Od omotnica i audio-kaseta do suvremene fleksibilne mješovite nastave – Studij hrvatskoga jezika i kulture kao primjer dobre prakse

When the only Croatian language and culture program on the Australian continent was introduced at Macquarie University in 1983, one of the conditions was that students from all over the country could attend classes. This was made possible thanks to the developed methods of distance learning that had been conducted in Australia since 1911. For students of Croatian language and culture in the 1980s and 1990s, this meant sending printed and audio materials by post between the lecturer in Sydney and students in Melbourne, Perth, or Broken Hill.
The easy access to computers and the internet at the beginning of the 21st century gradually replaced envelopes and cassettes with online platforms and email, primarily reducing the time gap in communication and facilitating the exchange of teaching materials. However, external students were still miles away from the classroom, deprived of the social aspect of language learning.
To provide all students with as similar a learning experience as possible, since 2017, Croatian language and culture classes at Macquarie University have been conducted in a blended format using the so-called HyFlex learning design, which has eliminated the differences and boundaries between external and on-campus students, providing everyone with similar learning conditions. The model used in Croatian language teaching stands out as an example of good practice, and this paper discusses its features and importance in preserving the Croatian language in Australia.