Blending Face-to-Face Higher Education with Web-Based Lectures: Comparing Different Didactical Application Scenarios

Blended learning as an instructional approach is getting more attention in the educational landscape and has been researched thoroughly. Yet, this study reports the results of an innovation project aiming to gain insight into three different scenarios of applying web-based lectures: as preparation for face-to-face practical exercises, as a repetition of parts of the course, and as an extension of the course. Both the benefits regarding students’ satisfaction, perceived educational effects and the effect on student characteristics were investigated. Results indicate that all students evaluate web-based technology as an added value in higher education. Yet, comparison of the three application scenarios showed that web-based lectures are evaluated most positively when used as course preparation whereas when used as course extension, they were appreciated the least. However, there are indications that student characteristics could play a significant role in the level of appreciation of web-based lectures. We conclude that the potential of web-based lectures lies in their adaptability for use in several scenarios according to educational goals.

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