Abstract:

The term "blended learning" begins to be used at the end of the 20th century. One of the oldest references appears in a 1999 press release from Interactive Learning Centers. In 2006, the first "Manual of Blended Learning" was published by C.J. Bonk and C.R. Graham. They define blended learning systems as those systems that "combine direct interaction between teachers and students with computer-assisted instruction." The central idea of this type of system is represented by the "choice" offered to the users, favoring the choice by the teachers of the best teaching methods that can be folded according to the learning style of the students, thus offering the possibility of achieving a student-centered education. According to the specialized literature, collaborative learning can lead to: academic success and social and personal development, motivation increase, team learning, critical thinking (collaboration between students leads to the development of critical thinking by the fact that they are encouraged to discuss, clarify and clarify evaluate ideas) and develop social and cognitive skills. The purpose of these systems is to add value in the process of teaching and learning. Teachers can upload various teaching resources needed for the course, with the guarantee that they will be distributed automatically to students, who will access them in a flexible way. In this way they can manage larger classes, and by attaching interactive resources, the time allocated to classroom learning can be reduced. Research in the field has shown that blended learning improves student success and satisfaction, as well as the sense of community of students compared to attending classes. The lack of educational innovations and access to technologies continues to be a challenge regarding new educational technologies. One of the promises of these modern technologies is that they can increase access to undervalued students. At the same time, in recent years, the emphasis on open educational resources (OER) has led to significant cost reductions, without diminishing the results of student performance. This pedagogy modifies many hypotheses about the most effective way to support the educational environment.

Keywords:

Innovation, information communication technologies (ICTs), blended learning, students, technology acceptance, research paper, higher education.