Abstract:

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in many institutions adopting blended learning but many were not prepared and guidance was poor. In most cases, the physical classroom was crudely moved to an online format, with limited or no proper planning. Engineering in Higher Education (HE) is hugely practical, such that switching to an online emphasis presents challenges for delivery and may disadvantage some students. There is a range of software tools that can be used to give a semblance of practical appreciation, but this is not the same as, for example, the real physical experience of building a circuit in an electronics laboratory. In engineering, the learning approach has always been concerned with increasing the quality of education. Current engineering education has combined information and communication technologies (ICT) to meet the demands of the education however there are omissions to support hands on practical learning online. This paper will focus on presenting a review of the existing literature on the flexible learning pedagogies that support the online learning of practical and experimental skills, highlighting the areas of opportunity for further research.

Keywords:

Blended learning, adaptive learning, flexible learning, pedagogies, hands on practical, laboratory.