The past, present and future of blended learning: an in depth analysis of literature

Abstract

Blended learning emerged as one of the most popular pedagogical concepts at the beginning of 2000. With an increasing tendency, many researches have reported on blended learning since it flourished. The lack of technological availability prevented blending of traditional face-to-face learning with distributed learning environments. However, within the recent 10 years the introduction of the new technological innovations filled the gap between traditional face-to-face learning and distributed learning environments. The main purpose of this study is to review and analyze the studies carried out on blended learning through reflecting on the past, the present and the future. Graham (2006) stated that blended learning would have a great role in the future and it would be dominated by the distributed learning environments. To sum up, recent developments in technology encourage teacher educators to apply blended learning in their classrooms but how it should be implemented will be one of the key questions to be discussed in this research. (C) 2013 The Authors Published by Elsevier Ltd.