Teachers' Skills and ICT Competencies in Blended Learning

Abstract

Distance learning in its various forms (e-learning, blended learning, mlearning) is entering the education system at all levels. When planning its implementation, one should be aware of the ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) skills required of teachers as necessary for handling this education mode, particularly for teaching with an educational portal. The paper presents the analysis of teachers’ skills and ICT competencies necessary for teaching in a blended learning environment and for organizing the learning process that involves university e-courses. The areas of special importance include: learning materials, organization of learning groups, organization of knowledge evaluation, one-to-one communication, as well as communication with a learning group. The authors review the areas, pointing to certain essential components which are necessary for the teaching process with an LCMS. This topic is particularly important in the case of non-technical and non-IT-oriented universities. This paper is based on the authors’ experience in the field of organization and implementation of blended learning at a medical university.