A Blended Chinese-as-a-Foreign-Language Short Course: Design and Perceptions

Abstract

This study investigated learners' perceived effectiveness of a blended Chinese non-credit bearing short course designed for engineering students with no prior knowledge about Chinese language. Few studies have examined how to design blended Chinese courses for beginning learners. The design of this study was based on the framework of parameters proposed by Neumeier 2005. Bloom's taxonomy of learning objectives in the cognitive domain was adopted in deciding on the time distribution to the two modes Face-To-Face and online, and on sequencing the two modes. FTF was the lead mode with activities that help learners apply and practice what they learned creatively. Online activities were designed mainly to help learners memorize vocabularies, analyze word order, and comprehend culture. Data were collected through a survey and an informal interview. The findings show that the design is effective but improvements are needed.