Within the blended learning environment, it is important to consolidate expert content and pedagogy inside and outside the classroom. Subject experts who serve as content developers play a vital role by contributing quality controlled subject content covered by the curriculum, which can be made available to students on digital platforms. However, in developing countries and in communities where resources are limited, good and complementary digital content may not be accessible to all learners. Teachers are often left to their own devices to develop teaching content. When considering Afrikaans language teaching in South Africa specifically, there is a great need within the language community for learning and teaching support. This chapter reports on the role that the Virtual Institute for Afrikaans (VivA) is playing as a content provider of quality Afrikaans linguistic material in the blended learning environment. The aim is to present VivA as a case study or prototype of an independent organisation acting as a key stakeholder in the blended learning ecosystem.
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Students and learners who engage in learning within the context of university and school classrooms today are considered “digital natives” (Prensky, 2001), which means that computers, the internet and other technologies form an integral part of their everyday existence and way of life. This is why blended learning, where students obtain and process new information through technology and digital media in addition to a more traditional face-to-face teaching and learning context where the physical presence of the teacher and student is required (Al Bataineh et al., 2019, p. 324; Friesen, 2012, p. 1) is such an ideal teaching approach for this generation of learners. Blended learning not only encourages flexibility in learning since students can have access to content and online assignments anywhere and anytime (Mirriahi et al., 2015; Wichadee, 2018, p. 37), but it also promotes student autonomy and self-directed learning (Gülbahar & Madran, 2009, p. 1). Furthermore, it has learning advantages such as additional learning time and access to additional learning materials, as well as additional opportunities for collaboration (Means et al., 2010; Protsiv et al., 2016). Picciano (2009, p. 16) also notes that blended learning enables the teacher to “meet the needs of a variety of learners”, meaning students with different personality types and different learning styles, and in the process encourages students to learn in a manner in which they are more comfortable, while also challenging them to learn in new ways.
Nikolaidou et al. (2009) indicate that blended learning can only be successful if the interrelationships between stakeholders are effectively explored. Such interrelationships can be referred to as the blended learning ecosystem. Within the blended learning environment, it is important to “bring content and pedagogy experts into the classroom, using asynchronous delivery, not to replace the in-class teacher but to significantly enhance and multiply her teaching impact” (Larson & Murray, 2008, p. 87). Subject experts who serve as content developers play a vital role in blended learning by contributing quality controlled subject content covered by the curriculum, which can be made available to students on digital platforms. Institutions such as Open Educational Resources (OERs) provide these digital platforms where learners can access learning material with the help of technology.
However, in developing countries and in communities where resources are limited, good and complementary digital content that promotes self-directed learning, may not be accessible to all learners. Teachers are often left to their own devices to develop teaching content, and not all teachers have the skill or access to infrastructure to do so effectively (see DBE, 2004, p. 9).
When considering Afrikaans language teaching in South Africa specifically, the Virtual Institute for Afrikaans (VivA) receives language queries daily, indicating the great need within the language community for learning and teaching support. In 2003, Heyns and Snyman (2003) stated that “information available on the Internet for Afrikaans language teachers is, without doubt, totally inadequate.” This lack of accessibility and support did not really improve in the last or so decade. Olivier (2018) indicates that, though it is clear that there currently are a number of useful educational resources for Afrikaans, these resources do not really function as open educational resources and can therefore not really be regarded as part of a digital language movement (also compare Pretorius, 2016).
This shortage of Afrikaans learning material is incomprehensible when the position of Afrikaans as a first language is considered within the broader South African linguistic landscape. Not only is Afrikaans spoken as a first language in 12.2% of South African households, but it is also one of the eleven official languages of South Africa. In addition to this, Afrikaans is the language spoken by the third most speakers in the country (compare Kamer, 2018). Furthermore, there are approximately 2400 schools in South Africa where Afrikaans is used as the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) (compare Colditz, 2018). The expectation would therefore be that there should be sufficient teaching material and support available for Afrikaans language teachers, but this is clearly not the case. This also raises the question about the availability of teaching material written in and for the other indigenous languages in South Africa spoken far less than Afrikaans, including, but not limited to Xitsonga (2.4%), Tshivenda (2.2%), IsiNdebele (1.3%) (Kamer, 2018).