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Project

Powerful digital learning opportunities for everyone. Towards a guideline for blended education for low-literate and NT2 students in Flemish adult education. (OBPWO2021)

Combined learning or blended learning offers potential benefits for adult learners. Blended education makes it possible to learn independent of time and place and to work on a more customized basis. For adult learners, who often have other obligations, and for whom a course needs to match their needs and requirements as closely as possible, blended education can lower the threshold to attend a course. However, these benefits can only be realized if blended education is carefully designed, taking into account a number of important challenges at the level of the learner, the teacher and the adult education centers. At the student level, for example, there are challenges related to digital competences, motivation and the ability to self-regulate. These challenges apply to all learners but are reinforced in low-literate (non-native) adults with limited cognitive skills and educational experience. In addition, the specifics of language learning through blended education requires deliberate attention. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, both adult education centers and teachers are more than ever looking for an effective approach to blended education in order to maximize the learning opportunities of all learners, especially for this group of illiterate adults and learners of Dutch as a second language (NT2). After all, this group is now, more than ever, at risk of being left behind. This research and development project therefore aims to examine and concretize what, according to scientific literature, are characteristics of effective forms of blended education for illiterate adult learners and learners of Dutch as a second language (NT2), what expectations the actors involved have regarding effective blended education, and how the preconditions can be met to integrate effective blended education into Flemish adult education. This way, we can contribute to the realization of powerful digital learning opportunities for everyone

Date:1 Apr 2021 →  31 Mar 2022
Keywords:adult learners, blended education
Disciplines:Migration, Second language learning