Journal of Engineering Education Transformations, Volume 34, January 2021, Special issue, eISSN 2394-1707

Enriched Blended Learning through Virtual Experience in

Microprocessors and Microcontrollers Course
Deepa M1, Reba P2, Santhanamari G3 Susithra N4
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering
PSG Institute of Technology and Applied Research, Coimbatore, India
1
deepa.mohanram@gmail.com
2
rebasatheesh@gmail.com
3
santhanam88guru59@gmail.com
4
nsusithra90@gmail.com

Abstract: Microprocessors and microcontrollers is a course toys to deep space devices [1]. Most of the electronic
that demands concurrent delivery of pragmatic and dogmatic systems are centred on embedded systems with
approaches to the students in order to ensure effective microprocessors, microcontrollers and sensors. Millions of
learning. Online sessions and active learning for such devices that are connected in the IoT environment are also
courses pose challenges to both teachers and students, embedded with a microcontroller/microprocessor, like, more
especially during this pandemic period. In order to combat than 100 microprocessors in a typical car; and around 5 to 10
these challenges, and to kindle the interest among the microprocessors inside a smartphone, etc. The performance
students in learning the course, a new methodology which of these embedded systems are greatly defined by the digital
supports blended learning through virtual experience is data processing capability of the microprocessors. The
presented in this paper. The proposed methodology was innumerable devices with embedded processors used in daily
implemented for the third year engineering students of life necessitate the blooming of this industrial sector [2].
circuit branches. This paper highlights the effectiveness of Hence, it is very important to emphasize the importance of
using open source emulating environments like Edsim51 and Microprocessors and microcontrollers courses to the
EMU8086 for providing a virtual laboratory experience to students and help them in building the necessary skills
the students. These virtual environment provides a complete required to make them industry ready.
visualization of the internal functionality of the Embedded systems require a thorough theoretical
microprocessor/microcontroller architecture, and also understanding of the underlying microprocessors and
enhances practical exposure of the students. In order to microcontrollers (both in terms of hardware and software).
further augment the students’ affinity towards the course, the It also requires a concurrent practical exposure through
teacher adopts different pedagogical approaches, which is hands-on experience. Traditional laboratories are equipped
best suited for ICT based blended learning in the online with microcontroller/microprocessor development kits along
teaching environment. The assessment of this virtual with their supporting software. However, such kits cannot be
experience is carried out using different online assessment leveraged to suit the needs of this pandemic situation and so
components such as quizzes, assignments as concept virtual laboratory environments have become a dire need of
maps/videos shared by the students, mini projects etc. Based the hour. These virtual experiences are provided to the
on the assessment results, an analysis is carried out and it students with the help of the integrated Information and
shows significant improvement in student engagement, in Communication Technologies (ICT) and their related tools.
depth understanding of the course and improvement in In the past few decades of recent advancements, ICT shows
programming skills of the students. Thus, this experience not an exponential growth by providing a wide variety of new
only acts as a countermeasure to the lack of real time communication capabilities to the society and it has become
laboratory sessions but also promotes ‘understanding by an integral part in our daily life. ICT is a collective term that
doing’, which seems almost impossible during this pandemic covers all types of communication devices ranging from
situation. simple hardware to high speed networks with different
Keywords: Online learning, live coding, blended learning, related services and applications. It has transformed the
virtual experience, microprocessor and microcontroller entire world into a global village where people can
communicate with each other even if they are miles apart.
With the help of ICT technology, information can be
Deepa M accessed through telecommunications, witnessing
Department of ECE, PSG Institute of Technology and revolution in the education field by providing education to
everyone, anywhere, even in remote locations. ICT provides
Applied Research, India
access to a wide pool of learning resources and helps in
deepa.mohanram@gmail.com
tracking the recent technological advancements easily. It
1. Introduction
helps every individual to search, explore, learn, relearn,
Embedded microcontrollers and microprocessors are
investigate, share and present their learnings, skills, ideas
extensively becoming popular and ubiquitous in this modern
and experiences. Thus, ICT plays an indispensable role in
era due to their widespread applications ranging from small
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the field of education, showing a spiking progress in the literature highlights the importance of gaining in-depth
evolution of the teaching learning process. This supports the understanding of engineering fundamentals, delivering the
famous saying by Swami Vivekananda, “If people cannot technical content effectively and preparing the students for
reach schools, schools should reach them” [3]. the future technical jobs [7]. The authors in [8] and [9]
In addition to the above said advantages, ICT provides more quoted Project Based Learning (PBL) as the best method for
autonomy in learning and students can learn at their own accomplishing the learning outcomes of embedded system
pace. However, the internet has enormous content and course. They have also shown that, several other skills such
students are in need of a facilitator who can guide them as problem-solving skills, team skills etc. could also be
through the learning process. Moreover, ICT without an gained by practicing the PBL approach. Also, PBL could
instructor leads to lack of development of cognitive, verbal support self-directed learning but it requires suitable tools to
and nonverbal communication skills. The psychological guide the students through the process. In [10], the authors
parameters like feelings, emotions and motivations provided explained the use of an emulator as a virtual tool for learning
by the facilitator and the peers, kindles positive vibrations of ARM based processor. In their literature, they showed that
the students, thereby enhancing their learning experience. the students are more interested and they felt very easy in
Thus, adopting ICT does not eliminate the role of teachers learning the concepts using this tool. Similar types of
completely, instead the teachers act as facilitators and learning environments are also utilized for other courses. All
moderators of the modern learning environment. these literature highlighted significant improvements in
“Integration of ICT in teaching and learning is not a method, students’ academic performance and overall satisfaction.
rather it is a medium in which a variety of methods, [8]-[10] focuses entirely on a hands-on training/laboratory
approaches and pedagogical philosophies may be experiences and does not provide inputs on integration of
implemented” [4]. both theory and lab sessions. [11] highlights the delivery of
This necessitates the employment of an ICT based content for Digital Systems course, along with laboratory
instructional strategy, a new pedagogical method called component. In this paper, a holistic view of delivering a
enriched blended learning experience for fruitful student laboratory oriented course along with theory session is
engagement and efficient content delivery. Blended learning presented in accordance with the current pandemic situation.
is an educational approach which utilizes the online
B. Course Overview
resources as an enriched virtual learning environment, more
suitable to the pandemic era prevailing currently. In the The course on Microprocessors and Microcontrollers is
blended learning approach, the traditional face-to-face offered as a core subject to the undergraduate students of
learning is combined with e-learning activities. It acts as a Computer Science and Engineering programme during their
personalized online learning assistance for students, fifth semester (third year), comprising of 60 students. The
providing a more flexible learning atmosphere and permits curriculum for the course is provided by Anna University.
access to the learning materials at any time and from any This course is intended to introduce the 8086 microprocessor
geographical location [5]. It serves as the best aid to the and 8051 microcontroller architecture, instruction set, and
students with flexibility to revisit the learning materials and interfacing various peripherals like stepper motor, switches,
providing them the opportunity to replay the video 7 segment LED etc., The laboratory component of this
recordings available in the form of e-learning course emphasizes on assembly language programming
resources. Thus, blended learning creates an interest and (ALP) and provides an hands-on experience to interface the
motivation to learn and also supports autonomous learning different Input/Output (I/O) devices to the microprocessor or
and thereby creating a responsible and positive attitude microcontroller using the system development kit (SDK).
towards the course. Overall, blended learning methods The learning outcomes/Course Outcomes (CO) of this
promote increase in student engagement during the sessions, course are listed below. After successful completion of this
increase in student satisfaction and improvement in student course, the students will be able to,
learning outcomes. CO1 Write Assembly language programs for
microprocessors by applying digital concepts.
This paper presents an enriched blended learning experience
CO2 Illustrate communication and bus interfacing concepts
with a virtual laboratory environment suitable for the current in a multiprocessor environment.
pandemic situation, and it was implemented for the course CO3 Elaborate how different peripherals are interfaced with
Microprocessors and Microcontrollers. The experience Microprocessor and Microcontroller for system design.
mainly focuses on effective student engagement and learning, CO4 Illustrate the architecture, instruction set and in-built
providing a highly motivated environment for kindling the peripherals of 8051.
interest towards embedded system development. CO5 Design microcontroller based system for real time
application.
2. Traditional Approach
A. Related Works The Microprocessors and Microcontrollers course is allotted
a total of four contact sessions (3 theoretical sessions and one
[6] highlights the importance of embedded systems domain
tutorial session each spanning an hour) per week. The
and it provides research results on framing curriculum for
traditional method of content delivery mainly focuses on the
the embedded system course. Most of the education
theoretical/dogmatic approach by chalk and talk. The
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students tend to get deviated easily from the session due to learning experience and to promote effective understanding
the monotonous delivery. They also find it hard to visualize and visualization of the concepts. This method incorporates
the architecture and lack proper understanding of the an emulator based environment during the online theoretical
instruction set during the theoretical sessions. Few sessions. Software emulator is a hardware look-alike
assignments and quizzes are given to students as part of environment, which is best suited for self-paced practice
continuous assessment. alongside virtual lab based theory sessions. Time is not a
The laboratory component of this course is allotted four constraint at all, due to the availability of hand-held devices.
hours per week, and the student has to wait for the practical While the faculty demonstrate and facilitate, the students are
sessions in order to conceptualise his/her understanding of also encouraged to use the emulators to write codes paving
the topics covered in the theory sessions. The students are way for ‘immediate learning by doing’. The students are also
split into groups of two or three members in order to carry motivated to share their screens during the theoretical
out the practical exercises. Laboratory classes help the sessions and online debugging is done with the help of peer
students in getting a complete understanding of what they support facilitated by the faculty.
learnt in the theoretical sessions. However, the hardware Edsim51 and EMU8086 are the two emulators used for this
available in the laboratory is not allowed to be taken outside course. The virtual experience obtained through these
the laboratory without any prior permission and formalities. emulators throws more light into the students' perception and
Though the four hour laboratory sessions provide a helps them to picturize the concepts of the microprocessor
comprehensive exposure towards the concepts, the resources and microcontroller. The students are also encouraged to
may not be sufficient to cater to the individual learning needs. develop a complete application using the emulator with the
Moreover, since the predominant mode of teaching is online supporting peripherals like stepper motor, switches, 7
during this COVID-19 pandemic, students are deprived of segment LED, which are integrated in the emulating
laboratory access and there is a void for hands-on experience environment in order to promote their higher order thinking
of practical situations. skills. By adopting this strategy, the students’ engagement is
improved and it also provides them a sense of responsibility
3. Enriched Blended Learning Approach
and accountability among the students. Yet, this cannot
In traditional teaching methodology, the students remain
replace the laboratory hands-on experience. This enriched
passive most of the time and in-class learning is not so
virtual laboratory option for a blended learning approach not
significant, since the teachers primarily focus on transfer of
only provides a one stop solution for the pandemic situation,
knowledge rather than focusing on students’ learning
but also serves as an apt method for contact in-person
outcomes. A typical student’s attention span is only 15
teaching sessions. More explanation of these emulators and
minutes after which they tend to get distracted. The teachers
emulator based learning (EBL) is provided in section 3B.
need to adopt different pedagogical approaches to retain the
The blended learning approach for online sessions are
attention of the students after their attention span.
organised as one hour sessions for theory and tutorial and
In recent times, new teaching learning practices and
one and a half hour sessions for laboratory demonstration,
pedagogical approaches are developed to encourage the
incorporating various pedagogical approaches like quizzes,
active participation of the students in the classrooms. One
polls, assignments, flipped laboratory model in addition to
such method is ‘learning by doing’ which enhances
Emulator Based learning (EBL) to hold the attention of the
theoretical knowledge with practical exposure for the
students by maximizing student engagement and minimizing
courses like microprocessors and microcontrollers.
monotonous lecturing. The detailed micro plan for the online
However, this practical exposure requires hardware kits
theory/laboratory sessions are provided in Table 1.
which cannot be accessed by all students and at all times,
Online platforms like Google Meet, Zoom, Cisco Webex,
especially due to the prevailing pandemic situation.
etc., are used for video conferencing for the delivery of
Based on the vision of University Grants Commission
online classes. The students login to the respective Google
(UGC) and Ministry of Human Resources and Development
Meet at the prescribed timings. In order to make effective
(MHRD), the higher education institutions motivate the
online presentations, software tools like Jam Board, Open
teachers and students to adapt to use ICT tools through
Board, Chalk and talk with video camera etc., were used.
online teaching learning platforms. Also, Digital
Table 2 also highlights the ICT tools used for different
learning/Online learning is the choice of the hour, since it
pedagogical methods during the enriched blended learning
provides a feeling of psychological safety during the
approach.
COVID-19 period. Since many institutions have already
adapted to a blended learning approach through LMS and A. Micro plan for an Enriched Blended learning session
since most of the stakeholders have different ICT devices, it The enriched virtual model of blended learning provided to
is not much daunting to adapt to this new paradigm. the students can be categorized into three phases
Conduct of separate theoretical and practical sessions namely: Pre-class, In-class and Post-class. Fig. 1 highlights
through online mode pose several issues, and it is not the blended components practiced in the different phases of
satisfactory for both students as well as faculty. In order to the enriched blended learning approach for the
combat such issues, a concurrent simulation based blended Microprocessors and Microcontrollers course.
learning approach was suggested to enhance individual

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Table 1: Micro Plan for the Delivery of Course Content through Enriched Blended Learning (BL) Approach
Instructional BL Description Duration Platform
events phase
Stimulating recall  Revision of prerequisite terminologies and principles Students’ Google Classroom
of prerequisites and  Graphical representations to provide an abstract view pace
Pre class
Phase I -

provide abstract of the forthcoming concept

foundation to the  Reference material presented as video with
topic integrated quiz
Presenting the Brief recap of key concepts from the previous class 2 mins Google meet
concept in an Introducing the session learning objective 5 mins Google meet
online class Explanation of the new concepts and principles 20 mins PowerPoint, Wacom, Jamboard,
through different approaches Elmo projector, Video camera
Short Live Quizzes and Polls in between the class 5 min Poll master, Quizzes.com
Phase II - In Class

 Visualization of the concept and hardware 20 mins Edsim51/EMU 8086

functionality with Emulator environments
 Simulation practice by Inquiry and Live Coding
methods
One Minute feedback 1 min Google forms
 Assignment presentation - Students demonstrate 5 mins Google meet by sharing
their assignments through a screen sharing students’ screen
 Student – teacher interaction to get clarify their
doubts
2 - Minute Summary - Students recall, recap and 2 mins Google meet (unmute and talk)
explain the concept in their own words
Total 60 mins
Performance  Students refer to recorded videos of online classes if Students’
Phase III - Post class

assessment and they have doubt or if they have missed the class pace Google Classroom
enhancing  Open ended discussion through questions and within the
knowledge discussion forums to support peer to peer interaction deadline
retention and and peer learning
transfer  Programing assignment using emulators/simulators
as a post class activity
 Offline quizzes and assignments which promote
higher order thinking capabilities

1) Phase I (Pre-class): During the pre-class activities, in 2) Phase II (In-Class): During the live online session, new
order to recall the prerequisite terminologies and principles, subject matter is presented to the students with suitable
and to get an abstract understanding of the forth coming class, numerical examples, analogies and illustrations wherever
the related references are presented as videos and graphical necessary. The conceptualisation of the terminologies and
representation. This provides a foundation for next level hardware functionality of processors/controllers are
learning. The video contents are integrated with quizzes and demonstrated with the help of live coding techniques using
these quizzes are not considered for grading. emulators. The students are also encouraged to present their
assignments during the online sessions for peer
encouragement and interaction. Poll questions are posted
during the sessions to access students’ understanding.
3) Phase III (Post-Class): The post-class performance
assessment activities are provided to the students in the form
of quizzes and programming assignments. The submissions
are managed with the help of LMS platforms like Google
classroom and the simulation experiments are provided in
multimedia formats (Screen capture video/screenshot
images) by the students for assessment. The teacher also
initiates peer learning/peer interaction by posting open ended
questions in discussion forums.

Fig. 1: Different phases of the enriched blended learning approach

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Table 2 compares the different aspects followed in promotes more interest in learning during the online classes.
traditional teaching with that of the blended teaching It also kindles the interest among the students practice real
learning approach. time application development.
B. Emulator Based Learning (EBL)
The conventional way of teaching microprocessor and
microcontroller course makes the students to learn, by
imaging the internal functionality of processor/controller
chip; And during the laboratory sessions the students use
hardware educational kits, (8086 SDK (System
Development Kit)) shown in Figure 2, to perform the
experiments and they could only able to see the execution
results and I/O transfer of the program they have run on it. Fig. 2: 8086 SDK (System Development Kit)
While, the educational emulator based learning makes the 1) EMU 8086: EMU8086 integrates the program
students visualize both internal and external functionality of development tools like advanced source editor, assembler,
processor/controller chip. disassembler, software emulator (Virtual PC) with debugger
Table 2: Traditional versus Blended Learning Aspects/Components
and virtual modules inbuilt in processors like ALU, memory,
Traditional Mode Blended learning in online stack, flags and symbol table etc., [12]. The EMU8086
(Per Week) classes (Per Week) simulation environment is shown in Fig. 3.
 3 x 1 hr for face-to-face  3 x 1 hr for theory sessions
lecture classes  2 x 1 hr for tutorial sessions
 1 x 1 hr for tutorial session  Emulator based learning
 Problems are solved in a  Online polls, quizzes
peer learning environment  20 minutes lecture
 Peer group interaction is  Doubt clarification Editor
improved  One-minute feedback
 1 x 4 hr laboratory class  1 x 1 ½ hr laboratory class Source
 Demonstration of  Video demo of experiments code
experiments by faculty using hardware are posted
 Experiments are conducted in google classroom Flags
by students organised into (Flipped laboratory model) RAM
groups  Experiments are practiced
by students individually
using virtual tools
Quiz tests and/or assignments  A timed quiz at the end of
are conducted after the each session.
completion of each chapter.  2 online assignments for Emulator
each lesson. Window
Drawing concept map for
each lesson is one of the ALU
assignment Fig. 3: EMU8086 emulator tool window and the user interface
Programming with hardware 8086 microprocessor and
peripherals is done in the 8051 microcontroller are The significant features of EMU8086 are
laboratory sessions programmed using  Users can view Arithmetic & Logical Unit (ALU) that
EMU8086 and Edsim51 shows the internal functioning of the Central Processor
emulators (free open source Unit (CPU).
tools)
 Users can watch registers, flags and contents of
No programming assignment  Two programming
memory locations while the program is being executed
is given to students as a part assignments for each
of theory session lesson with step mode run (Debugging).
Students submit a short video  EMU8086 has inbuilt virtual peripherals like stepper
of the application developed motor, keyboard, LED display etc. to develop simple
using emulators applications.
1 ½ hours descriptive exam 1 ½ hours descriptive exam  EMU8086 has an easier syntax. It makes the process of
 Closed book test with few  Open book test with higher learning and practicing an Assembly Language
GATE questions order thinking questions Programming (ALP) easy for the beginners.
 Exam halls invigilated by (questions from GATE,
faculty ISRO, and other  Since emulators run programs on a virtual computer
competitive exams) system, real hardware such as hard-drives and memory
are not accessed and also the debugging process
Also, these tools help in demonstrating the functionality of becomes easy.
microprocessors/microcontrollers to students and thereby 2) Application development in EMU8086: The students were
introduced to the emulating environment EMU8086 during
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the theory sessions, and they were mentored to write and

execute simple ALP such as finding the factorial, searching, Fig. 5: Traffic light controller application implemented using
EMU8086
sorting etc. as per the curriculum.
The conventional way of application development requires 3) Edsim51: The emulator EdSim51 is used to teach and
that all the hardware components are available and the demonstrate the 8051 microcontroller [13]. Edsim51 helps
perfect interconnection between the components is required, the students to learn and write programs to exercise the 8051
to make the execution of programs successful. Also, microcontroller. A screenshot of EdSim51 is shown in Fig.
facilitating all the students to implement their ideas in 6. Owing to the enormous bit handling capability of
a hardware based development kit is difficult for the teachers microcontrollers, students become accustomed to the use of
different bit handling instructions needed for control
operations and branch instructions that make up the 8051
Registers instruction set complete.

Fig. 6: Edsim51 tool for practicing 8051 microcontroller based

programs
Editor Port
4) Application development in Edsim51: As the students
window s
Memory have gained expertise in developing simple application
programs in the emulating environment, they are assigned a
AD Motor team project with the idea of using the peripherals available
UART C in the emulating environment. Timers, ports and interrupts
are some of the important supporting peripherals in
in this pandemic situation. In this situation, this emulator application development. The basics of interfacing based
plays a vital role in making the students think and develop application development are demonstrated in the theory
simple applications that transform even the online session and the students are also able to follow the same
environment into an application development environment. steps to mimic the functionality. Some of the demonstrations
The students can write code at the ease of their home which were conducted in the online classes are depicted in
environment and share the same with the teachers for any Fig. 7. The fig. 7 (a) shows the screenshot of the output after
doubt clarifications. Since visual interface is very easy to interfacing (Digital to Analog Converter) DAC to generate
work with, in EMU8086, the students are motivated to the staircase signal and fig. 7(b) shows the interfacing of
develop simple applications with stepper motor, keyboard seven segment display and LEDs to display a
and printer. The screenshots of output of two such character/pattern.
applications developed by the students namely traffic light
controller and temperature sensing using thermometer with
digital output are shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 respectively.
The students are also motivated to take short video clippings
of the application execution and submit as a mini project.
The teachers are able to appreciate and acknowledge the
work of students through their video portrayal.
(a) (b)
Fig. 7(a) Interfacing DAC to 8051 microcontroller to generate the
staircase signal, (b) Interfacing of seven segment displays and LEDs to
display ‘COVID-19LEARNING’

4. Evaluation of Course Delivery

Temperature
sensing The evaluation of effectiveness of course delivery can be
Using gauged in terms of the following factors namely: Student
thermometer Engagement, Academic Performance, Self-Evaluation by
faculty members, Students’ Perception and Feedback.
A. Student Engagement
The effective student engagement in the online learning
Fig. 4: Temperature measurement application implemented using environment is assessed based on different components and
EMU8086 their observations on the student group are listed in Table 3.
Table 3: Assessment of Student Engagement
Criteria Comments Observation
Traffic Light Punctuality Logging into the 92% of the students
Controller Google meet session login on-time for the
well before the online classes, which
session begins or on- was collected using the
time Google Meet
Attendance Collector
add-on.

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Assignment Timely Submission of 78% of students

submission assignments, quizzes submitted the The traditional methodology focuses more on descriptive
and programming assignments on/before type of assessment tools with higher weightage than the
tasks the deadline quizzes/assignment components. The traditional method did
Well documented 30% of the students
not have any separate assessment strategy for assessing the
assignment with submit their
attractive multimedia assignments with clear programming skills, since the laboratory sessions were not
content documentation and an integral part of theory sessions and they were separate.
Response to images/videos Whereas, the online mode of blended learning provides more
comments posted by opportunities for the student in improving his/her in-depth
faculty understanding of the subject with the help of more non-
Attendance Presence and active 95% of the students descriptive components, and less weightage being provided
participation maintain attendance to the descriptive type of internal assessment. Moreover, the
throughout the records of 70% and blended learning strategy incorporates more quizzes,
session above.
assignments, mind maps, and programming assignments as
Participating Posting queries and 45% of the students
a part of immediate assessment strategy and focuses on
in responding to queries reply to
discussion of peers in the queries/threads and questions at higher cognitive levels. This in turn enhances
forums discussion forum 20% of the students the higher order thinking capability of the student. Some of
Taking part in open- open new threads in the live quizzes, polls and pre-class quizzes are provided as
ended discussions the forum ungraded assignments in order to check the understanding of
The student engagement can also be measured in terms of the students before and during the class hours. A sample
how frequently they check the Google classroom for the mind map assignment depicting the topic “Timers, Ports and
course contents and how frequently he/she interacts with the Interrupts of 8051 microcontroller” presented by a student is
faculty during the live sessions. It was also seen that the shown in Fig. 8 [14].
students tend to engage more frequently in the online
sessions due to the absence of face-to-face interaction with
faculty, in order to establish their contact. They tend to
maintain a rapport with the faculty either by answering the
questions posed by faculty or responding through the chat
box facility.
Dedicated time slots are also allocated among the live lecture
schedule to review the student submissions in terms of
assignments and quizzes. This encourages the students to
interact with the faculty and their peers, thus enhancing the
communication skills during the blended learning approach.
B. Academic Performance
The percentage distribution of marks considered for different
assessment components while evaluating each course Fig. 8: Mind Map presented by a student for the topic “Timers, Ports
outcome attainment in traditional as well as enriched and Interrupts of 8051 microcontroller”
blended learning approaches is presented in Table 4. The The programming assignments were submitted as a short
blended learning has an added component for assessment video of the screen capture of the emulator platform showing
namely programming assignment due to the absence of face- the working of the application program developed. This
to-face laboratory practise. greatly improves the internal motivation of the students and
Table 4: Traditional versus Blended Learning Continuous Assessment also serves as a motivation for other students to bring out the
Components
best in them. The frequent assessments conducted through
Traditional method Enriched Blended learning
Assessment Weightage Assessment Weightage
online mode are evaluated immediately and it was found that
component Component the overall class average has increased though the minimum
Quiz/assignments 20% Quiz tests (10 20% and the maximum scores are almost the same. Table 5 shows
(3 Nos.) Nos.) the mean and median of a sample assignment graded during
Assignments - 20% Assignments 20% tradition as well as blended learning sessions.
Writing (1. Handwritten
programs assignments Table 5: Sample Assignment Grade Comparison (Marks out of 100)
2. Mind map) Teaching Learning
Min Median Mean Max
Programming 20% Method
Assignment Traditional method 40.0 70.0 71.1 95.0
(Coding, execution Enriched Blended
40.0 85.0 80.7 95.0
and result) (2 Nos.) learning
Descriptive 60% Open book test 40% A mini project task is allotted to students groups during the
(Closed book) progress of the course and at the end of the course, students
Exams
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are insisted to submit and make an online presentation on the the in-depth
same as a team. The Performance of mini project task after understanding
individual assessment in both teaching learning methods is Discussion forums
shown in Table 6. More students have enthusiastically improved peer group 1.6 % 1.6 % 21.6 % 30 % 45 %
interaction
completed the task in the enriched Blended Learning method.
Programming
This task also improves coding efficiency of the students. assignments
6.6 % 3.3 % 16.6 % 46.6 % 26.6 %
improved my level
Table 6: Mini Project Completion Rate
of confidence
Teaching Learning Partial
Complete Incomplete Assignment
Method Submission
presentation serves
Traditional 50 % 27 % 23 %
as an effective tool
method (35/70) (19/70) (16/70) 6.6 % 5 % 20 % 23.3 % 45 %
to improve the
Enriched Blended 66 % 20 % 14 %
communication
learning (46/70) (14/70) (10/70)
skills
C. Self-Reflection *On a linear scale of 1 to 5, 5 corresponds to maximum rating
Owing to prevailing COVID situations, the faculty have 5. Conclusion
been working meticulously in order to maximize the learning No lock down will knock down the spirits of learning. It has
outcomes and minimize the student distractions. They have become uncertain as to when a full classroom face-to-face
been employing different pedagogical strategies to increase in-person teaching learning process in a physical classroom
the motivation levels of the student, and thereby enabling a will take place in this ‘new normal’ society again. To keep
holistic development of the student in terms of increased the learning process going irrespective of situational
responsibility and accountability, even in the absence of a obstacles, a well-planned and structured ICT based digital
face-to-face interaction. The faculty also pay individual learning is essential. In online learning, students were
attention to the students’ needs and clarify their doubts even engaged through web based learning management tools and
outside the live lecture sessions. It was also observed that video conferencing applications. Formative assessments
most of the students were able to easily adapt to this learning through frequent evaluations are required to judge whether
environment while 5% of the students were reluctant and the students are on track and to determine whether the pace
they still needed considerable assistance from the faculty of Teaching-Learning by the faculty is comfortable. Even
members in addition to the live lecture sessions. though faculty and students could not meet in person, one
D. Students’ perception and feedback cannot compromise on the holistic development of the
student (equal importance to pragmatic and dogmatic
The students seem to welcome the COVID situation with knowledge) and one has to strive to achieve it by all means.
open minds and they are adapting to the digital era. The Effectiveness of teaching and learning was determined by
students were provided with one minute feedback the understanding of the learner. Most teachers took special
questionnaire to assess their level of understanding and it is care about imparting knowledge to students. But the best
presented in Table 7. The percentage values in Table 7 teachers paid attention to the relational aspect of teaching.
represents the percentage of students who have rated the They took time to establish a trusting and caring bond with
particular option. their students and got to know their students’ interests,
In the feedback, students have mentioned that they miss talents, and needs, which helped them prepare their lessons.
the real laboratory sessions yet the live coding compensates In turn, students became more receptive to what was being
the lack of laboratory classes. In one of the messages, a taught and felt the partnership of the teaching-learning
student has mentioned, “In this new normal, with the experience. The enriched blended learning aims to serve the
emulator environment, we can get the real essence of the lab same through a blend of synchronous live sessions with
session and are highly helpful in understanding the logic programming assignments and live coding through open-
behind the concepts taught in the class.” In another student source emulating environments. However, additional
feedback it was mentioned that, “The quizzes and activities can be included into the above process through
assignments play a very big role in enhancing my gamification.
understanding towards the concept. Even if I miss a point,
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