Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation

Blended learning has become a buzzword in many educational environments in recent years, usually referring to courses that employ a mix of face-to-face and online learning (Bonk & Gra-ham, 2012). The term originated in workplace learning literature, but is also now widely used in higher education, often describing courses that have had an online component added to them (MacDonald, 2006). Some attention has been paid to the applications of blended learning in language teaching as a whole (Neumeier, 2005; Sharma & Barrett, 2007), but very little work has been done specifically in English Language Teaching (ELT) contexts. Indeed, with reference to ELT, Neumeier (2005) highlights a need for further research to be conducted into what makes an effective blend. In response to the deficit of literature described above, Blended Learning in Eng-lish Language Teaching: Course Design and Implementation is a collection of 20 case studies, illustrating applications of blended learning in various ELT contexts. The collection starts with a foreword from John Knagg (OBE), who justifies the volume as a response to the " relatively little discussion and writing about the principles that should be applied in blending elements which use technology with more traditional face-to-face teaching in the same course " (p. 3). He also mentions that, although the collection is situated in the area of ELT, many of the principles discussed will likely be applicable to other areas of education too. Indeed, he indicates that the intended audience for the book includes teachers and trainee teachers in the field of Education, as well as those in the areas of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. The foreword is followed by a preface and introduction by one of the book's editors, Claire Whittaker. In the preface, she addresses her own personal motivation for originally proposing this publication, and then in the introduction BOOK REVIEW