Whereas blended learning can deliver several benefits to students in higher education, their achievement depends on how exactly it is designed. A participatory design is recommendable to try to meet the needs of all stakeholders. The Persuasive System Design-model can be used to motivate students during the online part of the course. In the design there has to be an optimal blend between the different parts of the course. A participatory design is used to design a blended learning course of autobiographical reflection for second year social work students. The blended course was developed in six meetings with a working group, including all stakeholders (students, teachers, instructional designers, educational experts and professionals). Almost all techniques of the first three categories of the PSD-model were used in the design of the blended course. None of the techniques of the fourth category 'Social Support' of the PSD-model were used, mostly because they touch on the personal process of autobiographical reflection. It was considered helpful for teachers to have a protocol that assists them in blending the different parts and this in turn could stimulate students to be engaged in the different parts of the blended learning course. In this study, we found that the participatory design approach may lead to an engaging blended learning course that encourages the use of persuasive technology with an optimal focus on content, target group, context and ethical aspects of the blended course. We suggest adding a new fifth category 'Blended Learning Support'.

Introduction: In this study, a blended learning course, designed using a participatory design approach and Persuasive Technology (PT), was evaluated by students and teachers. The use of a participatory design and PT may help facilitate a blended learning course that motivates students and supports teachers in this relatively new field. Method: Students received the blended course as part of their regular curriculum. Subsequently, interviews with students (N = 10) and teachers (N = 3), as well as a survey among students (N = 35) were held to evaluate the blended course. Results: Most of the PT which was implemented motivated the students to participate in the online course. The techniques suggestions, similarity, reduction, self-monitoring and tunneling seemed to specifically motivate students. According to the students, their teachers sufficiently integrated the online course with the Face to Face Classes. Teachers stated that they stimulated intrinsic motivation, supported students to complete their tasks and facilitated the blended learning process (integrating the different elements of a blended learning course). Discussion/Conclusion: The use of PT motivated students. Teachers played a crucial role in merging different aspects of the blended learning course. Future challenges would be the implementation of social support online.