Blended e-learning in the context of international development

Global Perspectives, Local Design of e-Courses

Sheila Jagannathan

he economic development paradigm has undergone some fairly significant changes during the past two decades. The earlier paradigm for developing countries centered around how best investments in social and physical infra­structure could be accompanied by capacity building. For the latter to take plaa-technical assistance was mainly in the form of advisory services from interna­tionally renowned subject matter experts (or gurus). These persons advised de­veloping country counterparts through face-to-face consultations, extension work, and voluminous reports aimed at transferring relevant knowledge. (Some ex­ceptional individuals who led these knowledge transfers were Norman Borlau. Sir Arthur Lewis, and Gunnar Myrdal.)

At a country level, few comprehensive knowledge transfers have taken plaa-. The best examples of knowledge transfers have been Korea and Singapore, both of which dramatically increased per capita incomes between 1960 and 1990. Both countries accomplished this largely by acquiring and systematically using global knowledge for national economic development and poverty eradication However, partial transfers of knowledge have taken place in several other coun­tries, including Brazil, Mexico, China, South Africa, and India. In these countries, localized centers of excellence in knowledge transfer have not yet led to wide­spread diffusion of knowledge and associated poverty eradication (Millet, 2003. (For the latter to take place, one needs the universalization of primary and

Blended E-Leaming in the Context of International Development 445

secondary education so that all citizens are able to access these high-quality learn­ing institutions.)

The Information and Communication Technologies Revolution

In addition to massive economic transformation, the focus of education and knowledge transfer in these countries has changed during the past two decades, from knowledge transfer from the gurus to a much more varied transfer using technologies such as computer, CD-ROMs, Web sites, voice, and video com­munications. This shift has been made possible by the enormous advances in cap­turing knowledge with various digital technology innovations. These changes have placed knowledge at the hands of any individual anywhere in the world who has access to technology and the skills to use it. In effect, such an individual has at his or her fingertips all the information that he or she needs access to at a given point of time.

This revolution in information and communication technology (ICT) has changed the way technical assistance is being viewed by the development com­munity. The focus has now shifted to exploring how electronic infrastructure development can be used to build cost-effective knowledge for institutional capacity. Clearly, this process works well when a country's key stakeholders have the capacity to apply global knowledge on best policies and practices to their in­dividual country, including both regional and local contexts. It is simultaneously important that there is a commitment to the needed infrastructure and high-level governmental strategic planning and support for emerging information and com­munication technologies.

Many assume that the growth of ICT infrastructure is the key driver to bring about effective global knowledge transfer. The argument advanced is that a coun­try's development strategy could get enormous traction by applying just-in-time learning that incorporates in-country experiences with the global knowledge avail­able through the use of digital technology. The new paradigm envisages a multi­dimensional knowledge-sharing and learning focus, in which debates, discussions, knowledge syntheses, and applications of ideas to a local context are emphasized. (Local refers to a national, regional, or purely local context. With an enhanced ICT infrastructure, learning could more effectively move from one level to another.)

In this idealized world, all the stakeholders, regardless of whether they are senior public officials, businesspersons, nongovernmental organizations, students,

The Handbook of Blended Learning

journalists, farmers, or service providers, become the learners, who are able to access, debate, and absorb relevant knowledge from the enormous quantity of information available from the Internet, digital knowledge bases, CD-ROMs, and other sources. Knowledge transfer no longer is the preserve of the gurus alone, but a dynamic process involving all key stakeholders as a gigantic, multilaterally linked learning community.

The challenge for learning design in this context is how to develop a qualm-learning experience that maintains an appropriate balance between the global and the local aspects. In addition, in the developing country environment, there are two other significant prerequisites before knowledge captured through digital tech­nology can be shared in the local community. These prerequisites relate to:

• Creating the local context by distilling locally relevant knowledge from the global information base and ensuring that the cultural context is adequatelv preserved

• Diffusing and using that knowledge efficiently and equitably

The Track Record

The ideal is for the local learning community to cull out global knowledge on best practices in a subject, adapt these to the country context through a vigor­ous process of discussions and debates, and thereby secure productivity gains and income generation. ICT developments provide the vehicles to make this happen.

The practice is still far from ideal. ICT developments have moved at differ­ent speeds in the industrialized and developing countries, leading analysts to de­scribe a growing digital divide between the rich and poor countries. Content design has also not moved rapidly enough to facilitate stakeholders at various capability-levels being transformed into a community of learners. If this does not happen fast enough, the knowledge divide would grow as well.

Analysts also point out that ICT developments are growing at a faster rate in many developing countries compared to industrialized ones, albeit from a smaller base (Figure 32.1). For example, the growth rates of mobile telephone and Internet usage in many developing countries of Asia and South America are much greater than in the more advanced countries. (Levels of development are usually classified into three categories. High income represents the United States, Japan. Western Europe, and some other resource-rich countries. Middle income repre­sents countries with a per capita annual income of over $865, and low income countries are those with a per capita annual income of less than $865.) This

Blended E-Learning in the Context of International Development

FIGURE 32.1. AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH OF INTERNET USERS/CAPITA, BY LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT.

5

о

О

ел

1992 1993

\^/_Л 9₉5 1996 1997 1998 1999

Source: Fink and Kenny (2003).

FIGURE 32.2. INTERNET USERS/GDP, BY LEVELS OF DEVELOPMENT.

Source: Fink and Kenny (2003).

explosion in mobile phone and Internet use, as well as private investments in dig­ital technologies, has created employment and income opportunities for a significant section of university graduates in several countries (Figure 32.2). The digital divide exists, but it is perhaps shrinking.

The Handbook of Blended Learning

The Challenge: Bridging the Knowledge Divide

Recent research by two World Bank economists (Fink & Kenny, 2003) suggests that the problem is more than just the digital divide between rich and poor coun­tries; the real challenge lies in bridging the knowledge divide: " Internet usage, which grew by around 50% per year in high-income countries in the late 1990s, compared with 100% per year in low and middle-income countries. The rich are ahead, but the poor are catching up fast" (Canyon or mirage? 2004).

More fundamentally, Fink and Kenny (2003) caution that gains from digital leapfrogging are limited if productivity benefits do not materialize (due to lower adop­tion levels) or if the adoption of ICTs is restricted to an affluent minority. For example, even if all developing countries are wired to the world's best knowledge resources with the Internet, not much would change because the institutional capacity and individual capability to learn and apply the knowledge would remain key educational constraints. In effect, wiring and other technological infrastructure, while vitally important, cannot alone change educational institutions and organizations.

To sum up, what is evident is the following:

• The knowledge divide is pervasive and can be bridged only by effective devel­opment of country-specific learning strategies.

• This knowledge divide needs to be addressed through (1) improved access to IGT, (2) lowered costs of access, and (3) relevant content that is of good instructional quality.

• From the learner's point of view, the key challenges include the capabilitv and capacity to adapt and absorb locally relevant information from the vast knowledge available through ICT

• The knowledge divide is likely to get wider as creation and diffusion of global knowledge accelerate through lowered costs of ICT, unless effective learning and knowledge-sharing strategies are implemented.

Blended Learning in Developing Country Environments

I have suggested that that the knowledge divide widens if the learning environ­ment does not encourage localized applications of global knowledge or provide adequate incentives for participation by the widest cross-section of learners. The social, linguistic, and cultural contexts are often extremely important to fac­tor into the learning strategy, especially when delivered at a distance. For exam­ple, the " geek" language or chatroom humor used in the United States could be considered inappropriate in many other cultures.

Blended E-Leaming in the Context of International Development 449

Furthermore, the learning context is typically complicated by inequitable access to technology. Computer penetration in developing countries, for example, is substantially lower than in industrialized countries; telephone lines are still limited to a minority of affluent residents. Frequent power outages, atmospheric pollution, and a lack of air-conditioning lengthen the downtime of computer equipment, while simultaneously aggravating access problems of users.

Finally, the learner's preparedness for the course varies widely not only be­tween countries but even within regions of the same country. An insurance ex­ecutive in a sub-Saharan African country, for example, faces a different set of regulatory issues compared to his or her counterpart in Mexico or Thailand. The same holds true within large countries: learner preparedness in the province of Sao Paolo, Brazil (where human development indicators are as high as in West­ern Europe), will be substantially higher when compared to the Amazonas province (where the same indicators are comparable to some of the poorest de­veloping countries).

Tailoring the learning environment to the learners' specific context be­comes a key element of learning design. A response has been to use distance learning technologies to connect development practitioners with the relevant global and local experts to create blended experiences that combine real-time, group learning, and knowledge sharing (for example, by videoconferencing and local facilitation) with self-paced learning (for example, by computers and the Internet). The actual design of blended e-learning could take many forms, depending on the objectives of the program and the audience it is targeted toward. The blended learning design will also hinge on learner access to and familiarity with technology as well as the local context of the learning environment.

Table 32.1 summarizes some models of e-learning. The two rows represent modules of e-courses that are either part of a blended activity or are fully Web based. The two columns represent the format of instruction, either as facilitated or as independent study. Facilitated means that the course has a definite beginning and ending date and is actively managed by virtual instructors and local experts to guide the learning process. In the case of independent self-study, learners can

TABLE 32.1. MODELS OF E-LEARNING.

The Handbook of Blended Learning

begin and end the course at any time that suits them and work primarily on their own. The four boxes (A to D) are described through illustrations from the Work: Bank Institute's courses.

Categories A and С in Table 32.1 deal with facilitated learning models. An example of category A is the " Key Labor Markets Issues in Africa" blended course, which is extensively facilitated at both the local and globa! levels. The course was offered over an eight-week period to up to four Anglophone African country sites. Participants met each week for a two-hour videoconference. In between the weekly videoconference sessions, participant-undertook two to four hours of independent study (browsing the Internet, en­gaging in self-paced e-learning, and reading print materials). In addition, each week, local facilitators provided several hours of face-to-face support to dis­cuss local cases, culture, and adaptations. For participants who did not have access to the Internet, multimedia rooms of the distance learning centers were made available.

This was a blended course offering, which combined real-time interaction using videoconferencing and local facilitation with self-paced explorations and various other forms of online learning. E-learning was used at the beginning of the course (for example, for reading background materials and getting fa­miliar with the course), during the course (for example, between videocon­ference sessions for questions, discussions, and self-paced activities), and after the course (for example, to build a community of practitioners while they work on their action plans with feedback and review from both their peers and experts).

An example of category G is " Health Outcomes and the Poor, " a fully Web-based course delivered entirely over the Internet and extensively facilitated by virtual experts and mentors. Targeted toward those who write or evaluate spe­cial programs aimed at reducing poverty, the course offers a unique opportu­nity for action learning. Here, participants do not leave their job to come to the course but rather incorporate the course in their daily work. This course was offered over a six-week period and covered six modules that introduced key con­cepts, recommended readings, interactive exercises, and self-tests. These activ­ities were augmented by weekly e-discussions that were moderated by virtual facilitators, who provided an opportunity for participants to ask questions and share documents that they were working on for peer review. The use of facili­tated asynchronous discussion was a very effective way to keep participants on track and motivated while they participated in the virtual learning experience. Online discussions were also extremely useful because there was time to reflect on and evaluate contributions on a real-time basis, resulting in higher-quality dialogues.

Blended E-Learning in the Context of International Development

Categories В and D deal with independent study or self-paced learning models with minimal facilitation in the sense that the learner is expected to learn on his or her own. However, if the learner has questions, resource persons are available to provide support. Examples of each are provided below.

An example of category В in the World Bank is the Trust Fund Learning Accreditation Program. All staff members are required to clear this program before they are allowed to manage funds for project preparation and technical as­sistance. The course is entirely self-paced in that a person can start and end the course at his or her convenience, working through the various modules at his or her own pace, and finally taking the accreditation examination. The model works well in situations where, as in the accreditation course, passing the examination is mandatory. Clearly, if the learner motivation level is low or Internet access is difficult for participants, this model may not work.

An example of category D within the World Bank is when participants are sent learning materials through CD-ROMs and Web pages, which they review at their own convenience and pace. There is no specific learning strategy recom­mended; instead, learners are expected to develop their own pedagogical ap­proaches, with knowledge sharing validated through seminars and workshops. It is important to point out that every thematic group within the World Bank orga­nizes an annual knowledge-sharing event (such as " Water Week, " " Energy Week, " " Poverty Week, " and " Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Week") in which sector specialists participate with the goal of updating their specialized knowledge. Preparing for these events is through independent study, for which learning materials are provided.

In the context of the World Bank's client learning agenda, in situations where peer learning and knowledge sharing are key outcomes, facilitated e-learning appears much more effective in motivating learners and sustaining their interest. However, the self-paced learning model works well when there is a clear-cut incentive for the learner to update his or her skills.

Trends in Learning Design

Figure 32.3 illustrates different forms of e-learning currently being practiced in the World Bank group. They range from structured time-bound activities that usu­ally require the support of virtual facilitators to highly informal learning and knowledge sharing that require only self-initiative on the part of the learner. Self-paced learning modules are used largely for bank staff, as part of their professional development.

The Handbook of Blended Learning FIGURE 32.3. TYPES OF E-LEARNING.

In the vast majority of courses targeting clients in developing countries, the blending of face-to-face time through interactive videoconferencing with print, CD-ROMs, and Web-based modules is used. These courses are designed to handle common ICT access constraints of countries at different levels of development. Overall, ICT advances are increasingly salient in World Bank learning events, while print and traditional face-to-face classrooms still play an important role.

Figure 32.4 illustrates a typical blended learning course, incorporating the ideas discussed above. For example, a five-day face-to-face course could be redesigned for distance delivery to several sites as a blended learning activ­ity that comprises eight weekly sessions covering many of the following elements:

• Two-hour videoconference sessions

• One hour of participation in e-discussions

• Two-hour locally facilitated face-to-face sessions

• Two to four hours of self-paced, independent work (using CDs, Internet, or print)

Among the goals of such a redesigned course would be maintaining a high degree of interactivity and dialogue.

Blended E-Learning in the Context of International Development 453

FIGURE 32.4. EXAMPLE OF BLENDED LEARNING.

The Global Distance Learning Network Experience with Blended Learning

The World Bank, through the World Bank Institute and Global Distance Learning Network (GDLN) programs, has been at the forefront of piloting new models aimed at capacity enhancement in developing countries through knowledge and learning

The Handbook of Blended Learning

programs. Since 2000, it has supported the growth of a GDLN of over sixty-two centers worldwide, all of which are engaged in capacity enhancement. These cen­ters are mostly owned and operated by independent partner institutions. The ob­jectives of GDLN are to improve the development impact by using distance learning methods and connect development decision makers to a global knowledge exchange.

The blended learning experience of GDLN uses an integrated mix of dis­tance learning technologies in order to connect policy and decision makers in a cost-effective manner. This began with the use of videoconferencing, which can be used to simulate a face-to-face experience, and with good instructional design, to provide a forum for immediate dialogue, interaction, knowledge exchange, and feedback despite the distance (Foley, 2003). It is also cost-effective since a number of learners at different sites can participate together. For example, many courses are simulcast to four or five countries with thirty participants in each site. With the dramatic decline in archiving costs, a library of videotapes can also be made avail­able for playback to interested learners after the videoconference session is actu­ally over. In fact, the bank's B-SPAN program provides access to Webcasts of World Bank seminars, lectures, conferences, interviews, and other knowledge-sharing events. Such Webcasts feature many of the world's leading policymakers, experts, and practitioners in all major developmental fields who discuss the lat­est events, experiences, and trends in their fields.

The availability of the multimedia rooms in the Global Distance Learning Centers (GDLGs) with access to computers and the Internet provides an oppor­tunity to extend the length of the two-hour videoconferencing experience (see Fig­ure 32.5). This type of distance learning infrastructure enhances the overall learning experience in a cost-effective way by deepening and widening the interactions, and permitting dialogue on a continuous basis, thereby creating and

FIGURE 32.5. TYPICAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF A GLOBAL DISTANCE LEARNING NETWORK CENTER.

Blended E-Leaming in the Context of International Development 455

nurturing a community of practitioners. For example, the Internet is now being used before the course to allow participants to introduce themselves, state their expectations, and access relevant learning resources. In addition, between weekly videoconferencing sessions within the course, participants can ask questions about the topics being discussed and continue the dialogue with their peers and experts. Finally, after the course session, participants can obtain feedback on their course-related projects and continue networking with each other.

The blended learning of the GDLN is an educational experience created cost-effectively using a mix of distance learning technologies including videoconfer­encing and Internet and supported by print, CD-ROM, and video. Such learning experiences in most cases also include local face-to-face sessions, where the key in­terlocutor is the local facilitator, who ensures that the local context and cultural sensitivities are fully reflected in the learning experience.

In effect, a learning community emerges from the global distance learning experience. Participants meet colleagues whom they would not have met other­wise. More fundamental, they share knowledge of best practices as well as con­cerns and hesitations and secure feedback from their global colleagues. The flexibility and diverse capabilities of the various media, especially the Internet, promote this knowledge sharing and exchange of experiences that enhance the capacity of the development community.

There are constraints on those global collaborations since a reasonably intensive graphic, Web page, or shared document that takes a few seconds to load in the United States on a high-bandwidth line may take five to ten minutes to load in Tanzania or Cambodia (assuming one does not get disconnected during the process). Since In­ternet time is expensive in developing countries, technology is minimalized and cre­ative options that rely on low-bandwidth design are explored. Such low-bandwidth alternatives include e-mail-based listservs (which is more prevalent than Internet-based technology in poorer countries), opportunities to work offline (in terms of read­ings and compiling discussion posts to read offline, for example), and distributing high-bandwidth items such as multimedia, video, and audio clips using CD-ROM. The disparity in access to technology in the developing world is mitigated in the near term through blended learning models that use public facilities like GDLN multimedia rooms and the World Bank's public information centers.

LESSONS LEARNED

Overall, blended e-learning activities have taken the best from different media to con­nect a wider community of development practitioners across national and regional boundaries for just-in-time learning and knowledge exchange. Resource persons are

The Handbook of Blended Learning

provided as " guides on the side" at relatively lower costs compared to conventional learning methods. In addition, the flexibility offered by blending various technolo­gies allows content to be distilled from various sources while simultaneously facili­tating team-based learning with a high degree of interactivity and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing. By bringing learning directly to the practitioner's work environ­ment, blended learning activities offer unique opportunities for action learning, whereby learners can immediately apply knowledge and information on the job. This process enables decision makers at both the policy and project levels to share knowl­edge and ideas on global best practices and interact virtually with peers from across the world. In addition, by reducing travel time and costs for both instructors and par­ticipants, blended learning becomes much more cost-effective when compared to the conventional technical assistance programs of the past decades.

Despite the cost-benefits of blended learning there continue to be several key challenges in making blended e-learning work in developing countries. Five major challenges are summarized below:

• Difficulties in accessing technology for e-learning. In many developing countries, access to technology is uneven, and innovative solutions need to be developed for e-learning to be effective. To address this problem, technologies that are widely-used in developed countries can be creatively adapted to improve access and lower costs for learners. For example, in Malawi, as part of the bank-assisted Population Family Planning project, messages initially broadcast on the radio were put on audiocassettes. Community-based distributors working for the project played these on their cassette recorders to listener groups formed at the village level, which met on specific days. Feedback from these groups was also recorded and fed back into the radio messages, packaged on CD-ROMs and even the Web.

• E-learning design costs. Designing interactive e-learning components is a mul-tidisciplinary effort requiring a team of subject matter experts, instructional designers, graphic and Web designers, and multimedia programmers and editors. As a result, it also requires different skill profiles compared to traditional course design, and thereby increases costs. The costs of maintaining quality of design and content have some common elements that could be shared across countries.

• Creating mechanisms for sharing and scaling up. The world community needs to identify commonalities in strategies, policies, and principles related to e-learning so as to come up with international standards that promote shareability and scalability of e-learning assets. Such standards need to be able to support cultural and linguistic diversity as well as inclusiveness (particularly for the disabled as well as the elderly). There is also a need to use a modular design approach so that learn­ing objects can be designed once and repurposed for many stakeholders, regions, and learning formats.

Blended E-Leaming in the Context of International Development 457

• Reducing learner dropout. In e-learning, the dropout rate is often high. These risks are mitigated on the supply side through virtual and local facilitators' play­ing a critical role in managing and supporting the learning experience. How­ever, the roles of the facilitators and learners change in an e-learning environment. As a result, there needs to be well-planned training related to how to teach and learn online as well as training on the use of technology. Proper learner supports to scaffold the learning experience in terms of pedagogy, logistics, and technol­ogy therefore become critical. On the demand side, sustaining and motivating learners should target student selection, content relevance, maintaining appro­priate levels of instruction, language backgrounds, familiarity with technology, ad­equate learner support, and, above all, access to the enabling environment (including time to learn).

• Improving measurement of impacts. Measuring impacts is key to understanding whether the investments in blended e-learning have led to adequate returns. To measure the impact of blended learning initiatives in developing countries, one needs to develop collaborative evaluation processes for e-learning programs that have been undertaken by both donor and academic institutions interested in eco­nomic development.

Conclusion

Blended e-learning courses for developing countries have been successful in im­proving the quality of the learning experience. Through this, institutional capacity has been built on a range of development issues. These experiences enhance the ef­fectiveness of investment programs and create a greater sense of ownership among country-level stakeholders. For example, over the past few years, leading develop­ing country policymakers and academic institutions have become active partners in the teaching, learning, and knowledge-sharing process. Continued exchange of ideas and experiences among learning designers from developed and develop­ing countries could perhaps help bridge the knowledge gap in the near future.

References

Canyon or mirage? A new paper questions the notion of a worsening digital divide between rich and poor. (2004, January 22). Economist. Retrieved November 6, 2004, from https://economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm? Story_ID=2367710.

Fink, C, & Kenny, G. (2003). W(h)ither the digital divide? Info: Journal of Policy, Regulation and Strategy for Telecommunications, 5(6), 15-24.

PART SEVEN

WORKPLACE, ON-DEMAND, AND AUTHENTIC LEARNING

he blending of technology is linking colleges and universities with corporate and other authentic learning settings. To begin to understand what is oc­curring or possible as well as increasingly required in the area of workplace learn­ing, the chapters in Part Seven detail emerging trends in workplace, work flow, and on-demand learning. Several of these chapters discuss how learning in the work­place can offer opportunities for mentoring and apprenticeship that are not pos­sible in more formal academic settings. The authors suggest that the results of these trends toward learning authenticity will be learners who have more con­trol over their own learning and are more satisfied with it.

Chapter Thirty-Three by Betty Gollis from the Netherlands discusses two major challenges that many global companies face. The first stems from the rapid growth of knowledge within a company, and the second is the direct result of per­sonnel changes as an older workforce is replaced by a younger, more global work­force. These challenges are being met by blending aspects of both classroom (formal) learning and workplace (informal) learning. Technology is used to me­diate much of the learning that occurs. About half of the sixty-five courses cre­ated using this model still have classroom components, while the other half do not. For example, in the case provided in this chapter, learners are mentored to com­plete projects in the local workplace by managers and peers as well as at a distance through the use of Web-based tools. Materials that once formed the center of

The Handbook of Blended teaming

classroom training environments are also available electronically for guidance in each step of the process.

Chapter Thirty-Four by Harvey Singh shares a vision of the past, present, and future of blended learning. Singh paints a picture of how blended learnmg environments have become increasingly sophisticated in addressing learning chal­lenges. He argues that blended learning will increasingly support real-time work flow learning. In a real-time work flow environment, learning and work are seam­lessly integrated and supported with knowledge and performance tools. To makr his point, Singh highlights several differences between the current paradigm of blended learning and the real-time work flow learning paradigm. Component of a real-time work flow learning architecture are outlined, and an example i> provided.

In Chapter Thirty-Five by Nancy DeViney and Nancy J. Lewis, the focib on the change in training at IBM toward a more embedded approach, where learning is built into the work flow. In this context, perceived corporate needs such as improved transfer of learning, accelerated deployment of best practices, and enhanced learner-worker interactions are discussed. Also described is IBM new Edvisor online tool, which functions as an " e-coach" to learners. The Edvisor system is an intelligent agent that provides the learner with guidance in сгеаглц a personalized learning path through online learning modules in preparation for.-. face-to-face training experience. The guided online learning component of the training reduces the required amount of face-to-face workshop time and trans­forms what was originally a single classroom event into a learning process more embedded throughout the day-to-day work.

Chapter Thirty-Six by Ron Oliver, Jan Herrington, and Thomas C. Ree\ i focuses on the use of blended learning approaches to support authentic learni: | activities. Ten research-supported characteristics of authentic learning activii: are outlined and coupled with opportunities for blended learning. Two illustrat cases are presented that use blended learning to support authentic learni: i activities. The first case is a research methods course that combines a Web-bast- i virtual learning environment with face-to-face collaborative sessions for scaffolds. learning and community building. The second is a course for realtors, to be taken in a workplace setting. Many of the authentic activities take place in a virtu.-., reality environment supported by face-to-face discussions and interactions with peers and mentors.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE