BLENDED LEARNING TO OPTIMISE THE TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS: THE SYNERGY BETWEEN FACE-TO-FACE AND VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Our proposal is based on the harmonic and complementary combination of the virtual and classroom environments, in which the sequence of the mixed elements is just as important as the elements themselves, and must be adapted to each educational need.
The main objective of the experience carried out was to foster student motivation and participation in the learning process in order to boost meaningful learning.

We incorporated the blended learning model using a virtual learning environment based on free software (Moodle). From among the resources, tools and programs that Studium permits, we opted to implement the blog, google docs and social networks, complementing and continuing the classroom routines, providing new spaces for cooperation and taking advantage of their interactive and collaborative potential for the teaching-learning process. The construction of the three virtual open spaces and their use allowed us to extend the spatial and temporal limits of the classroom, thus generating new scenarios for collaboration and facilitating the creation of new methodological strategies that go beyond lectures and classroom activities, such as discussions, problem-solving, case analysis, group projects, creation of electronic portfolios and virtual debates.

Incorporating these working tools to the modules has boosted and promoted shared work and collaborative effort, increasing students’ participation and importance as the protagonists of their own learning. This kind of approach demands three attitudes on the part of the students -collaboration, autonomy and responsibility- in addition to the teacher’s responsibility.

We arrived at the conclusion that the incorporation of the BL design provides new and attractive opportunities that enrich the educational process, give rise to greater student satisfaction, and facilitate greater student participation and interaction, resulting in improved effectiveness and efficiency in learning.

It is important to highlight how enormously attractive it is for students to do class work on social media -their usual means of communication and accessing information- as well as also the creation of a favourable work atmosphere, the facilitation and improvement of teacher-student and student-student interaction, and an increase in group cohesion.