Abstract

Technological advancement and growth has brought about introduction of various methodological dynamics in teaching and learning. A very notable approach in this regard is blended learning, otherwise known as hybrid learning. Although the implementation appears easy in some climes, a purposeful, goal oriented implementation comes with challenges that limit the use and harnessing of its potentials, particularly for statistics courses. In this study, we present a review of blended learning models alongside obstacles to appropriate and successful implementation in statistics course delivery. The study includes a survey of ideas and experiences of statistics lecturers at the university level on challenges and obstacles to blended learning. 75% of the respondents identified with the obstacles listed as affecting blended learning while 87.5% indicated for statistics courses in particular that methods and theories discussed online have to be repeated during in-person classroom lectures. In developing countries, having to repeat classes could be a major setback to any learning process due to challenges with lecturers’ workload. A regression analysis of the blended learning implementation on obstacles to blended learning (general obstacles and obstacles in statistics courses) was carried out. Results suggested that both general obstacles and obstacles in statistics courses significantly influence effective implementation of blended learning design by the respondents (P= 0.000). Specifically, obstacles to blended learning design for statistics courses had a negative effect on the implementation. The literal implication of this result is that, increase in the awareness of the obstacles to blended learning design for statistics courses leads to lower implementation level. In other words, those that mostly agreed that statistics courses have peculiar difficulty in teaching through blended learning designs had low implementation of the design. It indirectly implies that the stated obstacles have been affecting implementation of the design. Attention of stakeholders is drawn to the important issues discussed, so that the benefits of blended learning approach can be maximized for statistics courses.