Student Perspectives on SPOC-based Blended Learning Tasks for Enhancing English Proficiency in Hong Kong Higher Education

This paper presents primary qualitative research that examines the incorporation of Small Private Online Courses (SPOCs) into blended learning across an English module at a university in Hong Kong. The study is designed to critically engage with contemporary developments in higher education that emphasises the potential of blended learning effectiveness in contexts of acquiring subject-specific English skills for academic and professional application. The research consists of thematic analysis of interviews with students who underwent an experimental course that incorporated SPOC-based tasks into teaching English within a physical classroom environment. Through analysing the student’s experiences of SPOC-based blended learning tasks within this context, the study provides support for such programmes and puts forward recommendations for maximising students’ positive experiences, engagement and attainment of subject content and English language learning outcomes.