Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
ScienceDirect
ScienceDirect
Procedia
Available Computer
online Science 00 (2020) 000–000
at www.sciencedirect.com
Procedia Computer Science 00 (2020) 000–000 www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia
www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia
ScienceDirect
Procedia Computer Science 176 (2020) 1322–1327

24th International Conference on Knowledge-Based and Intelligent Information & Engineering

24th International Conference on Knowledge-Based
Systems and Intelligent Information & Engineering
Systems
Reflection on blended learning and e-learning – case study
Reflection on blended learning and e-learning – case study
Jaroslav Kacetlaa*, Ilona Semradovaaa
Jaroslav Kacetl *, Ilona Semradova
a
University of Hradec Kralove, Rokitanskeho 62, Hradec Kralove 50003, Czech Republic
a
University of Hradec Kralove, Rokitanskeho 62, Hradec Kralove 50003, Czech Republic

Abstract
Abstract
E-learning includes many methods that can profoundly change the learning process. We were interested in the views of both
E-learning
teachers andincludes
studentsmany methods
on risks that canbrought
and benefits profoundly
aboutchange the learning
by e-learning. Thereprocess. We were semi-structured
were conducted interested in theinterviews
views of both
with
teachers and
instructors students
and on and
collected risksanalyzed
and benefits
essaysbrought about
of students by e-learning.
attending There
the course were conducted
of Business semi-structured
Ethics. The results showinterviews with
that e-learning
instructors
may changeandthecollected and analyzed
roles of both essays
teachers and of students
students as it isattending
attractivethe
andcourse of Business
improves clarity ofEthics. The results
instruction as wellshow that e-learning
as course integrity,
may change the roles
individualization of both
of the teachers
learning and and
process students as it isOn
feedback. attractive andhand,
the other improves clarity
it favors of instruction
interactivity as dialogue,
over well as course integrity,
and generates
individualization
simplification as of theaslearning
well process Moreover,
superficiality. and feedback.
bothOn the other
teachers andhand, it favors
students interactivity
perceive over of
there a lack dialogue,
personaland generates
contact and
simplification as well
fundamental human as superficiality. Moreover, both teachers and students perceive there a lack of personal contact and
communication.
fundamental human communication.
© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
© 2019
© 2020 The
The Author(s).
Authors. Published
Published bybyElsevier B.V.
Elsevier B.V.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0)
This is an open
Peer-review access
under article under
responsibility of the CC
KES BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
International.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the KES International.
Peer-review under responsibility of KES International.
Keywords: e-learning; learning process; fundamental education
Keywords: e-learning; learning process; fundamental education

1. Introduction
1. Introduction
Liesmann provides his view of education in the following way: “Since the dawn of civilizations, there is a common
Liesmann
thread provides
of certain formshisofview of education
acquiring in the following
and mediating knowledge way: “Sincethrough
leading the dawn theofhistory
civilizations, there is abehavior.
of pedagogical common
thread of certain
Teachers of eachforms of acquiring
generation and mediating
re-discover knowledge
the Socratic leading
Dialogue. The through
lure to the history ofinnovation
understand pedagogicalas behavior.
technical
Teachers even
novelties of each
in thegeneration re-discover
social sphere, the Socratic
where they Dialogue.
are neither required,The
norlure
exist,tonor
understand
get throughinnovation
easily, isasirresistible.
technical
novelties
The beliefeven
that inthetheteacher's
social sphere, where they
responsibility areonly
is not neither required, and
pedagogical nor didactical,
exist, nor get butthrough easily, is irresistible.
also axiological and ethical
The belief that
introduction teacher's
of the latest responsibility
digital devices intois teaching
not only will
pedagogical and didactical,
lead to some pedagogicalbut also axiological
innovation and ethical
in the social sense
introduction of the latest digital devices into teaching will lead to some pedagogical innovation in the social sense

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +420 493 332 319; fax: +0-000-000-0000 .

* E-mail jaroslav.kacetl@uhk.cz
address:author.
Corresponding Tel.: +420 493 332 319; fax: +0-000-000-0000 .
E-mail address: jaroslav.kacetl@uhk.cz
1877-0509 © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
This is an open
1877-0509 access
© 2019 The article underPublished
Author(s). the CC BY-NC-ND
by Elsevier license
B.V. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Peer-review
This under
is an open responsibility
access of KES
article under International.
the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Peer-review under responsibility of KES International.

1877-0509 © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0)
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the KES International.
10.1016/j.procs.2020.09.141
 Jaroslav Kacetl et al. / Procedia Computer Science 176 (2020) 1322–1327 1323
2 Author name / Procedia Computer Science 00 (2020) 000–000

could finally prove to be a false hope. After the times of technophilic (i.e., love for new technologies) euphoria, there
usually follows the hangover. Then we recall world-class meta-studies, for which thousands and thousands of data
were processed, and which surprisingly came to a conclusion that the relationship between the teacher and the pupil
is crucial for learning processes. (All of this was true for the Socrates period, only the papyrus was replaced by a
tablet, and everything else, put bluntly, remains the same.)” [1]
Can we, however, apply his view on the current trends in education, namely e-learning? Since the concept of e-
learning is used in various contexts emphasizing different facets of educational process and the notion of the concept
is not clearly defined, we shall mention here the most frequent attempts to define it.
E-learning includes many methods that can effectively influence the learning process and which present the
learning content of various kind to users, i.e., those who are educated, among other things, through collaboration
software and WBC (web-based-courses). There is another term, namely blended learning, which is also often used to
describe the teaching and learning process that combines a variety of activities including face-to-face instruction, live
e-learning and self-paced learning. Blended learning is also often characterized as distance learning supported by e-
learning. [2] For further details about the concepts of e-learning and blended learning, see, for instance, [3].
In our reflection, we focus on university education combining face-to-face instruction with supportive WBC, which
help structure the content of corresponding subjects. These WBC also provide students with questions, tasks, and
exercises, links to primary and secondary literature, glossaries of relevant concepts and possible topics for
presentations as well as seminar papers, project proposals, optional content expansion corresponding with the learners'
interests and communication platforms to link course participants. It should enable not only organizational methodical
and operational communication, but also authentic communication, related to the discussed topic or problem. The
learning process, in fact, constitutes a form of life for teachers and learners, and therefore we aim to bring such
innovations to the learning process, which would be accompanied with openness for new possibilities of their
utilization. In any case, we do not want to reduce our efforts to innovative rhetoric, which can be encountered quite
often and which shows signs of formalism and illusory modernization of teaching and remains superficial.
This reflection is based on the above-mentioned blended learning concept and the study of relevant literature, e.g.,
[4]. Some sources, like [5], compare face-to-face and online discussion and maintain that there is varying quality of
learning by means of blended discussion. Still other authors, e.g., [6], believe that the reason why students sometimes
express dissatisfaction with e-learning stems from the lack of adequate explanation concerning its benefits.

2. Method

The results stem from the findings coming from semi-structured interviews with teachers as well as discussions
with students. Furthermore, we also took into consideration students' essays, which was their writing assignment for
their subject of Business Ethics. These essays were supposed to discuss ethical aspects of e-learning in connection
with the Code of Conduct of the University of Hradec Kralove.
More specifically, within our research, we employed semi-structured interviews with instructors who teach courses
using blended learning approach. They were asked about the benefits and risks of e-learning and then, depending on
their answers, they were asked additional questions.
The second part of research was based on frequency analysis employed on the content of essays written by students
studying Business Ethics courses. There were two groups of such respondents as we compared results from the years
of 2011 and 2012 as they were published in [7] with those collected in 2018 and 2019 with other groups of students.

3. Interviews with Teachers

We talked to 12 teachers about the possibility of e-learning integration into the teaching of humanities and
languages. There were discussions on the efforts, energy, inventions and creativity embedded in teaching activities
connected with e-learning, including making WBC and their utilization within blended learning and these efforts
1324 Jaroslav Kacetl et al. / Procedia Computer Science 176 (2020) 1322–1327
Author name / Procedia Computer Science 00 (2020) 000–000 3

correspond with benefits generated by using these courses for teaching purposes. One of the major objections criticized
the fact that e-learning weakens, if not completely obstructs, face encounter.
All the aforementioned teachers were convinced of the benefits of e-learning, particularly WBC in terms of content
structuring and updating as well as regarding tasks and questions for students. They appreciated the possibility of
using multimedia and dividing study materials into obligatory and optional parts. They shared the view that the
possibilities of communication within study groups as well as between teachers and students are adequate. Moreover,
they appreciate the fact that virtual learning environment (VLE) is relatively easy to control. Nevertheless, they agreed
that personalized and individualized teaching in VLE can paradoxically be impersonal, which results from the lack of
immediate response they get in face-to-face instruction. One teacher even emphasized her need for the fundamental
personal encounter with students, and she therefore considers blended learning as a significant step forward as it uses
e-learning in combination with face-to-face instruction.
The phenomenon of face and that of the encounter with face, as it is understood by current philosophy – in particular
by Levinas who contends that the encounter with the face of the Other is the basic human experience, which is deeper
than the experience of the world. The face speaks itself and thereby invites to a relation, to the dialogue [8]. From this
point of view, the teacher's responsibility is not only pedagogical and didactic but also axiological and ethical. We
refer to authentic encounters and fundamental human communication. Thus, if we primarily focus on the standards
and certified results of the assigned tasks, the personalized learning dimension is weakened. Administrative and
technical functionalities in teaching and learning can threaten the meaningfulness of concrete content and the way of
learning in favor of performance formalism, which is clearly measurable, easily quantifiable and can be entered into
tables and diagrams. This applies in particular to skills-driven and competency-driven learning models.
Teachers are convinced that the teacher cannot be replaced by ICT, and that by using ICT, on the other hand, the
teacher can approach his or her students.

4. Student Reflections

In Business Ethics seminars in 2011 and 2012, we dealt with the issue of the relationship between professional
code of ethics for teachers and the development of the use of ICT in teaching and learning [7]. The students' reflections
on this issue were captured in their reflections and essays. A total of 121 essays were evaluated and analyzed by means
of frequency analysis.
The questions that the students repeatedly asked and which were the most important for them, could be arranged
as follows (the number in brackets stands for the number of students' works, where each particular question appeared):
1. Does the role of the teacher and the student change entirely in the virtual learning environment? (72); 2. What is
attractive about virtualization and e-learning and what are the risks of it? (71); 3. Is in education, as a result of
electronic-related innovations in education, impeded communication between students, and that between students and
teachers? (63); 4. Is it possible to develop critical thinking in e-learning? (45); 5. Does e-learning contribute to the
development of innovations in tertiary education? (45); 6. Does performance formalism gain ground through the tools
of a particular virtual learning environment? (31); 7. Can virtual environment make learning more individualized?
(27); 8. Is classical education, which is based primarily on the personal contact between the teacher and student, closer
to fundamental education than e-learning? (18); 9. Are students increasingly less willing to study literature due to ICT
utilization in their studies? (12); 10. Does the use of ICT strengthen the trend towards simplifying the study, and
widespread plagiarism? (6) (see Table 1).
Some students did not pay attention to all of the above-mentioned questions. The results are more or less illustrative.
They show the students' perceptions of the subject. They responded positively to most of questions. Only the second
question points to both the benefits and risks of virtualization and e-learning. The possibility of developing critical
thinking by means of e-learning was questioned by the majority of students who reflected on it (see Table 1).
The analyzed essays show that their authors believe that in connection with the rising influence of e-learning the
following items should be included in the professional code of ethics for teachers: put in a great deal of efforts to
effectively involve students and thereby compensate for the possibility of greater students' passivity; do not delegate
what must remain personal to technical devices; ensure that e-learning is not overwhelming; ensure students' consent
to the publication of their works and photographs, or videos.
 Jaroslav Kacetl et al. / Procedia Computer Science 176 (2020) 1322–1327 1325
4 Author name / Procedia Computer Science 00 (2020) 000–000

A female student of 21 years of age put it this way: “Certainly, the rules for dealing with new media should be
included in the professional code of ethics for teachers. Just like the rules for working with books and quotations. And
it is also necessary to consider why and to what extent the trend of e-learning should be supported.”

Table 1. Student Reflections in 2011 and 2012.

Question Total % of % of Yes % of No

number answers

1 59.5 44.6 14.9

2 58.6 Only Only

benefits risks

21.5 12.4

3 52 39.6 12.4

4 37.2 3.3 33.9

5 37.2 24 13.2

6 25.6 20.7 4.9

7 22.3 22.3 0

8 14.9 14.9 0

9 9.9 9.1 0.8

10 5 4.1 0.9

Similarly, in Business Ethics seminars in 2018 and 2019, we were able to evaluate similar student reflections
written for their respective courses of Business Ethics. This second batch of reflections was done in connection with
analyses of various Professional Codes of Ethics and the Code of Ethics of the University of Hradec Kralove. Once
again, seminar papers were evaluated and analyzed by means of frequency analysis. This time, there were 123
submitted essays.

Table 2. Student Reflections in 2018 and 2019.

Question Total % of % of Yes % of No

number answers

1 57.7 53.3 4.4

2 54.5 Only Only

benefits risks

52.2 2.3

3 48 46 2
1326 Jaroslav Kacetl et al. / Procedia Computer Science 176 (2020) 1322–1327
Author name / Procedia Computer Science 00 (2020) 000–000 5

4 32.5 31.5 1

5 35 31.3 3.7

6 28.5 22.4 6.1

7 29.3 26.1 3.2

8 18.7 16.5 2.2

9 12.2 12.1 0.1

10 12.2 11.9 0.3

As it can be observed in Table 2, the 2018 and 2019 research results show considerable similarities to those derived
from the 2011 and 2012 research. The most marked difference is in the rise of those students who focused on benefits
rather than risks of virtualization and e-learning. This fact may suggest the ever growing students' interest in using
electronic support in the learning process. At also goes hand in hand with the policy of educational institutions
supporting the introduction of e-learning for a wide-range of subjects, including those for full-time students. These
institutions offer their students WBC, accessible from anywhere. The only condition is internet access. Consequently,
it is increasingly common to use e-learning for both part-time and full-time study.

Table 3. Benefits and risks of e-learning.

Benefits Risks

the teacher prepares more systematically, improves
clarity of instruction, standard and nonstandard
content, course integrity, choice of place and time of
study, individualization of the learning process and
feedback, increased course integrity, comprehensive
access to all materials, continuous updating of content
and references to compulsory and recommended
literature, diversity of methods of writing tasks,
written feedback, introduction of commonly
unavailable materials
it diverts from fundamental education,
interactivity instead of dialogue,
simplification, lack of personal contact,
superficiality, dialogue hindered by
interactivity, impersonal procedures,
formalization of task-solving, excellent
teacher is irreplaceable, no possibility to
experience the personal interest of the
teacher, some subjects require authentic
personal contact

We believe that the students very aptly capture the complexity and coherence of courses provided in the electronic
form as well as the possibilities of independent work and cooperation with their colleagues and teachers. They are
aware of the need to set up basic rules of ethical foundation and teaching and learning in virtual learning environment.
They also see the irreplaceability of some teaching personalities and realize the need for authentic dialogue without
necessarily being aware of the principles of universal hermeneutics.

5. Conclusion

As the teacher reflects together with his or her students on the possibilities of innovations and their implications,
he or she leads them to sharing common values and methods of work, advises them on applying prudence in the use
of the virtual environment, leads them to netiquette, and encourages them to think now as well as in future about the
ethical dimension of their own profession. It can be inferred from the results that both instructors and learners are well
 Jaroslav Kacetl et al. / Procedia Computer Science 176 (2020) 1322–1327 1327
6 Author name / Procedia Computer Science 00 (2020) 000–000

aware of benefits brought by e-learning. On the other hand, they do not take an uncritical view. In fact, they are
conscious of risks hidden in their application and perceive the limits and pitfalls of this type of teaching and learning.
The students' reflections implicitly suggest their interest in personal contact with teachers. Some of the students are
even worried with the increase in impersonal and personally indifferent procedures that hinder their motivation to
study, and even encourage them to solve tasks in formalized ways, which are unsuitable for humanities. On the other
hand, these students appreciate the opportunity to practice grammar and vocabulary in e-learning language courses,
which is in concord with [9].
The results show that the introduction of e-learning may change the roles of both teachers and students. E-learning
is attractive as it improves clarity of instruction as well as course integrity, individualization of the learning process
and feedback. On the other hand, it favors interactivity over dialogue, and generates simplification as well as
superficiality. Moreover, both teachers and students perceive there a lack of personal contact and fundamental human
communication.
Should we make a more general conclusion of the analysis of students' reflections on the subject, then it can be
stated that students show a very good ability to detect problems of further spreading of e-learning. They are well aware
of the decrease in the number of personal meetings, and some of them assume that rampant sharing of photos and
videos on social networking sites may in fact signal the lack of satisfaction of the need for an authentic human contact.

Acknowledgements

The paper is a part of the SPEV 2104 Project at the Faculty of Informatics and Management of the University of
Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. The authors would like to thank their student Frantisek Hasek for his invaluable
help when collecting the data of the research.

References

[1] Liesmann, Konrad Paul. (2018) “Vzdělání jako provokace.” (Education as Provocation). Praha: Academia.
[2] Kopecky, Kamil. (20??): “Modely tzv. blended learningu (úvod do problematiky).” (Models of Blended Learning (Introduction to the Problem)).
http://www.net-university.cz/blog/modely-tzv-blended-learningu-uvod-do-problematiky/
[3] Pikhart, M., Klímová, B. (2019) “Utilization of Linguistic Aspects of Bloom's Taxonomy in Blended Learning.” Education Sciences 2019,
vol. 9, 235.
[4] Klimova, Blanka, Simonova, Ivana, Poulova, Petra. (2017) “Blended Learning in the University English Courses: Case Study.” LNCS, vol.
10309: 53-64.
[5] Han, F., Ellis, R.A. (2019) “Identifying consistent patterns of quality learning discussions in blended learning.” Internet and Higher Education,
vol. 40: 12-19.
[6] Dann, Caron Elizabeth (2019) “Blended Learning 3.0: Getting Students on Board”, In V. Uskov, R. J. Howlett, L. C. Jain, L. Vlacic (eds) Smart
Education and e-Learning 2018, series Smart Innovation Systems and Technologies, vol. 99: 214-223.
[7] Pelcova, Nadezda, Semradova, Ilona (2014) “Fenomén výchovy a etika učitelského povolání.” (Phenomenon of Education and Ethics of the
Teaching Profession). Praha: Karolinum.
[8] Levinas, Emmanuel (2009) “Etika a nekonečno.” (Ethics and Infinity). Prague: Oikoymenh
[9] Chavarria, X., Hampshire, S., Aguareles, M.A., Romeo, M., del Rincon, D. (2005) “The benefits of ICT technology, e- and blended learning
on modern foreign language learning at the University of Barcelona, Spain, 2004”, in Chiazzese, G; Allegra, M; Chifari, A; Ottaviano, S. (eds)
Methods and Technologies for Learning: 607-610.