Perception vs. Reality: Assessing Blended Learning in Undergraduate Education

Blended learning has become an increasingly prominent and popular teaching-learning approach in different levels of education, especially in the post-pandemic era (COVID-19). Blended learning is a pedagogical approach that has come with the innovation of science and technology. It combines face-to-face instruction with online learning components to provide greater flexibility and accessibility for learners. This study examined the attitude of students and teachers towards blended learning and explored its practical implementation at higher educational institutions. Using a descriptive survey design, data were collected from 264 undergraduate students and 176 teachers through a structured attitude scale and questionnaire. The findings of the research revealed that the majority of students and teachers hold a favourable attitude towards blended learning, recognizing its flexibility, feasibility in evaluation, accessibility of teaching-learning resources, and self-directed learning. However, despite this, the actual use of blended learning strategies in regular classroom teaching-learning process was found to be limited and not fully aligned with its intended pedagogical potential. However, challenges such as limited technological exposure, insufficient training, low tech-literacy, lack of awareness, inadequate infrastructural facilities of the institution, and lack of interest in preparing digital teaching material were also found among both the teachers and students.