Blended learning and participation: A qualitative examination of the interaction of technology and student participation

Dr Lauren Bliss
Faculty of Arts

This presentation discusses the paradoxical role of the teacher measuring and analysing student participation in the blended classroom. It considers how technology can converge with the role of the tutor and argues that students may participate more in a blended environment to compensate for the perceived absence of the teacher. Building on observations of blended seminars and preliminary interview data from students undertaking a Masters in Global Media and Communication, the presentation reports on a study that seeks to understand how students try to compensate for issues in technology when learning: the findings are tentatively linked to research that shows students might pick up roles or leadership tasks in the classroom to compensate for the ‘lack’ or absence of the teacher’s input where they perceive technology is serving as a barrier.

This Zoom presentation was part of the Melbourne CSHE Teaching and Learning Conference 2021 held on Tuesday 1 June 2021.