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The advancement of technology has revolutionized the way people interact and communicate globally, turning them into global netizens. This transformation has had a significant impact on their lifestyle, thinking patterns, interests, and preferences. The widespread use of digital communication has made it accessible to people from all walks of life, transcending boundaries and barriers. The corporate sector and diverse industries have greatly benefited from the comfort and efficiency provided by technological advancements, making digitalization an indispensable tool for enhancing productivity at work. It is worth noting that educational institutions are responsible for educating and training individuals on the operation of technology-oriented machines and computers in these sectors. All of these observations highlight the optimistic aspect of digital communication as a powerful and transformative mode of communication.
Amidst the surge of digital addiction fueled by social media and instant messaging applications, the excessive dependence on digital communication among students in their daily lives poses a significant threat to the ethos and value of in-person classrooms, reveal its detrimental impact at the same time. While the indispensability of digital communication in modern classrooms cannot be overstated, the importance of physical classrooms should not be discounted. Digital communication has emerged as an immersive tool for contemporary learners, albeit contributing to a decline in their interest, motivation, and performance in face-to-face classrooms.
Despite the aforementioned, it is undeniable that the continuous dissemination of information by teachers via instantaneous digital communication channels serve as a potent tool to augment the efficacy of blended learning. This approach is further supported by the implementation of the inverted pedagogy, which focuses on introducing course materials outside of class, thereby maximizing in-class time for inquiry, application, and assessment to better cater to the needs of individual learners (University of Washington, Seattle, n.d.).
On one hand, Blended Learning integrates technology in the classroom to enhance the quality of education students receive (Ntuli, Kyei-Blankson, & Nur-Awaleh, 2019). On the other hand, the inverted pedagogy employs digitization to provide students with comprehensive and comprehension-based learning activities through digital platforms, effectively creating an interactive and engaging educational experience (Oermann et al., 2020).
By and large, both blended learning and the inverted pedagogy complement each other to provide students with a more comprehensive and dynamic educational experience. Through the integration of different modes of digital communication, teachers can optimize their teaching methods and foster a more collaborative and interactive learning environment for students.
The concept of blended learning has permeated every discipline, leading to significant growth in research on blended teaching and learning models. Numerous studies have shown that blended learning is a highly productive method of teaching and learning. It allows learners to progress at their own pace and schedule (Desai, 2019). In the postmodern era, information and communication technologies have played an increasingly significant role. Research has found that the more learners practice tasks using blended techniques, the better their learning outcomes (Mir & Sultana, 2016). As the impact of blended learning on learning retention and attitude has been examined, it has become apparent that learners who have more opportunities to practice through blended mediation have a better grasp of study components. Furthermore, studies have found that blended learning is more effective than traditional classrooms in ensuring retention (Kumar, 2010).