Applying blended learning to English communication courses 101 and 102 at BZU Palestine : case study

Abstract EN

Faced with the challenge of having a huge number of freshman students who need remedial English courses every year, Birzeit University had to follow the footsteps of many educational institutions around the world and opt for using technology in teaching in order to meet the need for teaching all those students, and cut expenses by reducing the number of teachers needed for those courses to almost the third.

This study will closely examine and evaluate the experience of applying blended learning to the remedial courses of English Communication 101 and 102 at Birzeit University.

These two courses were merged in one blended learning course that uses both face-toface material as well as an online component.

The course aims to develop and enhance students’ communication skills in English language and foster their skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

This study will examine students’ attitudes towards using blended learning in this particular course.

In addition, it will evaluate their readiness, cooperation, enthusiasm, and seriousness towards the new trend.

Finally, it will evaluate the experiment as a whole and provide some recommendations and suggestions for the future.