Page - 136 - in Radical Solutions and Open Science - An Open Approach to Boost Higher Education

9 IntegrationofFormal,Non-formal and InformalLearning… 143 members identifiedsixbenefitsofusingMOOCsinblendedlearning: replacing lec- tures,augmentingsecondarymaterials,fillinggapsinexpertise,exposingothertypes of teaching, reinforcingcritical thinking, and improvinghowto learnonline. Asanotherblendedlearningexample,Bralic´andDivajak(2016)conductedacase studyaboutintegratingMOOCsintoatraditionalcourseinahighereducationcontext todemonstrate thequalitativeeffectson learningexperiencesofMOOCsaswell as onlearningachievementsamongpart-timestudentsthroughstudent’s learningdiary. Thelearningdiaryconsistedofeightopenquestions to identify thebenefitsof learn- ingexperiences,effectsonlearningachievementforthepart-timestudents,students’ workload,andmainchallenges.Thestudyrevealedthat thequalitativefeedbackand reflectionsfromstudentswerepositive,especiallyintermsofself-pacedlearningand knowledgeassessmentonaregularbasis. Inparticular, students recognizedblended learningasagoodapproach taking thebestof twomodessinceonline learningwas nothighlymotivatingcomparedtoface-to-facelearning.However, theyclaimedthat themain challengeswere related to language problems andmore time required to completeonlineMOOCcontents. Bralic´ andDivajak (2017) extended the study to trace student changes through three consecutive academic years and to see the effects of blended learning with MOOCs. They found that students who experienced blended learning wanted to takemoreMOOCswhen theywere given an option to choose eitherMOOCs or offlineprojectsasassignments.Furthermore,theyalsoreportedthattheformergroup who selectedMOOCs as assignments achieved higher than thosewho selected an offline project as assignments. From the qualitative analysis, it was reported that mostof the studentshadhighlypositive learningexperienceswithMOOCssuchas opportunitieswith frequent evaluation and complementary learning experiences of whatwas taught in the offline class. Theblended learning approachmade students complete the onlineMOOC course and improved their self-efficacy. In addition, part-time students indicated thatMOOCshelped them toadopt self-paced learning andmet their individualneeds. Recently,Cornelius(2019)usedablendedlearningapproachthatreplaced6-week MOOClectures, combining tutor-led tutorials andan independent studywith addi- tionalmaterials.Quantitative andqualitative datawere collected to analyze factors thatmightimpactlearner’sengagementthroughMOOCs.Thesurveyresultsshowed that students fromtheblended learningapproachweremoreengaged in theaspects of learningwith others, reflecting and connecting, research and inquiry, staff–stu- dent partnership, and skills development compared to those in the offline campus approach. Inaddition, thequalitativeresultsdemonstratedthatstudentsconsideredMOOCs as a flexible way of learningwith a variety of resources. In particular, active and social learning was achieved through authentic contents and examples shared by peersinthediscussionsforum.Overall, incorporatingMOOCsintotraditionalclass- roomsasablended learningapproachhasmanyadvantages: enhancing learningby makinglearnersengagedinvariedexpertiseandotherstylesofteachingandlearning activities aswell as enriching teaching and learning resources. The blended learn- ing approach can also reinforce learning experience by providing the flexibility of