Students’ Learning Experience within a Blended Learning Environment in a Higher Education Institution in Ghana

Advances in information, communication, technology (I.C.T) particularly the internet is driving universities worldwide into integrating technology into teaching and learning in the classrooms. Ready access to multimedia learning platforms are encouraging faculty members to move away from traditional print-based and face-to-face teaching approach into adopting blended learning. However, insufficient learner satisfaction has been noted as an obstacle in most universities. In view of this, this paper assesses the learning experience of students within a blended learning environment in a Higher Education Institution (HEIs) in Ghana Technology University College (GTUC). The driving force for this study is to enhance students’ learning experience with the use of technology within a blended learning environment. The Learning Management System (LMS) adapted to engage students within the blended learning environment is Moodle. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods to measure the students’ learning experience. A total of 244 respondents from three different faculties and levels offering bachelors and master’s degree were used. The study employed simple descriptive analysis and thematic analysis to measure the student's learning experience within the blended learning environment. The impression from the findings indicates that the online learning engagements enhanced the face-to-face teaching and learning and also increased retention and performance among the students. It was however noted that poor internet connectivity, reluctant of some lecturers, lack of orientation affected the effective implementation of the blended learning. More so, most of the learners affirmed that there is no clear-cut policy that enforces effective implementation of the blended learning approach in the university. The study affirmed that effective usage of blended learning approach enhances students’ learning experience in HEIs.