Blended Modality: A Choice of the Students in Higher Education
Ambika Prasad Poudel [poudelap@gmail.com], Tribhuvan University (Dhankuta Multiple Campus), Dhankuta Municipality-6, Dhankuta, Nepal
Abstract
The pedagogical approaches in the field of education have been modified in many ways with the rapid advancements and innovations in science and technology in this 21st century world. The modalities of teaching and learning such as distance learning (DL), online learning (OL), and blended learning (BL) are some of the approaches that are becoming popular at present. For some years now, blended modality (BM) of learning is spreading out rapidly and widely as a new pedagogical approach. The use of BM is gradually increasing in Nepalese educational institutions too in recent years. This study has made an attempt to explore the students’ perception towards blended modality of learning; and its benefits and challenges as a learning approach in the context of higher education in Nepal. Based on a survey-based questionnaire and semi-structured interviews as research tools, the study found that the students had positive attitudes towards BM, and it was more popular to those learners who needed to take family and job responsibilities together with their study. Besides, it was reported that though Internet connectivity was one of the main problems, the students were able to take the advantages of both F2F (face to face) and OL through BM.
Abstract in Nepali
आजको एक्काइसौं सताब्दीको विश्वमा विज्ञान र प्रविधिको द्रुतदर आविष्कार तथा विकासले गर्दा शिक्षाको क्षेत्र भित्रका शैक्षणिक विधिहरुमा धेरै प्रकारका परिमार्जनहरु भएका छन् । वर्तमान समयमा शिक्षण सिकाइका मोडेलहरु जस्तै दूर शिक्षण (दू. शि.), अनलाइन शिक्षण (अ. शि.), तथा मिश्रित शिक्षण (मि. शि.) निकै नै लोकप्रिय भइरहेका शिक्षण विधिहरु हुन् । केही वर्ष यता मिश्रित सिकाइ मोडेल (मि. सि. मो.) सिकाइको नयाँ विधिकोरुपमा द्रुतदर र व्यापक किसिमले फैलिरहेको छ । हालका वर्षहरुमा मि. सि. मो. नेपालका शैक्षिक संस्थाहरुमा पनि क्रमिकरुपमा बिस्तार भइरहेको छ । यस अध्ययनले नेपालको उच्च शिक्षाको सन्दर्भमा मिश्रित सिकाइ मोडेलप्रतिको विद्यार्थीहरुको धारणा, साथै यसका फाइदा र चुनौतिहरुको अन्वेषण गर्ने प्रयास गरेको छ । सर्वेक्षण-प्रस्नावलि र अर्ध-संरचित अन्तर्वार्तालाई अनुसन्धानको उपकरणकारुपमा प्रयोग गरिएको यस अध्ययनमा यो पाइयो कि विद्यार्थीहरु मि. सि. मो. प्रति सकारात्मक थिए, र यो मोडेल आफ्नो अध्ययनको साथै आफ्नो परिवार र पेशाको समेत जिम्मेवारी भएका विद्यार्थीहरुको लागि बढी लोकप्रिय थियो । यसका साथै अधययनको क्रममा यो पनि बताइएको थियो कि यद्यपि इन्टरनेटको उपलब्धता विद्यार्थीहरुकालागि समस्याहरुमध्ये एक प्रमुख थियो, तिनीहरु मि. सि. मो. को माध्यमबाट आ. सा. सि. (आमने सामने सिकाइ) र अ. सि. दुवै विधिहरुका फाइदाहरु लिन सक्षम थिए ।
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