Encountering pedagogical challenges: a case of three pilot blended learning courses

Through a brief analysis of the notion of blendedness, this paper first examines the core elements in and possibilities of blended learning. It reports on the pilot implementation of three blended learning courses at an open university as example. The three courses integrated highly diverse instructional strategies according to the nature of course content. Two courses adopted different types and forms of web-based multimedia material and the third course was blended with non-electronic learning material. By highlighting results from a student survey, log-in records and focus group interviews, pedagogical challenges to the design and implementation of blended courses are discussed.