ADULT LEARNERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF DESIGNED HYPERMEDIA IN A BLENDED LEARNING COURSE AT A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA

ABSTRACT

With the advent of the computer and the Internet, many higher institutions in Malaysia have begun to integrate conventional teaching with these two technologies. This approach in learning which is also called ‘blended learning’ offers significant benefits, namely time and location shifting. However, the principles applied to activities designed as a blended course must be taken into consideration especially when the students are off campus adult learners with minimal opportunity to attend conventional tutorials. A study was conducted to look into this issue by seeking feedback from adult learners regarding blended learning within an academic reading course at a Malaysian public university, National University of Malaysia (UKM). The study was aimed at finding ways to improve the course offered to off campus students who were scattered throughout the country. The method of inquiry of this study is qualitative in nature and which utilizes observation, Think-aloud Protocol and semi-structured interviews as the research instruments. The subjects of this study were selected off campus students who were attached to various hospitals. The focus of this paper is to discuss the students’ feedback pertaining to the designed hypermedia and comprehension questions. This paper also explains some pedagogic implications. The implications drawn is of great value to the students; teachers as the facilitators; teachers as the course designers and the administrators in improving blended learning course offered to UKM off campus students.