Blended learning as a proposal for European convergence in the teaching of natural sciences

Taking the national credit system as a starting point, its adaptation to the ECTS system is analysed, for which we have selected a subject to which a blended learning methodology has been applied, using a system based on Web technologies to complement face-to-face training and the student’s study hours, represented by the European credit.

In this proposal, the teacher will have to combine his or her training skills on the one hand, be an expert of the synchronous and asynchronous applications of the Internet as a tool to be taken into account on the other hand, and have the necessary individual skills as a tutor, since there will be a transformation from a face-to-face form to a partially distance learning form, trying to pick out the best features from the two forms. It will also be necessary to deal with the fact that the student will not only have to acquire knowledge as learning objectives, but also acquire a series of attitudes and abilities that prepare him or her for his or her professional future. This means that the subjects are no longer defined according to the knowledge to be transmitted and the hours that the teacher has to spend distributing such knowledge; rather, the subjects are based on the skills and abilities that need to be developed among the students in each case.

Consequently, the teacher must update his or her knowledge of the new teaching systems, without underestimating the value of the traditional methods, and the student must be prepared for the new forms of learning.