‘Academic and Professional Skills' is meant to be a reflective module, where undergraduate students think about the way they learn, both in generic and in subject specific terms. The learning outcomes for the module include working as a team, reflecting on learning and showing the ability to design web pages.

Because of recent (UK) government policies, a greater proportion of mature students and people with a range of alternative qualifications and experiences are now entering degree programmes. For this reason students on the course had different levels of prior knowledge and initial skills. They came from different cultural backgrounds, included individuals with disabilities and were enrolled on a variety of degree paths. Disability issues had to be addressed in the design and delivery of the course. Students were required to take disability issues into account in their group project, with help and guidance from a learning technologist.

Opting for a blended learning approach enabled staff to cater for the variety of students' needs they were faced with. Features of the online learning environment proved particularly useful in supporting specific learning outcomes. It supported asynchronous collaborative work, which mitigated some time constraints. Students had access to many types of online support, – student mentors, a learning technologist, two subject specific faculty members and e-course materials and lessons plan.

The reflective reports written by the students after the completion of the ICT project showed that the blended learning approach had boosted students' confidence.