learning - Academic Conferences Limited

Arno Louw
Devedšić poses (op. cit.) that organising and linking materials on the Web, as well as extracting and
interpreting the content for the sake of effective learning, places the burden on the human user. I
argue that the perceptions of lecturers and students have an influence on the rate of adopting blended
learning because hard and soft skills, accompanying values, and expected attitude(s) must be part of
a curriculum. I maintain further that a power play for the ideal learning process in blended learning
causes misperceptions. Therefore, it is not only stakeholders of the learning process who should
adopt, but also the content which needs to be aligned with demands in industry upon graduating a
student (suggested by the teaching and learning philosophy of UJ).
4.1 Students perception and expectations from blended learning
To know the background of students might be considered cliché. However, within the South African
context, various background and cultures, 11 official languages, accommodating people with
disabilities, growing student numbers, and comprehensive 4 campuses will always influence
perception. However, common trends of the current student generation contribute to enlighten our
understanding of the student of today.
According to Smith and Grant-Marshall (2004), the South African generational divide differs from the
international division. They define the generations in South Africa as follows: Baby Boomers were
born between 1950 – 1969; Generation X people were born between 1970 – 1989 and Generation Y
were born between 1990 – 2005. This division, as with all divisions, is however not clear cut. People
who were born, either early or late in a generation, is known as cuspers. Cuspers show traits of both
generations. To understand today’s students, it is necessary to briefly look at some of the traits of
each of the generations, with particular emphasis on technology as there is definitely a digital divide
between the various generations. Baby Boomers grew up following World War II. They grew up with
one-way technology, being the radio. Their introduction to technology was in the 80s with the advent
of the personal computer (PC).
Generation X (also known as the lost generation) loves to communicate by e-mail and want instant
answers to questions and know how to get speedy access to information. They are far more adept
with technology than their parents (Baby Boomers). However, they often lack the technology savvy of
Generation Y (or the Millenials). Generation Y grew up in the full swing of technology – 24/7
television, the Internet, social networking including Facebook, Blackberry applications, iPhone
facilities etc. Generation Y wants lots of knowledge and they want it instantly. They thus rely on
technology to assist them in obtaining the knowledge and to share their knowledge with others. In
addition, expensive cell phones, bigger head phones, and iPods are displayed. A recent report from
UJ (Bester, 2011) conveys that computer orientation for first year students delivered results shown in
Figure 1 and Figure 2.
Figure 1: First year access to different technologies
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