EVALUATION OF STUDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARDS ONLINE AND BLENDED LEARNING

In response to changing and evolving environment of higher education towards overall economy, online learning is being implemented more frequently, creating new and exciting opportunities for both educational institutions and students. The ultimate question for educational research is how to optimize instructional designs and technology to maximize learning achievements in both face-to-face and online environments. Consequently, the developers and deliverers of online learning need more understanding of how students perceive and react to elements of online learning, since their perception and attitudes is critical to motivation and learning. New generations of students have a more fragmented sense of time and reduced attention span, thus, they are usually disappointed and bored with conventional classes. However, students' attitudes towards online learning are influenced by its perceived advantages and disadvantages. This research provides an insight to initial attempts in integrating online modules in a traditional class, moving toward the model of blended or online instruction. The data for the study are based on students' experiences taking an online learning unit offered by the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering in Belgrade, at its website. The results speak for a blended learning design in which the advantages of online learning and face-to-face learning are combined. This indicates the need for constant upgrading and implementation of new platforms, which might further increase the receptivity of students for online learning. Although online learning (and various blended approaches that integrate online components into traditional classes) continues to grow rapidly, it still remains at an early stage of development, and requires a lot of work to improve and to create environments where students actively interact with material.