Implementation of Blended Learning into ESP for Medical Staff

Abstract

The use of blended design of teaching and learning foreign languages in higher education has increased rapidly in the twenty-first century. For many universities, the tool of blended learning is a part of mainstream education and represents a sort of continuum between traditional and pure online courses. Reflecting the latest results of technical and technological development, smart solutions are applied in numerous fields of human lives, including education. In this article, attention is paid to the education at tertiary schools for medical professionals, particularly to English for specific purposes (ESP) courses. The main objective of the presented research was to discover whether/how the smart blended approach could enhance and support the process of learning ESP in these students. The research was conducted at the Tertiary School for Medical Staff in Olomouc, Czech Republic. The research sample included 86 first-year students divided in the experimental group (N = 46) and control group (N = 40). Traditional pedagogical experiment was conducted defining the form of study materials (electronic or printed) to be the variable. Content of the study materials was the same in both groups. Data were collected via two written credit tests administered in the middle and at the end of semester. It was discovered that there are no significant differences in the test scores between these two groups. However, the students with lower level of English performed slightly better in the experimental group.