Students' Blended Learning Practices in Higher Education Institution amidst Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Irrespective of the high popularity of blended learning (BL) applications in higher education centers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students perceive certain challenges as depriving them of its effective usage for educational purposes. Using a qualitative study approach, this study aimed to find out the challenges students face using the BL approach during and after the era of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures institutions put in place to help students' BL best practices. Ten participants from the Ghana Communication Technology University took part in a semi-structured interview session to ascertain the students' BL practices in higher education centers. Although the study's outcome revealed some potential benefits derived from the BL approach, poor internet connectivity, poor student-lecturer engagement, the high cost of internet data charges, poor power supply, and a dearth of proper orientation programs amongst students were the challenges identified.The study has emphasized that implementing effective BL in teaching and learning leads to increased student satisfaction, student-instructor interaction, student-centered learning and collaboration, and student engagement. Hence, recommendations are made to ensure students achieve effective BL in schools. � 2021 IEEE.