blended learning environments provide plenty of content information
for students, however it limits their ability to develop a deeper understanding unless they have
already developed stimulated motivation (Sirakaya & Ozdemir, 2018, p.77). Some limitations
include lack of face-to-face interaction and the force to adapt to digital communication
technologies in order to share thoughts and develop the learning environment (Dziuban, Graham,
Moskal, Norberg & Sicilia, 2018, p.3). Blended learning certainly presents its negative effects,
Conclusions
Blended learning struggles to be defined universally but this review defined blended
effective learning experience for the participants” (Abbas, 2018, p.102). To be more specific, it
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 12
“is the thoughtful integration of classroom face-to-face learning experiences with online learning
experiences” (Garrison, Kanuka, 2004, p.95). Blended learning can be considered as “one of the
various methods being adopted to deliver meaningful learning experiences (Lim & Morris, 2009)
and is found to be effective in addressing diverse learning styles (Bielawski & Metcalf, 2003)”
because of its ability to flexibly deliver learning experiences to students (Tseng and Walsh, 2016,
p. 43).
Discussion Argument 1
Our review question focused on identifying the most prevalent challenges involved with
blended learning. We successfully identified those challenges within our argument one. All the
challenges seemed to relate with each other in one way or another. The challenge that we found
most present was the various definitions and views about blended learning that teachers and
and descriptions differ greatly” (Mirriahi & Alonzo, 2015). If we have one solid definition of
blended learning that is written down for everyone to use, then we can determine if the blended
learning in articles is actually blended learning. “Blended learning can take various forms, thus
allowing users to adapt a program that best fits their pedagogical goals and physical setting”
(Kazakoff, Macaruso & Hook, 2017, p. 432). This allows for each school, course, or classroom
to implement blended learning in a way that best fits their needs and goals that can solve one
The challenge it creates is how to evaluate if the way you chose to implement is
successful or not. For example, “...graduate students such as those working toward a master’s
degree need effective blended online learning to pursue blended courses” (Amry, 2018, p.144). If
we have a universal evaluation tool to use to determine how effective the blended online learning
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 13
is, then we will be able to accurately say if the blended courses are effective or not. “The use of
explicit criteria and standards in blended learning will facilitate more effective learning and
teaching activities…” (Mirriahi, Alonzo, & Fox , 2015, p.2). Mirriahi, Alonzo, & Fox (2015)
created a framework that is an option for evaluating the effectiveness of a blended learning
course. It contains one definition of blended learning, criteria for teachers to use, and standards
to help with the evaluation process and evolution of blended learning in higher education
(Mirriahi, Alonzo, & Fox, 2015). It could potentially be modified by researchers to benefit a K-
12 classroom. The classes would also be more effective since they have a definitive definition of
blended learning.
Garrison and Kanuka (2004) identified five problems administration faces when going to
implement blended learning, which are policy, planning, resources, scheduling, and support. In
regards to policy, Garrison and Kanuka (2004) claimed there needs to be a formal approach to
creating policies and operations so it supports blended learning. When planning for a blended
(Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). If they plan using the strategic plan, they identify needs, goals,
costs, objectives as well as resources(Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). The operational plans
“operationalize the goals and objectives in an action plan.”(Garrison & Kanuka, 2004, p.101)
The following resources are required for blended learning: financial, human, and technical
(Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). Both the teachers and administration would need to determine how
they would want to offer the courses (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004).
Finally, the teachers need support as well as students with blended learning (Garrison &
Kanuka, 2004). This leads into the challenge of making sure the educators are competent with
the technologies being used for blended learning. “The low digital skills of academics
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 14
student learning (Torrisi-Steele & Drew, 2013)” (Mirriahi, Alonzo, & Fox, 2015, p.1) More
competent teachers, means more effective student learning and according to Mirriahi, Alonzo, &
Fox (2015) the digital technology is affordable and available. If it is available and affordable, it
should be utilized more than it is now. As stated from earlier in the review, teachers require
assistance in order to develop courses, and figure out the technologies (Garrison & Kanuka,
2004). We could offer professional development or resources for teachers. “Providing effective
support for blended learning requires an understanding of the course management environment
that students and teaching faculty will be using” (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004, p. 102) This further
supports the idea that professional development is critical in obtaining confident and competent
educators using blended learning. “With the combination of synchronous verbal and
higher levels of learning…” (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004, p.98). This further supports the solution
Discussion Argument 2
Using a framework or having structure within a classroom is important for teachers and
students. After reviewing the literature about blended learning, two prominent frameworks of
teaching in the blended environment emerged as being helpful for successful integration of
technology and traditional teaching within the classroom. These frameworks will help educate
teachers on how to integrate blended learning. This could be through the means of professional
development or just simply applying the frameworks in daily planning. The two frameworks are
TPACK and COI. TPACK involves teachers considering different aspects of their practice while
planning a lesson. (Koehler & Mishra 2009) describe the TPACK model as, “Good teaching with
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 15
content knowledge, often referred to as TPACK (Philipsen, Tondeur, and Zhu, p. 802, 2015).
Teacher training for blended learning through the lenses of TPACK is important, “Wolf (2006)
argues that teachers; effectiveness in face-to-face education does not automatically translate in
effective online teaching. Teacher professional development in the different aspects involved in
online, and blended, teaching, and learning are therefore important”(Philipsen, Tondeur, and
Zhu, p. 802, 2015). Training and informing teachers about TPACK may help teachers feel
The other teaching framework that emerged is known as COl or Community of Inquiry.
This model emphasizes building different presences to help create a community of learners that
feel empowered and motivated to learn,“The importance of the COI model lies in its
identification of three overlapping elements which are critical to a successful online learning
experience: teaching presence, cognitive presence, and social presence (Garrison, Anderson, &
Archer 2010; Garrison & Arbaugh, 2007)” (Majeski, Stover, and Valais, 2018, p. 53). The COI
framework is appropriate for an online or blended learning environment, “The model has
the online learning experience (Arbaugh et al., 2008; Garrison & Arbaugh, 2007)”(Majeski,
Stover, and Valais, 2018, p. 53). The COI model is considering whether or not an emotional
presence is readily available for students to use in the classroom setting, “These elements of
emotional intelligence are linked with elements of the COI model and can be seen as integral to
successful learning, especially in the online environment” (Majeski, Stover, and Valais, 2018, p.
55). The learning process in any setting should consider how the learner and teacher can be
supported. This support could include professional development on the frameworks discussed in
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 16
this literature review. Learning about the TPACK framework or the COI framework can help any
Discussion Argument 3
Throughout researching the effects of blended learning, there were numerous positive
effects that were discussed and analyzed. First, the commonalities amongst majority of the
research studies was that blended learning affected the student’s overall educational experience
because of the cognitive advantages it presented throughout a blended course. Blended learning
allows the teachers and students to “maximize many positive education functions” (Dziuban,
Graham, Moskal, Norberg & Sicilia, 2018, p.12). These educational functions, such as
collaboration, communication, and utilizing thinking skills, contribute to the overall success and
growth of the student beyond the time of the course. During a blended learning course, students
are given the opportunity to interact and collaborate through multiple circumstances. Most of
these interactions are a result of digital communications, which “ reported that information and
communications technology tools can indirectly develop self-directed learning skill” (Sirakaya &
Ozdemir, 2018, p.76). Throughout these interactions, students are given the opportunity to
provide feedback and analyze their own learning, which is said to develop and strengthen their
self-directed learning. The discussion forums and communication tools “produced more
cognitive comments involving deeper information processing and higher-order reasoning skills”
(Kim, Park, Jang & Nam, 2017, p.281). Students were able to increase their thinking and
learning abilities to apply to other learning experiences. These are metacognitive skills that
associate with the brain and their way of thinking. Through one research study, it was proven
that a “blended course was successful in effectively providing knowledge to the students with the
help of feedback mechanisms, open communication, and supplementary course materials. The
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 17
course also scored very high in terms of student satisfaction” (Abbas, 2018, p.103). While
interacting with one another, the “flipped classroom did appear to promote learners’ deeper
knowledge elaboration” (Kim, Park, Jang & Nam, 2017, p.280). All of these education functions
can be applicable to multiple areas of study in the student’s future education. Having the
opportunity to utilize and develop them through a blended learning course will only prepare the
Some of the positive effects that were mentioned throughout multiple research studies
focused around the idea of increasing one’s personal skills: motivation, self-direction, and the
student’s willingness to learn. One of the main effects that was emphasized throughout multiple
blended learning environment also have a positive impact on students’ self-direction (Adinda &
Marquet, 2018, p.1). “Studies have shown that a relationship exists between self-directed
learning and achievement” (Sirakaya & Ozdemir, 2018, p.77). Students who have higher levels
of self-directed learning skills also have higher levels of achievement. Through student-centered
learning, the student is in charge and takes control of the pace of the learning experience as well
as the depth and complexity of the learning content. The purpose of a blended learning classroom
is “aimed to develop their (student) autonomy as well as their active participation in learning, are
becoming the reasons why blended learning is more and more implemented” (Adinda &
Marquet, 2018, p.1). Blended learning is beginning to shape a lot of secondary education
experiences because it is providing more personal advancements for a lot of the students that are
involved. As mentioned earlier, blended learning provides more opportunities for collaborative
tools to be used in order to communicate. Through the “uses of communication tools, like
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 18
Forums, it facilitates the development of students’ self-direction” (Adinda & Marquet, 2018,
p.7). They are able to guide the discussion and determine where to advance the learning based on
feedback, reflections, and personal discussions. Another personal skill that was researched was
motivation and the increase in overall student success when they were more motivated and
wanted to learn. “Students are certainly motivated, work well collaboratively, work in strategic
ways, and solve complex problems” (O’Connor, Mortimer & Bond, 2011, p.11). Clearly, the
overall learning experience portrayed many positive attributes that reflected in a positive way
with the students. Overall, blended learning has many positive effects on the students that are
involved. “Blended learning results in improvement in student success and satisfaction”, which
becomes our goal, as educators we guide students through their educational careers (Dziuban,
Although there were many positive effects that were explored, there were not as many
negative effects explained through the research that was found. The studies mentioned students
that were not satisfied with a blended learning course, but did not elaborate on their reasons why
or how it may have inhibited their development as a learner. Students who were involved in a
blended learning experience felt that they did not learn as much in the online class, as they would
in a face-to-face because they were not able to develop those personal relationships through
interactions with every class period (Abbas, 2018, p.104). In one of the research studies, it was
noted that “30 percent of the respondents believe that blended courses are generally not as
effective as face to face courses” (Abbas, 2018, p.104). The reasoning for this belief was not
Most of the studies presented findings from secondary educational experiences. This led
to wonder and question if the effects could be more impacting if a blended learning course was
applicable and integrated into higher elementary or even middle school education.
Our discussions and arguments have helped to answer our initial review questions. The
answer to our first question reveals that the challenges faced in blended learning are as diverse as
blended learning itself. They range from teachers lacking support and confidence to evaluation
tools not providing enough information about how effective blended learning actually is.
Blended learning allows for teachers to choose a way that works for them as far as
implementation, but that also poses the issue of blended learning being inconsistently used and
evaluated.
Our second question can be concluded as proper teacher training in the field of
technology and pedagogy is important to consider when teaching the blended learning model.
Two research validated frameworks that emerged as being successful in the blended learning
model are the TPACK (technology, pedagogy, content, and knowledge) and the COI
(Community of Inquiry). Understanding and learning about these frameworks will help teachers
develop competence in teaching with synchronous and asynchronous tools within the blended
setting.
Our final review question can be answered in a variety of ways due to students being
affected in multiple ways by the blended learning model. Student-centered and blended learning
taking control of their learning. Blended learning promotes an increase in cognitive and higher-
level thinking skills and deeper processing skills. Blended learning also increases students’ self-
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 20
direction and ability to grow as a learner because of student success and satisfaction in the
blended educational experience. The blended learning environment created a positive perspective
on their learning experience, which aligns with their success rates and abilities through the
learning.
Overall, the review of literature answered our initial review questions. There could
always be more research and evaluations to strengthen and deepen our discussion about the
complexities and intricacies of blended learning. However, we hope that our insights to these
questions and the background provided have helped explain the complex learning model known
as blended learning.
BLENDED LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY 21
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Sirakaya, A., & Ozdemir, S. (2018). The effect of a flipped classroom model on academic
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Tseng, H., & Walsh, E. J. Jr. (2016). Blended versus traditional course delivery: Comparing