Abstract:

Three educational models can be defined in a higher education context: face-to face learning, on-line learning and blended learning.

Face-to face learning is the most common developed and involves a traditional classroom situation. This allows for a live interaction between a learner and an instructor. Learners benefit from a greater level of interaction with their fellow students. On-line learning is the education model that takes place over the Internet and require a greater degree of self-motivation for both the teacher and the student. Instruction may be synchronous or asynchronous and various technologies can be used to mediate the process. This approach empowers students as active learners instead of just passive recipients absorbing information and reproducing it for standardized tests. This type of learning process involves students in the assessment process where they can learn to make judgments concerning their own work. Finally, blended learning is an instructional approach that uses digital strategies in tandem with best practice in the classroom. In some blended classrooms, digital and face-to-face teaching may alternate according to a fixed schedule.

This research aims to analyze how different modalities approach in virtual teaching and learning contexts can be appropriate for higher education.

An educational context of higher education will be analyzed in which the different modalities are implemented in a flexible way. The analysis of the impressions of the students and teachers will be taken into account for the development of the results and the establishment of conclusions.

The study was carried out with first-year students of Nursing Degree in which a specific new learning space was developed. Several teaching scenarios were proposed: face-to-face teaching; on-line teaching and the synchronous hybrid or blended learning environment in which both on-site and remote students can simultaneously attend learning activities. Students and teachers were surveyed to find out the difficulties and advantages of implementing each of the teaching modalities. The results reveal advantages and disadvantages of the different learning strategies, but in all cases it is necessary to influence the active participation of students in the development of their own learning.

In this context, in view of the results, digital technologies are often proposed as a possible answer to change the educational landscape and make it more flexible and accessible to a wider group of learners

Keywords:

Virtual teaching, blended learning, higher education, active learning.