During our first piloted BL courses, the involved professors immediately noticed the remarkable difference: the student’s enthusiasm for learning, the excitement about the tasks and the videos, the noticeable involvement in the chatting, etc. There were a number of challenges to be sure: some students found it difficult to adapt at the start, as they were not used to taking ownership of the learning, especially in relation to the Thursday material; professors found the experience more demanding on them than traditional classes, as they have to think, plan, and facilitate more; and there were problems with internet access, especially on campus; etc. However, as time went by, most of these challenges started to disappear, and the professors started reporting positive experiences and success stories. Students have ever since been noted to creatively come up with their own theories and novel ideas, challenging their textbooks with knowledge they acquire from a plethora of information from open sources on the internet.
Students no longer wait until the night before the exam to learn everything, just to forget most of it after the exam, because they are actively learning every week with their own style and at their own pace. We still have a lot to learn, but at least we took a step in the right direction.