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International Research Journal of Computer Science (IRJCS) ISSN: 2393-9842 Issue 04, Volume 4 (April 2017) www.irjcs.com

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Effective Use of Blended-learning in Sudan a Step toward

Enhancing Higher Education

Yousif Elshafie Hashim Deanship of PYP, AL JoufUniversity,KSA

[email protected]

ElsamaniA. Talab Ahmed A. Talab Faculty of C.S&IT, AL-Neelain University

[email protected] Manuscript History Number: IRJCS/RS/Vol.04/Issue04/APCS10082 Received: 30, March 2017 Final Correction: 20, April 2017 Final Accepted: 28, April 2017 Published: April 2017 Abstract—Although we are aware of the shortcomings mentioned, we think that the results of the study on the effectiveness of blended education, and to increase the concentration of educational programs that contribute to the renaissance of the community, Blended Learning Programs are considered an effective starting point for students to achieve continuing education, combining the classic kinds of learning with online learning. Blended learning is one of the most popular pedagogical methods, and has received numerous researches on blended learning since its beginning in recent years, the introduction of new technological innovations to fill the gap between traditional learning and face-to-face learning. The main purpose of this study is to review and analyze the studies conducted on blended learning through thinking about the past, present and future. In this article, the researcher discussed blended learning system, showing that the use of e-learning in the role of education in general needs a period of time to be good training stage to get rid of the traditional methods, and finding easier ways and more accurate for education and evaluation, and concludes importance of blended learning in preparation for the application of e-learning , so the researcher should direct his research to this type of education so that it is applied properly scientific. Finally, the recent developments in the technology encourages students and teachers to apply blended learning in their ranks, and this is one of the questions that will be discussed in this paper in addition to the successful factors for implementing blended learning and the efficiencies needed for teachers and students to achieve blended learning. We highlighted some successful experiences regionally, globally and some successful experiences in Sudan and what future directions of blended learning systems in Sudanese higher educations.

Keywords— blendedlearning, e-learning, distributed learning, blended learning environments, higher education

I. INTRODUCTION

With the expansion and the spread of e-learning systems, increasing demand for the use and employ them in learning it emerged several problems, including: the absence of direct social contact between the practical components of learning - teachers, students and administration which negatively affects the social contact with those components, the application of e-learning systems infrastructure needs require a high cost, in many educational systems may not be available, e-learning systems require skills in educational technology to enable teachers and students to take advantage of e-learning, the difficulty of conducting the assessment for learners when they include practical skills, and Lack of appropriate e-learning systems for students of some of the stages , as well as the lack of suitability of some curricula and courses , especially those that require students to exercise practical skills. Blended learning is a hybrid of the traditional face-to-face and an on-line learning so that instruction occurs in both classroom and an on-line, It has been acknowledged that blended instruction, is an emerging trend and it is trying to give students the advantages of each method [10], [9]. It is necessary to point out that blended learning became a natural extension of traditional classroom learning [8].

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The current epoch characterized by rapid changes resulting from scientific and technological progress and information technology, so it became necessary to the education system to deal with these changes to address the problems that may arise from them, such as the large number of information and exceeding number of learners and the lack of teachers and distances As a result of these problems, there was a need to learn a new system that combines the advantages of e-learning and the advantages of traditional learning , it is the so-called Blended Learning, It is the integration between the two types to obtain a high quality of learning outcomes and the lowest cost [18],[19].

II. LITERATURE REVIEW

Many researches and studies published in respect of blended learning, including what supports and emphasizes the importance and different outputs from the traditional education, which confirms the absence of differences between blended learning outcomes and traditional learning. ManjotKaur [12] in his paper show the concept of Blended Learning and the overview of its challenges and future from different manners also show the trend of e-learning through the concept of blended learning, paper also mention methods which used in Blended Learning if synchronous or asynchronous instructional method, finally this paper mentions many Factors that promote successful blended learning. BayramGüzer and Hamit Caner [13] introduced that Blended learning as one of the most popular pedagogical concepts at the beginning of this century, the paper also provided review and analysis of studies conducted on blended learning through thinking about the past, present and future. The paper compared the evolution of technology before the period of time to prevent the combination of traditional face- to-face learning with distributed learning environments, however, in recent years the introduction of new technological innovations to fill the gap between traditional learning and face- to-face learning and distributed environments. In summary, the research explained that the recent development in the technology encourages teachers to apply blended learning in their classrooms. Shaidullin R.N and at el [16] this article describes the experience of the effective use of e-learning in the western countries, and compared with traditional forms of learning, and identify the strengths in e-learning flexibility in education, interaction and adaptation the ability of the educational process for students with different abilities and so forth of ideas and discoveries. Lynn M. Jeffrey and at el [15] say that despite resistance from the teachers on the use of technology in education, and increased spread of the blended learning, the author said that the failure of courses offered on the Internet to maximize the benefits of blended learning. Elson Szeto[14] he presents a study of the quality of teaching experiences simultaneously for engineering students , some of them on the Internet and other face- to-face , It recommended the need to adopt the use of Blended Learning in the teaching of different courses for different disciplines , as well as the recommendation to conduct further studies and research to examine the effectiveness of using the mixture of learning to achieve better learning outcomes in different programs of study.

Alla L. Nazarenko [17] his study showed learning blended spreads all over the world. A large number of research described blended learning, but at the same time that there is a lack of research that would lead in turn to build effective strategies and different teaching models. This paper is an attempt to assess the impact of blended learning by conducting surveys to students to determine the level of satisfaction with this form of education. Results concluded that the need to shift to blended learning Many researches on different aspects of this problem have been carried out, but only one other study has teaching practice in the course of the blended. Interviews were conducted with teachers using blended learning about the use of the electronic components and the classroom and the reasons for their decisions. Institutions must look beyond the limits of traditional training classes through a combination of current best experiences and new developments in learning technologies in order to maximize results, and more importantly, institutions must seek to prepare everyone in the organization to become an active participant in the learning and participation process. Finally institutions began to discover that blended learning provides not only time and cost, but provides a smoother way to learn and work. And institutions at the forefront of this new generation of learning will have a team more productive and application of change and success in achieving the goals. As they say the organization's ability to learn and learn quickly turn that into action is the best source to achieve a competitive advantage.

III. OBJECTIVE

- Develop a system that can contribute to the use of blended learning technology in teaching, to enhance the cognitive skills of teachers and learners in higher education

- Summarize the benefits of blended learning for each of the professors, students, and institutions, to improve education and a sense of community outcomes, and effective use of resources, and student satisfaction, and flexibility in access

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IV. THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDY

The importance of this paper is that resulting from importance of education, its role in the development of nations, the importance of blended education of all kinds and various applications, and the impact of its integration with traditional education on the quality of education. In addition to the above, the importance of this study dealing with blended education but extend to review the challenges and difficulties faced by its users, and offer some solutions and finally you will learn about the potential application of this model of education in higher education in Sudan.

V. RESEARCH QUESTION Education is based on the learner's needs and abilities rely on self-learning and interaction between the learner and the teacher, and it employs modern methods of education to achieve the goal of education in any time or place, to achieve that goal formulated following questions: 1. Introduced Blended learning system, concept, their environment, and success factors for implementation blended learning. 2. Qualities of the teacher and student in blended learning and efficiencies to be achieved in the blended learning. 3. Some successful experiences regionally, globally, some successful experiences in Sudan and what future directions of blended learning systems in Sudanese high education.

VI. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The main purpose of this study was to measure the implementation of blended learning in higher education institutions in Sudan, so the researcher used the descriptive and analytical approach to gather information, facts and concepts related to achieving the goals of the study, their background, their importance and their objectives, in order to develop an integrated knowledge system, by referring to various studies and research articles, and check out some regional experiences in the field of e-learning technology, for use in aspects related to the concept of blended learning environment, its components, its rationale and benefits in the educational process for the development of models have the ability to change the reality of better blended learning in Sudan.

VII . BLENDED LEARNING SYSTEM To succeed blended learning must be operated from an integrated system can be divided into the needs of blended learning into three points:

1. Technical Requirements 2. Human requirements (teacher - student) 3. Curriculum

A. The Concept of Blended Learning Blended learning is one of the formulas or learning where that e-learning is mixed with classroom education (traditional) in one frame, employing e-learning tools, whether computer-based or network -based lessons in the classroom , the training sessions , which are often in real classrooms equipped with the possibility of networking, and it referred to him also interested in blended learning. Procter [5] defines blended learning as an effective hybrid of different learning techniques, technologies and delivery modes to supply students’ needs. According to Valiathan [2] defines blended learning as a solution that combines some different delivery methods like collaboration software, training courses on the internet and apply of knowledge management courses. As it is understood, the blend could be between any type of educational technology and traditional one led by teachers [4], [3]. Finally Singh and Reed [1], blended learning is a learning system, includes more than one method which used to optimize the learning outcome and the cost.

B. Components of Blended Learning Blended learning is not new, in terms of its components are in a traditional classroom (Including lectures and laboratories), books, in addition to the electronic activities across digital media, and in the following manner: Traditional Synchronous formats:

- Classroom lectures and supervised by the teacher. - Laboratories and workshops. - Trips or field visits. Synchronous online formats: - Electronic meetings. - Virtual Classroom. - Seminars and broadcast through the Web site. - Training. - Direct messages.

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Self-paced Synchronous formats: - Documents and internet pages. - Training modules based on the computer or the Web. - Simulation - Networked learning communities, and discussion groups

Overlapping of different learning systems are illustrated in Figure subsequent, blended learning is a hybrid of face -to-face learning and e-Learning (Fig 1). E-learning itself includes both non-network-based learning (computer-based learning) and network-based (online learning), Internet-based learning, and web based learning

Fig: 1 Components of blended learning

C.Blended Learning Environments Virtual learning environment usually work through the Internet and providing a range of appropriate tools for the process of learning, such as assessment, (especially that repairs can automate automatically, such as multiple-choice tests), telecommunications, and download content, and deliver the students' work, and peer assessment, and management of student groups, collecting and organizing student grades, doing questionnaires and tracking tools and control, and so forth [23]. These environments originally created for distance education, which is now often used to help the traditional classroom activities known as blended learning. These systems typically run on computer servers, to deliver courses to students via the web page, it was clarified in the following fig. 2.

Fig. 2 Blended Learning Environments

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D.Features of blended learning: Blended Learning is learning that combines models connected via the Internet or intranet, a model known as the place in a traditional classroom, it is education which they are used and the different means of delivery together to teach the course content, and these methods include a combination of direct methods in the classroom, and online communication, and self- education [22], Features of blended learning are counted as follows. -The ability of students to learn and practice activities at home or school. - Reduce the time and cost of learning, so efficient use of classroom time, and overcome the problem of lost time in the classroom through online discussion and questions among students and teachers. -Provide informal classes, so-called virtual classrooms. -To achieve flexibility in the use of school timetable. -Students enrichment supply decisions to suit their needs. - Differentiate between individual differences among learners so that each learner can learn according to their needs and abilities. - Widening the scope of learning and not just the classroom. - Allows the student to learn at the same time as his colleagues learn about them without delay in the event of not being able to attend the lesson for some reason. - Learner through this type of learning to achieve the best results, with some scientific studies show that blended learning achieved targets high compared with traditional education - It also features the performance of students as fast, compared to using traditional e-learning alone or education alone. E.Importance of blended learning In the form of blended learning often refers to the use of laboratory equipment or computers to complete classroom sessions and enhance the educational process through the exercise and the application of theories learned in classroom. Because of the advantages that offer widely and so the importance of this type of education, for example, self-learning , for these reason the Importance of blended learning is summarized in several aspects [19]: - Speed and flexibility best to learn. - Beyond the boundaries of time and space. - Increase the motivation for the learning process through the use of multimedia. - The development of the concepts of teamwork and collaborative work. - Save learners time. - Increases the learning experiences for learners. - Achieve their educational goals through the use of modern technology F.Planning for implementation of blended learning: The elements for planning and implementation of Blended Learning, through research, notes, and ongoing interactions with schools and administrators appeared number of elements, ranging between: Leadership, Professional Development, Teaching, Operations, Content and Technology [21]. - Good planning to hire e-learning technology in blended learning environment, and determine the function of each of them. - Ensure teachers and learners' skills in their use of e-learning technology included in the blended learning environment. - Ensure the availability of hardware and references used in a blended learning environment for both the learners and

educational institution. - The program starts with a plenary session bringing together teachers and learners face to face, objectives of the program

and clarifies his plan and how to implement it, the strategies used in it, and the role of each of them in learning events - Confirmation of the existence of teachers to respond to inquiries educated online or in the classroom. - The diversity of information sources to meet individual differences among learners. - The teacher is a comprehensive aware of every detail in this field. G.Success factors of blended learning Factors that promote successful blended learning are often hidden in the form of concluding observations and recommendations, and rarely know more explicit. The following recommendations are grouped under a number of factors mentioned, which have been developed from the previous literature, where there is an overall emphasis on pedagogic factors[20]. - Leads to improved educational outcomes. - Blended learning model is designed to be compatible with the nature of the students. - The availability of the infrastructure that supports blended learning and applies it in the traditional classroom with the consolidation of e-learning technology.

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- Blended learning Models can be applied to different types of learners at all levels [6]. - Different techniques attract students' attention to the subject of study in classrooms and expand the understanding of the perceptions [7]. - The ability to measure blended learning outcomes and ensures its effectiveness. H.Strategist Blended learning: Often understood from the initial use of blended learning the link between training in the traditional classroom and e-learning activities , the term has evolved to include a richer set of learning strategies , and includes a blended learning program of one or more of the dimensions as follows[23]: 1) Combination of direct on-line learning and traditional learning on classroom: Blended learning experiences gleaned from the Internet and intranet on learning styles over the Internet, while the traditional education as in a traditional classroom, so maximize this benefit in case of blended learning. Examples of this type of blended learning that require a search of sources using the material on the Internet and will be available through the study through educational sessions in the classroom and under the supervision of a teacher [24]. 2) Combination of self-paced learning and collaborative learning: It includes self-learning or individual learning processes, a self-learning on-demand, are in accordance with the needs of the learner, according to the speed that suits them their fortunes The cooperative learning in contrast, contains more vital contacts (dynamic) among the educated, leads to the sharing of knowledge and experience, and may include a combination of self-learning and collaborative learning, for example, a review of some important materials and literature about the new product, and then discuss it in the applications learner work through the immediate communication using information networks [29]. 3) Combination of content (prepared as needed), and On-the-shelf content:On-the-shelf content is comprehensive content or the public that ignores the unique environment and requirements of the institution , although the cost of the purchase or provision of such content are usually much lower , and the value of production is higher than Custom Content. The general content a self -speed can be adapted and configured by integrating a number of experiences (classroom or over the network ) , has opened up to international standards such as ( SCORM ) opened the door towards greater flexibility in integrating On-the-shelf content and Custom Content to improve the user experience of at a lower cost[29] . 4) Combination of work and learning:The real and effective success in the enterprise is linked to cooperation between work and learning, including the employment sector operations such as sales or product development, and work becomes a source of learning resources, and increase the size of the educational content available on demand to meet the needs of the beneficiaries of this content. It concludes from the foregoing that many of the obstacles related to time, place, format, and content that was linked to the classroom and traditional organizational structure preset may no longer exist now, where it's turned into an educational operations outside the scope of the ordinary, on demand, and the permanence of the anytime, anywhere. I.Differences between Traditional Learning and Blended Learning Model Some researchers have conducted a comparison of blended learning and traditional education, and pointed out a number of differences between them,the following table shows some of the differences between them are as follows Khan [12]:

TABLE 1

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL LEARNING AND BLENDED LEARNING MODEL Main Features of Education Traditional Learning Blended Learning

Location In Physical Classes (NotFlexible Anywhere (Flexible) Learning Method Face-to-Face Face-to-Face andOnline Learning Time At Specific Time (NotFlexible Any Time (Flexible) Technology Usage No obligation for using theTechnology It is a necessity touse the technology Focus of course Group Individual Focus of content Teacher-centered Student-centered Form Synchronous Asynchronous Flexibility Standardized Customized Content Stable, durable Dynamic, transitory Number of students Space delimited Without limits Instructor preparation Some (transparencies) Extensive pre-preparation Distribution of materials Hard copy Electronic download Interaction Spontaneous Structured Range of interactivity Full interactivity Limited interactivity

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J.Media used in Blended Learning Blended learning includes a range of media that are designed to complement each other , blended learning program may include many learning tools, such as cooperative learning , online courses , self-learning decisions , electronic performance support systems , learning management systems, Blended Learning, in fact, is the kind of learning that e-learning combined with traditional, often in processed networked classroom, the learning in the classroom under one framework, by employing e-learning tools include multiple events comprising the integration of learning activity in traditional classroom, the teacher meets with students face- to-face, self-learning is defined as blending between synchronous and asynchronous learning [26],[27],[41].

TABLE 2 MEDIA USED IN BLENDED LEARNING. SOURCE [25]

Media used in Blended Learning Live face-to-face (formal) - Instructor-led classroom - Workshops - Coaching/mentoring - On-the-job (OTJ) training

Live face-to-face (informal) - Collegial connections - Work teams - Role modelling

Virtual collaboration/synchronous - Live e-learning classes - E-mentoring

Virtual collaboration/asynchronous - E-mail - Online bulletin boards - Listservs - Online communities

Self-paced learning - Web learning modules - Online resource links - Simulations - Scenarios - Video and audio CDs/DVDs - Online self-assessment - Workbooks

Performance support - Help systems - Print job aids - Knowledge databases - Documentation - Performance/decision support tools

K.Thebenefits and challenges of blended learning The use of blended learning can pose challenges for students and universities together, while the unrealistic expectations and feelings of isolation are the challenges facing the students, both institutions and students to find the challenges faced by the uses of technology in education [24], for blended learning several problems we mention the most important:

- not to seriously consider the issue of blended learning as a new strategy for the development of the educational process - The difficulty of the transition from the traditional way of learning that depends on the teacher's face-to-face with

students, and transition to learn with modern one. - Physicalobstacles: such as the lack of computers, software and networks, and somewhat higher prices. - human obstacles , requiring e-learning systems enable teachers and students to use e-learning technology skill - Must be converted curriculum to electronic files to make it easier to share and deal with them through various electronic

media. - Lack of competence among students organs they train them in their homes. - Calendar difficulties and the system of monitoring and correction of absence. - lack of appropriate e-learning for some curricula and courses that require students to exercise practical skills and private

systems TABLE 3

DISPLAYS A SUMMARY OF THE BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH BLENDED LEARNING. Benefits Challenges

- Enhanced student learning outcomes - Greater flexibility for students and teachers - Improved autonomy, reflection, and research skills - Reduced student withdrawal rate - Ability to foster a professional learning

environment - Potential cost and resource savings

- Unrealistic student expectations - Student-perceived isolation - Technological problems for students - Invasiveness into other areas of life - Time commitment - Technological problems for institutions - Lack of support for course redesign - Difficulty in acquiring new teaching and technology skills

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VIII. QUALITIES OF THE TEACHER AND STUDENT IN BLENDED LEARNING

Blended Learning needs a teacher specifications and have the ability to deal with modern technology, modern software , connect to the Internet , designing e- tests so that he can explain the lesson in the traditional way and through the practical application on the PC , resolving the electronic tests, see the links related to the lesson , Find new at the subject and make the students shared in the search process so that the participant with the teacher and not just the recipient , and the teacher needs to be able to design a lesson and commensurate with the possibilities available, the qualities of the teacher in this type of education are [24]:

- Has the ability to combine traditional teaching and e-learning. - Has the ability to design tests and dealing with multimedia. - Has the ability to create collaborative learning and interaction in the classroom - Understand and absorb the aim of education

In addition to the above skills specific to the teacher, there some of the skills that must be available for each of the teacher and student together [28]:

- The ability to use Windows operating systems - Ability to use office software. - The ability to upload and download programs from the media and Internet. - The ability to navigate the various programs. - The ability to use e-mail, discussion programs, and knowledge of the Internet terminology. - The ability to use search terms and search mechanisms for accessing information. - Knowledge of the skills used modes of writing and enters information. - Considerations to be taken into account to increase the effectiveness of the online module.

IX. EFFICIENCIES TO BE ACHIEVED IN THE BLENDED LEARNING

As a result of what has been said, we find that the skills needed for the learner in the field of Blended Learning include each of these: Motivation, self-Confidence, initiative, commitment, reading skills, writing skills, IT skills, effective communication skills, time management skills, take responsibility, critical reading skills, information retrieval skills, effective record-keeping, e-resources, research skills, instructional decisions, diversity in education by individual differences of the learners, self-assessment and planning, and our observations, previous research in this area and we found a number of competencies necessary for the teachers in the field of blended learning include each of these [30]: Efficiencies of dealing with software and network services and these skills are as follows: dealing with the various operating systems, use different search engines to access the information it needs, dealing with the services and applications available on the Internet that can be used in the educational process, such as the search service, e-mail, chat, file transfer, and mailing lists. Also ability to download files from the network and save, ability to upload files to the network and published, ability to participate in discussion groups available online, addition to that ability to compress or decrypt files to and from the network, create pages and educational sites and published and updated each period, and access to global libraries and databases. Competences preparation courses electronically, this includes a number of key competencies, one of these is competencies planning: includes a set of skills which are as follows: identify the general objectives of the course to be prepared electronically, determine the suitability of the course to be put on the network, determine the level of the beneficiaries of the electronic course and experience psychological and social characteristics, identify physical and human requirements needed to prepare the electronic course, Identify the team accomplished the electronic course and identify the functions of each of them, and set a timetable for the completion of assigned tasks to each member of the team work. Other key competencies of efficiencies of design and development which includes a range of competencies which are as follows: determine the educational goals for electronic course identify necessary to achieve the objectives of the curriculum teaching strategies, identify learning activities that encourage interaction among learners, identify multimedia that will ensure the electronic course, preparation of the educational scenario for electronic course, identify methods of electronic interaction among the educated among them, among them and the teacher , and them and learning materials, and identify feedback methods. Finally key Competency of assessment, which includes a range of competencies: the use and application of different methods of evaluation electronically through the web and network, identify the strengths and weaknesses of learners, preparation of enrichment and remedial programs for learners, the development of scientific criteria to assess learners, and provide feedback to learners.

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X. E-LEARNING COMPLETE MODELS GLOBALLY and REGIONALLY Growing interest in e-learning in the recent period create new avenues for learners were not available before And established a promising solution to the needs of students in the future, e-learning is a necessity to achieve a knowledge-based society, and the Arab region is not isolated from the development, many countries in the developed world has implemented a complete models for e-learning, it is a new idea in the field of education in developing countries in general and especially in the Arab region. A. USA since 1993: United States began a race against time for the application of distance education and employment in their schools, and focused on the process of training teachers to help their colleagues and help students as well, and provide the infrastructure for the operation of computers and networks linking schools together, in addition to effective educational software to become part of the educational subjects [37]. B. Malaysian experiment in (1996): The Committee has developed the comprehensive development of the Malaysian state of a comprehensive technology plan to be in the ranks of developed countries, the most important objectives of this plan is to make the computer an essential part in the classroom and connect it to the Internet,Schools that applied this technique described as "smart schools ". With regard to infrastructure has been linked to all schools and universities in Malaysia fast fiber networks, which allows to transferring of data and multi -media packages [34]. C. British experience: British produced project called National Network for Education , which connects more than 32000 schools to the Internet, include more than 9 millions of students , more than 450,000 teachers , all students and teachers in those networks provided by e- mail address for communication[36]. D. Canadian experience: Canada is one of the leading countries in e-learning and distance education, the need for this kind of education as a result of extended space and different levels of education. The government focused on linking networks within cities and between cities, Canada is a successful example of integration of e-learning in education [36]. E. Swedish experience: Sweden is one of the most advanced in the field of e-learning, it has a strong infrastructure and the use of high technologies, It is one of the first countries in this type of education because it was almost the best country in the field of communication technologies, information, and processing infrastructure where there are a lot of unique globally companies [35]. F.Experience in Saudi Arabia 2001: It directed the Saudi leadership in 2001 orders establishment of the National Information Technology Plan, and the mechanism to be applied, it was organized the first conference of e-learning and distance education in 1430 in Riyadh, which was organized by the Ministry of Higher Education, and concluded that contribute to the localization of e-learning and distance education in higher education institutions through access and depth in previous experiments to others[32],[33]. The King Saud University in Riyadh, one of the first universities that have adopted e-learning tools into their curriculum, the university also has the largest electronic library where containing 16,000 e-book. There is the experience of other countries has to be studied, such as: Egypt, Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar, which are similar experience that focused on solutions of most important topics: - The focus of the curriculum: the density of courses, curriculum and lack of compatibility with the rapid development of software. - A special technical aspect: lack of readiness of the IT infrastructure, and lack of speed of telecommunication network - A special administrative aspect: the number of students per class, and the limited number of computers available. - A special organizational aspect: the lack of the right place, and the shortage of human resources

XI. CURRENT EXPERIMENTS of BLENDED LEARNING in SUDANESE UNIVERSITIES

The interest in e-learning in Sudan started a few years ago and it is increasing continuously among the awareness of its importance and necessity, but the utilization of this technique to support the education process is still in its infancy and progressing at a slow non convenient pace and the evolution of technology [38]. This is due to several reasons: -The modernistic of the field and its lack of advantageous experience in the Arab countries and the African region and therefore there is no strong experiences in similar environments. - The inability of state agencies to design and implement e-learning programs effectively, every effort has been talking about the issue and its importance for years without being able to provide models on the ground and to make any breakthrough in this area. - Initiatives that are made by the private sector were modest and saturation of the wishes of teachers and learners alike. It is true that some of the initiatives have achieved some success recently brought reassurance to the ability of the country to the production of useful and unique style, but these initiatives remain in the process of growth and the need for a large effort to settle down and continue to give and update and keep up with developments. - To start and be creative in this area we need a mix of public concerns and private commercial purposes this might not be done by the private sectors trying to achieve success and therefore the country is witnessing many of the initiatives that have not been completed[39], [40].

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In this section of the paper we are dealing with the experience of Blended learning as example in three of the Sudanese universities, respectively: Alzaem Al-Azhary University, Al-niliene University, Sudan University for Science and Technology 1.Alzaem Al-Azhary University :At Alzaem Al-Azhary University in faculty of technology and development studies which has Provided experience of distance education, that was established in the year 2000, in order to provide an opportunity of learning to the students in an irregular situation, In addition to academic support services, there are centers to supervise the students and provide them with answers to their questions. The students are an essential part of the university so it offers to them some services that focus on the academic side through blended learning. There are shortcomings in electronic services in the field of distance education, so the university does not offer all advices for electronic services to students, which is one of the fundamentals in distance learning, and these advising services reduces the burden on students in the field of distance education and takes them out from the isolation caused by the reliance on self- learning. 2. Al-niliene University:At Al-niliene University, establishment of this administration in 1996 under the name of the Department of distance, its name was changed later to distance learning department in December 2001, and to provide educational opportunities for those who have not had the opportunity to regular college. Flaws are the lack of academic content that is appropriate for distance education, which is one of the general problems on the implementation of this type of education. Educational centers for distance education at the University of Al-niliene, provide students with educational materials, and answer their questions, and there are such centers in Jordan, in Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain center. These services vary in quality, but not as well known in the distance education system, as well as there is no means of self-assessment, as a result of the weakness of electronic design, and also weakness in the training or assessment studies of distance education. 3. Sudan University of Science and Technology:Sudan University of Science and Technology, in the academic year 94-1995 create a partition of distance learning in the Sudan University of Science and Technology, later in 2001 called distance education center. The center aims to provide an opportunity for students to improve academic level, it also provides the opportunity for various nationalities from outside Sudan to join the Sudanese education system, hence the deployment of Sudanese education outside Sudan, These centers are prepared curriculum and academic content processing, in collaboration with various colleges, and colleges have committees to review the course content, and evaluated before being sent to the curriculum department, and then distributed to the students. It indicates that distance learning centers did not train their employees on this type of education, and do not care for the design of content so that it is compatible with e-learning, as well as e-content design lacks a mechanism of self-evaluation for distance education, and increase students' academic achievement.

XII. DISCUSSION

The current study was characterized in the approach to blended learning technology, and the definition of its new technique, it identifies the effectiveness that can be applied in teaching at Sudanese universities compared to the traditional way, referring to the above and what has been reviewed on the previous studies and the experiences of some countries shows clearly that the use of blended learning in higher education still needs further studies. Sudanese studies on electronic and blended learning still needs many requirements to renaissance in the field of e-learning such as:

- Localization of e-learning technologies in Sudan by creating human, technical, administrative and academic resources capable of using modern technologies in the educational process to serve the present and future.

- The development of e-learning products locally, moving to this area from fantasy to the real world, and concrete achievements harnessed to serve the educational area.

- Ensure the continuity of work and not caving in to pure business metrics, So as to take necessary methods of success and continue to serve the nationalistic perspective of the community and Accompanied by the business side as one of its tributaries.

- developing the performance of teacher's and integrating them into the process of e-learning and upgrading the profession through designing training programs and throw the adoption of an electronic specialist teachers and educational initiatives in general that have any connection with e-learning, and the development of these initiatives as if it came from as specialists .

On the other hand there was great benefit from these studies to guide the current study, and in the composition of a general perception the impact of blended learning compared to traditional learning on academic achievement and the admission of students to the possibility of its implementation in higher education in Sudan. Based on the literature study and its demonstrated results from the experiences of other countries, the researcher recommends the following:

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- Encourage education departments and teachers to employ blended learning technology into higher education both public and private types, and how to use it.

- Provide material resources and technical personnel that support the use of blended learning technology. - Urging the deployment of the decisions on the contents of university and college sites on the internet, and to support

communication with their students through multimedia and e-mail. To benefit from regional and international experiences in the recruitment and use of blended learning technology in Sudanese institutions of higher education. In contrast, the researcher points out that it must conduct studies and research on the effectiveness of its uses blended learning in higher education, the study of students' attitudes toward its applications, taking into account other factors not addressed in the current research. Conduct a survey to detect the university teachers ' attitudes towards the use of blended learning technology.

XIII. CONCLUSIONS

Researcher found that the use of modern technology contribute to the humanization of the educational process, focusing on the student. One of the most promising applications of information technology is blended learning, blended learning technology which is integrated traditional learning tools with new technologies [42]. The use of new information technology tools is necessary, therefore evolved teaching methods, resulting in that blended education, providing learning opportunities for individual to fill the gap in education. In addition to the above, it allows the implementation of educational programs of high quality electronic resources available systematically and contributes to the achievement of academic goals for students and teachers of higher education institutions. The evolution of society based on knowledge and education, there is a consensus that higher education requires a focus on the idea of lifelong learning through the development of flexible ways to teach. This has increased the expectation of higher education institutions initiatives around the world to adopt e-learning techniques in an attempt to overcome the deficit in education by introducing teaching methods. Universities in Sudan cannot be separated from this technological trend. However, in spite of that, the implementation of e-learning is complex, but necessary, complexity is not in terms of cost, but also encountered a lot of challenges. Should higher education Sudanese institutions to apply blended education to determine the level of organizational readiness, determine the best ways in which to implement this technique, this study is an important step to achieve this goal, by identifying the challenges that may hinder the implementation and enumerate the measures that can be taken to address these challenges in early time. At the end of this research, the researchers concluded the following recommendations: - The teachers' awareness of the importance of education built an important role in the success of the teaching method of

education built, so must the universities promote this awareness. - The need for the university departments concerned with equipping classrooms so that the appropriate hardware is

available to the process of teaching in blended learning. - Provide free labs for a student which helps them to spend more time in front of computers to complete homework in

blended learning. - Promote blended learning experience for teachers' training courses of faculty members on the use of available programs,

as well as providing them with the necessary equipment. - Establishment of specialized units to help teachers to meet their needs in the preparation of the electronic teaching

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