Application of Blended Learning through Practical Project-based Instruction: Opportunities and Constraints

This paper aims to highlight the application of Blended Learning (BL) for practical courses in the architecture program in the COVID-19 period. Physical Environment course is a theoretical module for first-year undergraduate students in the architecture program. Despite the course being written in theoretical structure, it was proposed to reorient the course into mixed methods with practical activities through online researching, site visiting, and reporting. This research applied a qualitative method with the application of case study, structured observation, content analysis, graphical analysis, and interpretation techniques. The data was collected from 40 students divided into ten groups, four students per group, to discover the application of BL in a practical and project-based activity. The findings of the research showed the students faced limitations to access the search engines and scientific sources to collect the sources for exercises. A half part of the group did plagiarism in the citation and referencing of the reports. The students present more accurate data in the site visiting and practical activities than the theoretical part. To conclude, the application of BL requires sufficient infrastructure for access to online materials through institutions. The implementation of BL helps the students to personalize and specialize the learning process through their own report design and exercises that are more effective for course delivery. Although the BL is implemented just in the activity and course levels by staff and students, BL mode requires to set-up in both program and institutional levels to achieve the result