Building effective small-group team working skill through blended learning at Malaysia tertiary institution

Abstract

Many Malaysian employers blamed the teaching methods used in the institutions of higher learning as being too theoretical and exam-oriented (Shah, 2008) and thus, failed in training students to meet the workplace needs. One such need was team working skill and lack of this skill would jeopardise the survival of a company in a competitive global business environment. As e-learning has been identified as a tool that can get every member to discuss equally, promote deeper learning and enable collaborative learning (Murphy, 2004; Wang and Woo, 2007), most campus-based institutions have embarked on the use of the technology in complementing their classroom learning. This has led to the formation of blended learning that provides new experience for students in building teamwork. The important question raised was how the approach of blended learning would help students developing their teamwork skills. Based on the theoretical framework of constructive alignment (Biggs, 1999), a qualitative case study research was developed. This study investigated closely how to develop effective small-group team working skill among students working in a blended mode. The findings revealed were very encouraging as each group worked as a team both online and face-to-face in completing their assignments.