Application of blended teaching-learning approach in engineering education

Blended teaching learning-today’s initiative, tomorrow’s security

Introduction of blended education system is the need of the hour. There is no alternative to effectively run the educational program especially in the current times. Blended education should not only be online based, effective blended teaching-learning is also possible offline. The essence of the blended education system is to create an online or offline based platform by combining all the teaching-learning materials, through which students get the opportunity to learn at their own convenient time and at their own pace. It requires national initiative, necessary training and utmost will to implement. Any educational institution can start it under its own supervision.

Every problem also brings endless possibilities. The Corona pandemic has made us focus on building a blended education system. If you want to truly apply e-learning in the field of engineering education, you should not only think about live lecture based classes. Because in engineering field practical classes are equally important or in many cases more important than theoretical ones. In this situation, we can create a practical based effective teaching-learning environment online by combining various virtual technologies, especially simulation based teaching with e-learning. There are many simulation tools available in every field of engineering, which are equally usable online or offline. Generally PC based simulators are used but nowadays it is possible to use mobile based Android simulators. Web-based simulators can be used on both PC and mobile platforms. Above all, Windows-based simulation software can be operated through Android devices in a special process. Nowadays, most of our students have smart devices and we can easily turn them into virtual labs. This requires the willingness and interest of the teacher and student to learn. Many may say we have different problems. Yes we have problems, we have recently come to where we are today after dealing with the coronavirus pandemic from scratch. Our education system today is in dire straits. To deal with this disaster we have to start making the best use of technology in the education system, otherwise we may have to work on things today that we thought about 5 years later. It is our moral responsibility to implement and reap the benefits of new ideas in education. Otherwise, future generations, including your children, will never forgive. But whatever we do or whatever we do, let it be guided in the right direction. No error should in any way mislead or mislead people about a system and its functioning.

Live lecture-based classes can be taken using Zoom, Google Meet or other commonly used webinar platforms. But we have to remember that due to technical reasons it may not be possible for everyone to join the live class at the same time. And so we need to create a learning environment where the student can access the learning material according to his time. In today’s context, our education system needs an enrollment based online education platform, where the following benefits and features exist.

Learning Management System (LMS)
Learning Management System (LMS) Admin Panel
Subject wise courses as per syllabus
Helpful and reference based courses
Course Based Teacher or Facilitator Enrollment
Student database
Conducting live interactive sessions
Conducting online interactive sessions by external resource persons
Document creation, editing and sharing on cloud computing platforms
Use of virtual labs, online simulations, VR and AR technologies for practical classes
Academic syllabus and reference based multimedia based e-library (PDF, e-book, document, audio, video, animation, simulator, web reference)
Online Assignment
Online assessment system
Progress reporting and certifications
Automatic grading system
Calendar based online schedule sharing
Learning forum for students
Conducting event based online webinars as required
Social media engagement