Purpose -The move towards "blended learning", consisting of a combination of online and face-to-face teaching, continues to gain pace in universities around the world. It is important, however, to question the quality of this learning. The OECD has made use of a model of "Readiness, Intensity and Impact" for investigating the adoption and use of eBusiness technologies. The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework, based on this model and adapted for blended learning, to assess the readiness, intensity of adoption and impact on blended learning offerings. The framework is tested via a description of how one university has adopted and used blended learning, and investigates the quality of the learning from this approach. Design/methodology/approach -The framework is tested via a case study involving the assessment of a blended learning approach to the delivery of a first-year undergraduate accounting unit at Victoria University, Australia. Various approaches to delivery are assessed over a two-year period. The results are drawn from a survey specifically designed to identify students' attitudes towards blended learning. Findings -Despite having three new online options readily available for students to access, there was strong support for face-to-face delivery methods. In relation to the framework, the assessment suggested that certain aspects of the university's blended learning approach could be investigated further (particularly student readiness for different blended learning options and an overall assessment of the impact of a blended approach), to provide a more holistic view of the readiness to adopt and impact of the blended learning offerings. Originality/value -The value of this contribution lies in the development of a unique framework to assess the impact of blended learning approaches from the viewpoint of student readiness and intensity of separate delivery approaches -whilst maintaining the need to evaluate the effectiveness of blended learning as an overall package.

Building an information system is a difficult task, partly due to the problem of ascertaining the requirements of the intended users, but also because of the complexity of the large number of human-machine interactions (Banville, 1991). This complexity is reflected in the difficulty of building these systems to operate free from error and to perform as intended. The dictionary defines innovation as “the alteration of what is established; something newly introduced”. As the introduction or improvement of an information system in an organisation necessarily involves change, information systems research often involves research into technological innovation.

Abstract

This article argues that whatever the 2015 OECD report says about the value of ICT in relation to PISA results, our research has shown that using ICT in the education of students with Learning Difficulties has great value in interesting, enthusing and inspiring these students, so leading to better educational outcomes. The term 'Learning Difficulties' (LD) is used to refer to a condition of a large group of children who need extra assistance with schooling and arises from a vast range of cognitive and physical impairments. The reported research was conducted in two Special Schools in metropolitan Melbourne with the goal of investigating whether, and if so how, ICT could be used to support school communities involving students with learning difficulties, and whether it could help these students with their learning. This research found that ICT certainly does improve LD students' attitude to learning and equips them with adequate skills to allow them to enter the workforce or continue with further study through various pathways. It provides evidence that for LD students, a significant attainment in skills and academic knowledge is facilitated by the adoption of ICT in the classroom.

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