STUDENTS' ATTITUDES AND SATISFACTION TOWARDS BLENDED LEARNING IN THE HEALTH SCIENCES

This study investigated students' attitudes and satisfaction towards a blended learning research methods course in The College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University. In total, 51 female undergraduate senior students in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences participated in the study for two semesters. Students responded to a questionnaire at the end of the course, furthermore, throughout the course students were asked to self-report an online semi-structured feedback journal every two weeks. Results: Team based learning was a highly preferred tool. In the social constructivism model, optimal knowledge and skill learning occurs in groups and through group activities. These results indicated that collaborative learning was the most preferred by students. Students' interactions with peers help them to process the content of the course by adapting and testing multiple peer perspectives. Conclusion: Given students' variable learning aptitudes and curves, peer discussions works as a "scaffolding" mechanism that enhances learning outcome. For content, students perceived tools for digital information as the most preferred outcome. As for structure, students mostly favored team based learning structure. Results revealed a high positive attitude and motivation among students regarding the blended model in teaching research course.