Blended Learning and Online Tutoring: A Good Practice Guide

Citation

du Preez, M. (2006), "Blended Learning and Online Tutoring: A Good Practice Guide", Online Information Review, Vol. 30 No. 5, pp. 602-603. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520610706514

Information communication technologies (ICTs) has brought about a number of new teaching strategies and methods educators can explore to enhance their teaching as well as the learning experiences of their students or learners. Janet Macdonald explores one of these new strategies in her new book. In it she defines “blended learning” and “blended teaching” strategies as being associated with the introduction of online media into a course or programme, while at the same time recognising that there is merit in retaining face‐to‐face contact and other traditional approaches to supporting students. Macdonald further indicates that the term “blended learning” is also used where asynchronous media such as e‐mail or computer conferencing are deployed in conjunction with synchronous technologies, commonly text chat or audio.

The book is divided into three sections and fifteen chapters. Where Part 1 concentrates on current practice in blended learning in both campus‐based and distance institutions, Part 2 describes practical ways of using online tools for supporting students in both asynchronous and synchronous environments. Macdonald describes how online conferences can be used for tutor‐mediated support in a variety of ways, indicating the implications these conferences and their membership have for the extent of student participation, the roles of the conference moderator and the time needed to support students.

Part 3 covers approaches to learning development for students who will study online as part of a blended course. Chapter 10 describes students' perspectives while Chapter 11 concentrates on coherent course design. Chapters 12 to 14 discuss three interrelated areas in the development of competent blended learners: e‐investigating, e‐writing and e‐collaborating, and illustrate this with a variety of practical designs for developing competence and self‐direction through course activities and assessment.

Chapter 15 concludes this practical volume with a description of the tutor's perspectives on blended learning and the practical constraints facing staff developers. It goes on to discuss a variety of strategies that have been used to provide formal and informal approaches to staff development.

The intended audience of the book is practitioners who are contemplating blended learning and online tutoring for their courses, or staff developers who wish to encourage others. Macdonald tried to steer away from armfuls of references to academic articles, but at the same time was anxious to base her observations on the excellent work on student learning which had been undertaken by many of her colleagues. She may be based at a distance‐learning university (the Open University, UK), but remains firmly convinced that distance‐learning institutions have much in common with campus institutions – making the book applicable to a readership in both camps.

Blended Learning and Online Tutoring is a very useful and practical volume. It includes a list or resources at the end of each chapter as well as a good index. Being a distance teacher myself, I found much in common with my own teaching situation and can draw upon some of the ideas and thoughts provided by Macdonald to enhance my own teaching and the learning experiences of my students.