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Blended learning is increasingly introduced in classrooms worldwide. Nonetheless, studies are not unanimous as to its impact on student performance and its benefits to enhancing the learning experience. In this article, it is argued that a focused approach, taking into account the particular requirements of the course and the students' qualifications, is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of blended learning. The article presents a case study of a first-semester university course which examines the effects of "blending", such as mixing oral and written discourse, and its significance for the community of enquiry. In the final section of the article, three particular blend strategies are tested and evaluated. It is concluded that some types of exercises are usefully "blended", while others may conveniently qualify for online work only. (Contains 2 notes.)

Thomas Spence (1750-1814) who proposed a complete spelling reform published it in the form of a 'dictionary' of English titled The Grand Repository of the English Language. He printed several of his political and educational pamphlets in the latest spelling which he named the ' Crusonian alphabet'.

Barbara Cartland has become a byword for pulp fiction, the epitome of popular culture lacking progressive purpose and deeper meaning. It is well known that Cartland wrote sentimental romances, but the extent to which these were written against the backdrop of a spiritual framework with the intent of propagating a "religion of love" is little realized. This article discusses how Cartland represents romantic love as a means to accessing an "absolute reality" transcending ordinary experience. Focusing on her novel Love in the Clouds as a case study, I will examine how Cartland used the popular romance genre as a platform for a spiritual awakening of her readers. Her ideas and influences will be contextualized within the tradition of religious romance writing., 1

Antiquarian efforts to revive Old Norse poetry brought about an interest in Germanic superstition that could be exploited by literary writers. This article examines a subspecies of terror writing which took inspiration from Norse literature. Compared to the Catholic settings of many Gothic novels, Norse-inflected writing provided an alternative. It is a little known fact that the Old Norse religion and literature was used as a prism through which Britain's ethnically Gothic past could be viewed and negotiated. The article discusses some examples of how the fashion for thrills was combined with a national project to recover a sense of ancestral heroism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An overview of the various articles published within the issue related to books is presented, including a look at the Armed Services Editions (ASE) of cheaply produced books, an archival research into the reading experience of servicemen and their wives and partners, and an exploration of the connections between print and power, and the effects of globalization on cultural and linguistic diversity.

The satirical The Marriage of Heaven and Hell has long been recognised as a key work in William Blake's literary production. Yet the precise nature of his theological dispute with the mystic philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg in this text has never been fully explained. Reinserting Blake's literary work into its original Swedenborgian context reveals it as a vivacious manifesto of antinomian theology. By examining Blake's parody of central Swedenborgian passages, it is possible to shed new light on the little understood inversion of 'devils' and 'angels', which has long frustrated analyses of the text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illustrator William Blake owned a copy of Francis Bacon's "Essays Moral, Economical, and Political," which he annotated extensively. Many of Blake's annotations are clearly spontaneous. He employs shock tactics and satire as an immediate response rather than attempting to establish a coherent counter-argument. In his annotations, he makes numerous references to his opponent as someone speaking for the devil or Satan. Blake's satirical drawing is clearly motivated by Bacon's claim that a king is divinely ordained.

This article examines how Swedenborgianism linked the conscious and unconscious mind through the literary symbol. It has long warranted critical attention that Swedenborg, nearly two centuries before Jung, launched an exploration of archetypal images. What I will attempt below is a study of the reception history of Swedenborg, or, more precisely, an examination of how the psychological and literary dimensions of Swedenborg's writing have been a significant attraction to readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]