An open portal for blended learning

The combination of traditional teaching and Web-based teaching, so called blended learning, is a challenge to the teachers as well as to the students. New methods concerning the professional teaching must be prepared and the engagement and social aspect normally supported by the physical presence must be established in another way, e.g. by virtual presence. This shift in teaching demands an openness and flexibility from the technical platform which has not been found in the existing tools. Therefore, University of Aarhus has developed a CourseWeb system, which is an open configurable Web portal where the teachers are able to control courses and integrate facilities from third-part Web-based systems. At the same time students see the CourseWeb as an integrated access to study material and activities. This paper reflects on how the challenges with the creation of flexible Web-supported teaching are handled in two courses and how CourseWeb in the present and in the future is able to support this kind of teaching.