BLENDED LEARNING IN INDONESIA: IS IT SUITABLE AFTER THE PANDEMIC?

 

After the covid – 19 pandemic, new leaning methods are developed, one of them is blended learning. According to Harding, Kaczynski, and Wood (2005), blended learning is a mixture of online and face-to-face learning using a variety of learning resources and communications options available to students and lecturers. Blended learning is a refinement form of e – learning that actually a advantages combination of virtual and face to face learning.

Blended learning is an easier learning which contains different and creative learning methods. For example, Indonesian Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Makarim founded new program Merdeka Belajar which is an interpretation of blended learning in Indonesia. He said that this method is quiet effective to determine the ability and potential of each student. The students are allowed to find their passion and improve it to be good abilities for them.

Back to blended learning, it’s really suitable to be applied in Indonesia. Since it’s using two learning methods, face to face and online, it can give students space and chance to enjoy study with different ways. It can also be away to put trust on them, so they can explore their selves and make their own study schedules. In addition, the online side give new abilities, for example: learning to be an expert on computer and internet things. It also build a good mentality for students, since they search data, make conclusions, and utter their opinions to their classes. Last but not least, this method gives satisfaction to student’s study result and courses. This happening because students know their own study quality.

In one other hand, blended learning isn’t that good. First, not everyone has their own gadget and not expert on using it. We should consider this problem since poverty and lack of technology on Indonesia still happening. Second, the online side may make students to be an-soc people. Because it builds a new habit, using internet to communicate, so they used to enjoy and isolate their selves. Third, teacher must create interesting courses, but the reality isn’t always like that. Boring classes make students ignore the material and don’t study about it. Last, when it’s time to do face to face learning, student may feel uncomfortable since they used to enjoy the relaxing class, the online one.

As technology expansion, blended learning is suitable to be applied in Indonesia’s education. It’s an effective and efficient than traditional learning. The government and education expert should gather and making judgments about teaching changes and a proper class for students. It can avoid any problem and weakness of this method. I believe, when we provide organized plan when start this learning, we will improve Indonesia’s education quality and create better generations forward.