摘要：

The term "blended learning " is being used with increased frequency in both academic and corporate circles. In 2003, the American Society for Training and Development identified blended learning as one of the top ten trends to emerge in the knowledge delivery industry (cited by Rooney, 2003). In 2002, The Chronicle of Higher Education quoted the president of Pennsylvania State University as saying that the convergence between online and residential instruction was "the single-greatest unrecognized trend in higher education today " (Young, 2002, p. A33). Also quoted in that article was the editor of The Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks who predicted a dramatic increase in the number of hybrid (i.e., blended) courses in higher education, possibly to include as many as 80-90 % of all courses (Young, 2002). So what is this "blended learning " that everyone is talking about? This chapter will provide a basic introduction to blended learning systems and share some trends and issues that are highly relevant to those who are implementing such systems. To accomplish these goals, the chapter will address five important questions related to blended learning systems such as: What is blended learning?, Why blend?, What current

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