Examining the Impact of Case and Task Driven Blended Learning on Student Learning Outcomes in an International Trade Documentation Course

Abstract

As a core compulsory course in Business English major, International Trade Documentation Practice integrates theoretical, practical, operational, and applied dimensions. Recently, the course confronts multiple challenges, including an intricately networked knowledge structure, rigid conventional pedagogy, and insufficient hands-on practice. The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) offers new opportunities for instructional innovation. Grounded in constructivist learning theory, blended learning theory, and student engagement theory, this study constructed a “case-task-driven blended teaching model” A quasi experimental design was adopted with 73 junior Business English majors from two intact classes at a private undergraduate university in Guangzhou. Class A was assigned as the experimental group, receiving the case and task driven blended model augmented by AI tools, while the other served as the control group and received traditional lecture-based instruction. The study mainly compared group differences in standardized documentation operation test scores, learning engagement, course satisfaction, and professional certification pass rates. Results revealed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group on the post-test, with statistically significant differences. The findings indicate that a blended teaching model anchored by authentic foreign trade cases, driven by scaffolded hierarchical tasks, and supported by AI tools can effectively bridge the disconnect between classroom abstraction and workplace complexity, thereby facilitating a paradigm shift from “knowledge memorization” to “competency-based education.” This paper further delineates the core mechanisms of the model, examines the appropriate roles and ethical boundaries of AI tools, and provides a replicable theoretical reference and practical paradigm for the blended teaching reform of business related majors.