 The rapid development of the technologies and advancement in the teaching methods, ways and approaches determine the peculiarities of educational processes in the educational institutions. The necessity to meet the growing needs of the convenient education for students of all ages and backgrounds gives a lead to the most recent innovations in the delivery of the lectures and sessions.
Blended learning is one of the new ways of language learning. The peculiarity of this method of acquiring a language lies in the combination of the face-to-face classroom instruction with any type of distance learning. The latter may be e-learning, mobile-learning, correspondence courses delivery, or using the television for the language skills and knowledge development.
A typical example of the blended learning organization is a combination of educational technology materials and face-to-face sessions used together to present content. A course can begin with a well-structured introductory lesson presented by an instructor in the classroom, and then be followed by online material. The term “blended learning” can also be used to denote the integration of e-learning with a Learning Management System using computers in a physical classroom, along with face-to-face instruction. An instructor should provide guidance early in the process, and then minimize it later when the learners gain expertise.
In blended learning an approach to teaching students is characterized by the following peculiarities:
1. Instruction in and outside the classroom is being shifted from lecture- to student-orientation.
2. An interaction on all level is increased, which includes student-instructor, student-student, student-content, and student-outside resources interaction.
3. Assessment mechanisms get integrated formative character for students and instructor.
The medium that can be used in Blended Learning is not limited to technology and include:
• Stand-alone, Asynchronous, or Synchronous online learning / training
• Performance support tools (knowledge management tools)
• Traditional classroom, Labs, or other "hands-on" experiences
• Reading assignments, CD-ROM or other self-paced learning
• Teletraining / Telelearning, or Other media
There exist also other classifications of blended learning. If to consider the components that can be blended, one can distinguish 12 groups, which in their turn split into 6 offline and 6 online groups. It is important to separate these, as access to intranet and Internet technology is a necessary condition for any of the 6 online groups.
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