The world we live in : a perspective on blended learning and music education in higher education

Abstract

This article investigates the incorporation of Picciano’s Blending with purpose multimodal model into an undergraduate music education module. This multimodal model advocates that teachers and instructional designers should use multiple approaches to meet the needs of a wide spectrum of students. The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to understand how the Blending with purpose multimodal model can be applied to facilitate teaching and learning of music education for Bachelor of Music (BMus) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) Music students. The initial reason for conducting this research was to restructure the music education curriculum, which, until 2013, had mostly focused on face-to-face teaching and learning approaches. The use of digital media, which initiated e-learning technologies, changed teaching and learning experiences. Blended learning as the teaching model proved to be a useful and appropriate method in the striving to develop new approaches to teaching and learning in music education. From the interpretation of research findings, a teaching and learning model was created that could be implemented in teaching music in a higher education context.