ESL STUDENTS’ BLENDED LEARNING EXPERIENCE: A CASE STUDY IN AN INTERMEDIATE ESL WRITING CLASS AT MARA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Blended learning is seen as a catalyst to the recent advances in education (Thorne, 2003). Hence, it is important to conduct studies which examine the effectiveness of blended learning among ESL tertiary level students. This case study examined the blended learning experience of 20 ESL students who were taking an ESL writing course at MARA University of Technology. The class combined four hours face-to-face classroom learning (face-to-face mode) and two hours online learning using a Learning Management System known as EDU 2.0 in the university’s Computer Language Lab in a week for the duration of two months. The results were derived from the triangulation of the data collected from the students’ online writing tasks and assessments as well as the focus group interview with the respondents. The main findings indicate improvements in the students’ writing ability as well as an increased interest in learning.