Towards future education: How do teachers and students perceive blended education?

Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, online education has demonstrated significant potential in providing flexible and easily accessible learning opportunities on a global scale. As a result of its numerous advantages, the landscape of education in the post-Covid era is anticipated to be a combination of online and face-to-face (F2F) instruction, with F2F education retaining its predominant role. Achieving such a blended model necessitates prompt attention towards blended education and a comprehensive exploration of how educators and students perceive it. Hence, the objective of this research is to delve into and examine the perceptions and emotions of teachers and students regarding blended education. To accomplish this, a total of 327 teachers and 547 students from a Dutch university participated and completed a survey. The collected data were analyzed by using SPSS. In terms of the findings concerning teachers, it was generally observed that a majority of them experienced a significant workload and stress levels in blended education. A considerable proportion of teachers did not indicate a strong sense of well-being within the blended education context. On the other hand, in terms of motivation, teachers displayed a relatively positive level of motivation. As for the outcomes related to students, a substantial number of students expressed perceiving a high workload in blended education. However, the majority reported low levels of stress. In regard to well-being, a significant proportion of students displayed neutral well-being. Nevertheless, students demonstrated motivation towards blended education. These results can guide the future design of education for the post-Covid time in higher education contexts.