Pedagogical aims, course characteristics and their relation to students` behavior: A case study on blended learning

Abstract

An exploratory blended learning case study in corporate finance is presented. A detailed description of the actual use of different training materials (books / simulations / self-assessing) and scenarios (online / offline / individual / group learning) is given. This was one of the first blended learning studies integrating different evaluation methods into a systematic user behavior analysis approach. A sample of one hundred sixty one students filled in a user profile questionnaire, used an online diary after each system log out to describe their user behavior, passed a final exam and answered an exams preparation questionnaire. Furthermore we collected log file data. The results show that students preferred to study during the semester and for the exams preparation with papers, self-assessment tasks and Excel-simulations rather than to use interactive discussion forums. We conclude that future blended learning developments should focus on interactive material, clearly link multiple-choice test tasks with the final exam and train students to use blended learning concepts efficiently.