Blended Learning in Universiti Sains Malaysia: Enhancing Pedagogical Approach in Higher Education Institution

The purpose of this paper is to provide a discussion on the implementation of blended learning as a pedagogical approach in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Initiated in stages beginning the year 2010, blended learning is deemed as an innovative and effective teaching and learning activity and Moodle was adopted as the official platform to integrate online learning due to its user friendly features. Blended learning policy was developed to serve as guideline for course instructors. Data was collected to answer two research questions. First, what is the frequency of online responses according to subjects in the Bachelor of Education Program? Second, what is the frequency of responses according to different types of online learning activities? Findings showed that the course instructors did not fulfill the blended learning policy as required by the university. Only six out of fourteen courses recorded high responses (more than 100 responses) from lecturers and students. Overall, all course instructors have uploaded a minimum of two online activities, two courses show four online activities, five courses show three activities, and one course show one online activity. However, interview with the webmaster revealed that many course instructors use other social media which can be conveniently accessed using smart phones. The findings opened up opportunities for USM to revise the policy on blended learning to better suit the needs of course instructors and students and keep up with the current situation.