The Blend XL EU funded project
Teaching (extra) large groups of students is an increasingly common phenomenon in higher education. Especially in the first year of study, many students follow introductory courses or core modules.
These courses are often taught in large groups in big lecture theatres. This arrangement is often found de-motivating and impersonal by students and teachers. A general lack of communication is one perceived problem but there are more.
As a result, success rates on the exams are usually low as well as student retention rates. In engineering studies, for instance, high drop-out rates have been leading to a serious shortage of engineers at a European level.
The Blend-XL project addresses these challenges and problem areas. The idea behind the project is that large-scale education can indeed be made more motivating and more personal through the effective use of technologies, media and tools.
This is a three-year EU funded project in the Minerva programme. ‘Blend’ in the title is a reference to the development of blended learning and teaching. This ‘blending’ is done on a variety of dimensions such as pedagogy, design, delivery, technology.
