Blended Learning Approach in Tertiary Education in Bhutan

Abstract

With the development of technology in education, various methods of teaching have been adopted across the world. Blended learning, combining online and in-person teaching methods, has gained significant attention as an effective educational approach. This study aims to assess the perceptions of students on effectiveness and challenges in tertiary education in Bhutan regarding the implementation of blended learning. The research adopts a student-centric perspective by employing a structured questionnaire with use of seven Likert-scale to gather data. The study was carried out for three colleges in Bhutan; Royal Thimphu College in urban area, College of Natural Resources in semi-urban area, and Sherubtse college in rural area with total of 681 respondents. The results were analyzed with use of descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages, mean, and standard deviations and charts, tables, and graphs are used to present the findings. More than 60% of students of all the colleges have shared their perception stating that they have improved their learning outcomes and are satisfied with the practice of blended learning approach in their colleges. The findings will have practical implications for policy-makers, curriculum designers, and educators in designing effective blended learning models to enhance learning experiences of Bhutanese students. Keywords: Blended learning; Likert-scale; student- centric; perception; tertiary education; Bhutan;