I totally agree with the argument of Vaughan et al. (2013) that when the teachers offer blended courses, they should find out how to combine the traditional face-to-face lectures and online materials. I agree that this is very important for blended learning. Due to the various backgrounds of students and the impact of the pandemic, majority of schools provide learners with different learning modes, such as online learning, face-to-face learning, and blended learning. I think blended learning is the most effective way for students to learn.

From my perspective, face-to-face lectures of blended learning are very important to students’ learning outcomes. In a fully prepared face-to-face lecture, students can interact with their professors and classmates effectively. Also, with the help of online activities, students can participate in the course through multiple ways. For instance, chances are that some students are shy to ask their professor questions offline and start a face-to-face discussion with their peers. With the use of online tools, they can communicate with others online. Take this course as an example, I can ask my professor via Zoom and chat with my classmates via Mattermost.

In Adventures in unveiling: Critical Pedagogy and imagination, Morris (2018) states that the standardized exams are completely failure. However, I do not completely agree with this opinion. Although standardized exams might affect some students, I think the standardized exams still have some advantages. In China, in order to go to college, students should prepare for the National College Entrance Exam which is hard for lots of students. However, this exam also offers students from deprived backgrounds opportunities to go to college. Therefore, I do not think the standardized exams only have negative impacts.

My Aha moment is the concept of “teaching presence” (Vaughan et al., 2013, p. 14). This reminds me that in the majority of online activities of my courses, the students were asked to pay attention to how to comment on others’ works and how to actively participate in the courses. I realize that as mentioned in the article of Vaughan et al. (2013), students also play very important roles in the class and they can influence their peers’ learning outcomes.

The question I have is about blended learning. From my perspective, online activities are very important. However, I worried that if the teachers provide too much online materials and do not offer enough face-to-face content in the science courses, students’ academic performance might be affected. I am wondering are there any effective ways to avoid this problem?

Morris, S. M. (2018). Adventures in unveiling: Critical Pedagogy and imagination. In S. M. Morris & J. Stommel (Eds.), An Urgency of Teachers: The work of critical digital pedagogy. Hybrid Pedagogy.  https://criticaldigitalpedagogy.pressbooks.com/chapter/critical-instructional-design/

Vaughan, N. D., Garrison, D. R., & Cleveland-Innes, M. (2013). Teaching in blended learning environments: Creating and sustaining communities of inquiry. AU Press.  https://read.aupress.ca/read/teaching-in-blended-learning-environments/section/ac46044a-ecde-4fc4-846d-8c17fe8bf712