Abstract—Learning and instruction effectiveness repent
main issues in the educational process; blended learning
nowadays has become a major educational approach during the
last decades as enrollment in online courses continues to
increase. Therefore, there is an increasing need to understand
factors that affect the students’ satisfaction with the blended
learning experience and its impact on post-graduate programs
learning outcomes. This research explores an enhanced blended
learning approach for teaching a graduate learning theory
course at the Arabian Gulf University and assesses its impacts
on subjects’ satisfaction with the blended learning experience.
Twenty tow (n=22) diploma and master students, between the
ages of 25-38 years old, were participated in the present study
and taught the learning theory course (DE 05013) by using the
proposed enhanced blended learning approach: intensive
face–to-face sessions, online learning, free internet search, small
class discussions and online discussions using WatsApp. A
satisfaction with blended learning instrument was
administrated by the end of the course for the data collection.
Satisfaction with blended learning instruments was composed
of three parts (satisfaction with the subject matter, satisfaction
with the teaching method and satisfaction with the course
instructor).Data analysis revealed that students' satisfaction
could increase when the instructor provides learning
environments not only in a traditional classroom but in an
asynchronous online system as well.
Index Terms—Blended learning, open and distance learning,
satisfaction with learning, distance teaching and training
program.
Alajab Mohammed Alajab Ismail is with the Department of Distance
Learning, College of Graduate Studies, Arabian Gulf University. Manama,
B.O.Box:26671, Kingdom of Bahrain (e-mail: alagabm@agu.edu.bh).
Cite: Alajab Mohammed Alajab Ismail, "Empowering Your Students Satisfaction with Blended Learning: A Lesson from the Arabian Gulf University Distance Teaching and Training Program," International Journal of Information and Education Technology vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 108-120, 2018.