A Case Study Exploring ESL Instructors’ Perspectives of Blended Learning in UAE Higher Education

Recently, universities and colleges across the United Arab Emirates have been actively incorporating new learning technologies to facilitate blended learning pedagogy mandated by the Ministry of Higher Education during the COVID-19 crisis. Despite its popularity, blended learning is still a relatively new approach to learning across higher education in the UAE. This small-scale qualitative study seeks to gain insights into instructors’ perspectives of blended learning in an ESL program at a federal college in the UAE. Semi-structured interviews were used to identify the benefits and challenges perceived by instructors teaching in this context. The results revealed several key benefits, including increased flexibility, improved accessibility, and timely and continuous learning. However, instructors also reported increased academic workload, technical issues, and a lack of professional development as barriers. The findings offer recommendations, implications, and possible future directions for stakeholders and academics to inform future directives.