USING A BLENDED LEARNING APPROACH IN TEACHING MATHEMATICS

Recent trends in education show that digital platforms are playing a vital role in enhancing teaching, learning, and research. In Mathematics Education, many mathematicians acknowledge the value and importance of a Blended Learning (BL) approach in teaching mathematics, taking advantage of the different mathematical software that can be used in teaching. Blended Learning is a teaching methodology that makes use of technology (online resources, videos, software) on top of the face to face classroom contact between teachers and students. In the Middle East College, most of our mathematics modules have a laboratory component. In these classes, we use MATLAB to teach basic numerical methods: from derivatives and integration to Newton-Raphson, Trapezoidal Rule, and Simpson's Rule. The more complex topics tend to be too abstract when taught in the theory class, and students tend to be confused with all the calculation details. This paper will show how we use blended learning in this college in teaching numerical methods. We start by assigning videos for the students to watch, instructing them on how to use MATLAB. During laboratory class, we provide additional discussions on the more complex topics. We also let the students practice the MATLAB syntax during laboratory class. Finally, we assess student learning by a laboratory test submitted through Moodle.