The transition from traditional face-to-face teaching to blended learning

Implications and challenges from a mathematics discipline perspective

Abstract

Despite the drive at Australian universities towards blended learning, the research on the effectiveness and successful implementation of this model is lagging behind in some disciplines. In this paper we highlight the need for targeted research into blended learning in mathematics at more than an individual unit scale, particularly in the context of the flipped classroom. The literature on the flipped classroom in mathematics is limited to reports from enthusiastic individuals who have flipped their units with more or less success, with no reports on the sustainability of these implementations. We take the perspective of a discipline that already faces certain challenges with respect to student preparedness and special needs to facilitate online learning. From the literature, we extract research questions that need to be addressed urgently, and that may in the future be used to form a discipline-specific framework for introducing blended learning.