Good Practice Principles in an Undergraduate Blended Course Design

Abstract

This study examines students’ perceptions of a blended course which uses the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. A blended teacher education course was designed with teaching and learning activities to introduce the Seven Principles for Good Practice. The participants included 47 pre-service teachers in an undergraduate teacher education program in Turkey. Data were collected using both qualitative and quantitative methods, including a questionnaire, student interviews, and discussion forum transcripts. The results indicate that the students’ perceptions of the blended course were mostly positive; the students felt that the blended environment was very useful. The participants perceived six of the seven principles to be helpful, including student-faculty contact, cooperation, time on task, diversity of ways to learn, feedback, and active learning. However, the students also thought that the seventh “expectations” principle needed to be improved.