“Doing a quiz in pyjamas”: Successes and challenges of blended learning in Cambodian higher English language education

Computer-assisted and technology-enhanced learning such as blended learning, e-learning and other technology-enhanced innovations are increasingly being used more widely in both developed and developing nations with the aim of improving students’ learning experience and raising the quality and reach of education. Cambodia has a relatively low enrolment rate in tertiary education, and delivery methods have always been conventional and face-to-face. While Cambodia is beginning to make inroads into the adoption of blended learning, it has a lot of catching up to do in order to take advantage of such technology. One of the Sustainable Development Goals of Education 2030 (UNESCO, Unpacking sustainable development goal 4 education 2030, 2017) addresses the issues of quality and accessibility of education as well as the promotion of lifelong learning. In the context of technology being envisaged as being part of the potential solution, the current chapter describes the emerging blended learning approach to teaching academic writing at a leading Cambodian higher education institution, the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). This chapter sheds light on the roles of teachers in the process of planning, implementing, and assessing blended learning and investigates the impact of blended learning on student engagement and learning outcomes as well as the challenges faced at an early stage of implementation. Areas for improvement and suggestions for a more informed approach are also discussed as expansion of blended learning at RUPP is considered. Copyright © 2021 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.