Approaches to learning in a blended learning environment: preliminary results

The effectiveness and success of blended learning is an intriguing topic to researchers; the use of technology has transformed the traditional ways of teaching in higher education and has played an important role in achieving a scalable, inclusive, and cost-effective education. In the same time, approaches to learning and the perception of teaching-learning environment have been an interest of authors looking to understand the ways that students go around learning and achieve their study goals. Influenced by multiple factors, students adopt deep, surface, or strategic approach to learning. This research is focused on bringing the two research areas together using an original research instrument, developed to understand the students' approaches to learning in a blended learning environment. The survey has been conducted on a sample of students in two Croatian universities. Relationships between gender, student status, year and area of study, use of MOOCs and/or educational videos, experience with e-learning, learner control, specific use of learning management system, perceptions of teaching-learning environment and the approaches to learning have been explored. This paper covers the instrument's validity and reliability assessment and the preliminary results of the research, along with recommendations for conducting further research in this field.