In our research project at Harvard University Graduate School (in partnership with The Learning Accelerator), we focused on investigating students’ perceptions of and experiences with blended learning. Our conclusion: the majority of students find blended learning environments exciting and conducive to their learning.

Many students reported that they have more freedom in deciding the pathways they want to take to reach their learning goals, more flexibility to advance at  their own pace, more understanding of the progress of their learning based on real-time data, and more immediate feedback from their teachers. In addition, the autonomy they gained over their learning also boosted their motivations to monitor their own progress, which increased their level of confidence both in their academic competencies and time management skills.

Nevertheless, a number of students also reported that blended learning is challenging because it takes time to learn how to make the best use of technology for learning. Technical problems may occur from time to time, and working alone with a device without sufficient instructions can be confusing. Moreover, demonstrating mastery of knowledge through projects also escalated the challenge of blended learning, because a student may have to work on several different projects at the same time, and projects are often harder to score full marks in comparison to taking traditional exams.

Read the full article about the pros and cons of blended learning at The Learning Accelerator.