Blended E-Learning in Higher Education: Research on Students' Perspective
The process of implementing blended learning, by using e-learning tools as a support for traditional classroom teaching, started at the University of Rijeka at the beginning of 2008, following general strategic principles adapted to local environment. The process has been constantly supported and assessed for quality, but up to now only from the institutional, teachers' and support services' perspective. Assuming that continuous and careful monitoring of learner's satisfaction is important for the success, feasibility and viability of e-learning, we conducted the research on students' perspective. As the student's perception regarding e-learning is one of the most important steps in developing and implementing a successful e-learning environment, we conducted the study of student's perception and e-learning acceptance, with three specific items addressed in the study: 1) student's perception of quality of already delivered e-courses, 2) level of importance for the specific elements of e-learning encountered, and 3) student's general attitude towards elearning and their needs with respect to quality of course materials, communication and support of the learning process. Participants in the study assessed the current state of e-learning elements implementation quite good; they agreed the educational materials were in most cases complete, organized and well designed, and they considered the ability of teachers to manage the e-courses well, communication regular as well as the provision of the feedback. The lower level of agreement was obtained on the use of multimedia, offering of the self-assessment tests, accessibility of digital literature and collaborative activities. This suggests teachers should be encouraged and trained to put more effort in designing and offering suitable multimedia elements to enrich their materials, selfassessment test to make students feel more comfortable in terms of examination expectations, and to design online activities for the students to enhance collaborative aspects in ...