The curious case of blended learning: an evaluation of a curriculum innovation in the Global Mental Health Master’s programme

Sharp, L. , Karadzhov, D. and Langan-Martin, J. (2018) The curious case of blended learning: an evaluation of a curriculum innovation in the Global Mental Health Master’s programme. Journal of Medical Education, 17(3), pp. 149-159.

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to evaluate students’ satisfaction, perceived utility and engagement with a range of Blended Learning (BL) resources, in the context of the staged introduction of BL within the MSc Global Mental Health Programme. Methods: A descriptive mixed methods design was employed. An electronic questionnaire was completed by 18 (90%) of the enrolled on-campus students. Eight of them opted to participate in a collaborative workshop aiming to corroborate and expand upon the questionnaire findings, and generate ideas for optimising the BL components. Results: Overall, students were satisfied with the quantity and usefulness of the BL materials. Specifically, the easy access to, and diversity of, learning activities were recognised as instrumental in stimulating innovative ways of thinking, in addition to improving subject-specific knowledge. Students starkly diverged according to their reported use of materials as the foundation of independent study as well as perceptions of the difficulty level of the modules. Students reported lacking the confidence and knowledge regarding integrating the breadth of learning resources effectively to support their learning. Collaboratively, the students helped generate actionable programmatic changes aimed at improving the curriculum cohesion and enhancing learner engagement. Conclusion: Systematic evaluation of the initial stages of BL is critical. This study demonstrated the complexities of the staged introduction of BL in terms of ensuring learning efficiency, student satisfaction, learner development and programme cohesion. This study enabled the identification of strategic and feasible high-impact areas for optimising BL, and transforming them into stages of change.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: Blended learning, blended teaching, student engagement, evaluation.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Sharp, Dr Laura and Langan-Martin, Dr Julie and Karadzhov, Dr Dimitar
• Authors: Sharp, L., Karadzhov, D., and Langan-Martin, J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Journal Name: Journal of Medical Education
• Publisher: Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services
• ISSN: 1735-3998
• ISSN (Online): 1735-4005
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2018 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Journal of Medical Education 17(3): 149-159
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License