The present study aimed to investigate the effect of designing a blended learning environment on achievement and deep learning of the Arabian Gulf university students in a design and presentation of instructional materials' graduate course. A blended learning environment was designed to provide opportunity for integrating the learning management system "moodle" with face-to-face classroom interaction. To investigate research questions, a quasi experimental design was used. The study sample consisted of 19 male and female graduate students pursuing their studies at the "Distance Teaching and Training Program" in the College of Graduate Studies during the first semester of the academic year 2015/2016. To explore the extent to which students learnt the course content, an achievement test was used. A deep learning scale was also used to investigate the depth of learning acquired by students who studied the course content through the blended learning environment. Results of the study showed that students' scores on the post application of the achievement test were improved. No statistically significant differences were found between students' mean scores in the pre and post applications of the depth of learning scale. However, mean of students' scores in the post application of the depth of learning scale (65.3750) was noticed to be slightly higher than that of the pre application (63.1250). Such higher mean might represent slight improvement in the depth of learning among students.

Abstract:The present study aimed to investigate the effect of designing a blended learning environment on achievement and deep learning of the Arabian Gulf university students in a design and presentation of instructional materials' graduate course. A blended learning environment was designed to provide opportunity for integrating the learning management system "moodle" with face-to-face classroom interaction. To investigate research questions, a quasi experimental design was used. The study sample consisted of 19 male and female graduate students pursuing their studies at the "Distance Teaching and Training Program" in the College of Graduate Studies. To explore the extent to which students learnt the course content, an achievement test was used. A deep learning scale was also used to investigate the depth of learning acquired by students who studied the course content through the blended learning environment. Results of the study showed that students' scores on the post application of the achievement test were improved. No statistically significant differences were found between students' mean scores in the pre and post applications of the depth of learning scale. However, mean of students' scores in the post application of the depth of learning scale was noticed to be slightly higher than that of the pre application. Such higher mean might represent slight improvement in the depth of learning among students.

The study investigated the effect of using a blended learning strategy based on Diagnostic Reasoning (DxR) simulation software on medical students' motivation towards learning. The study was conducted on the fourth year medical students who were studying DxR simulation software as part of Multi System Integration Unit (unit ix) at the Arabian Gulf University College of Medicine and Medical Sciences during the second semester of the academic year 2015/2016. The study sample consisted of 157 fourth year students. A quasiexperimental research time-series design with pre and posttest was used to investigate the study hypothesis. The researchers assessed the participants' motivation towards learning at two different points during the six week research experimentation. The conventional method of teaching without any e-learning or online materials was used during the first three weeks. By the end of the third week the researchers assessed the students' motivation towards learning using Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS) scale developed by John Keller (1984). Then participating students were allowed to access online materials; the electronic component of the blended learning relevant to the last three DxR cases via Blackboard LMS during the later three weeks. By the end of the sixth week, the researchers assessed again the students' motivation towards learning. Results revealed statistically significant differences between the pre and post applications in favor of the post application concerning in all dimensions of motivation. As such, it could be concluded that the blended learning was effective in enhancing university students` motivation towards learning.