[Blended Learning in Secondary School in Saudi Arabia]

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Abstract

Online discovering engages the consignment of techniques and discovering components by the Internet. These techniques and course constituents are delivered from an educational provider to a student. Although online learning is one form of distance learning or e-learning, these terms are often used interchangeably. Generally, online learning is to some degree self-directed and self-paced, and can provide group or individual instruction. An online learning environment also can complement a face-to-face learning environment; in this case, the result is often called blended learning. Most of all, online learning environments are fast, fluid, and flexible; they provide for different ways of learning and greater access to learning, and as such, they will increasingly become a part of every learning activity in education, at home, and in the workplace.

Online learning is as multimedia rich as bandwidth, hardware, and software allow, and it can include text and graphics, animation and simulations, audio and video, discussion boards, e-mail, chats, testing, and some form of progress reports. Components called learning objects for a course are created and managed within a learning or course management system, generally hosted by the educational provider. The management system acts as a student's primary point of contact with the provider and often includes or is linked to student support services. Increasingly, these management systems include or are linked to tools such as e-folios, with which a student can capture explicit and tacit knowledge.

Blended Learning in Secondary School in Saudi Arabia

Literature Review

Introduction

An increasingly robust body of literature suggests both positive and negative implications of knowledge delivery using the Internet. Benefits of online learning environments include flexibility, participation quality and quantity, communication openness, and later access for reference purposes. In online learning environments, students have access to searchable repositories of online resources including insights from communities of practice; new and richer patterns of interactivity can occur between and among learners, faculty, mentors, and other experts; and deeper learning can result from the ability to have time to reflect on one's level of understanding.

Unfortunately, many online learning environments have merely digitized existing processes and practices, thereby failing to yield greater access to learners, increased cost savings, enhancements in the learner experience, or competitive advantage. When an online learning environment is designed largely to replicate existing face-to-face teaching, designers often force the online environment into a codified structure, thereby missing many of its benefits. The replication of traditional approaches online often results in the assumption that all students are the same and misses taking full advantage ...