Semester One: Monday 24 February to 4 July 2014. The contributions in this issue of the journal show how, with careful design, these key learning and teaching variables can be leveraged in relation to their flexibility. The interaction of four components - technology, pedagogy, implementation strategies, organisational framework - can lead to learner-centred experiences when they are well integrated (Collis & Moonen, 2001). In an earlier editorial comment (Naidu, 2017), I was reflecting on the growing popularity of the concepts of openness and flexibility, suggesting that they were rapidly becoming the norm, especially in higher education and in many parts of the world. The next article, ‘Relationships between motivational strategies and cognitive learning in distance courses’ by Sanghoon Park, explores the design of productive learning experiences in greater depth to point out their implications for teaching strategies, and especially the design of motivational and cognitive learning supporting strategies for different cohorts. Interestingly, a special issue of the journal is in the making on dual and multi-mode educational provision: implications for theory, policy and practice, which I am sure will pick up the conversations here. The Reusability Principle Utilize artifacts from learning activities in each participation mode as “learning objects’ for all students. There were learners who would be living in situ and on campuses, but for various reasons opting to study in flexible ways. We use cookies to improve your website experience. So, as many more options for engaging in the flexible learning experience became available to learners and teachers, and as students chose to take advantage of the opportunities that these choices afforded, the nature of the educational transaction also changed. Complementing this process is the provision of a values and relationship education program, which draws on the common ground principles and relates to the life experiences of young people. Learning is a complex process in which different learners and learning groups adopt various motivational and cognitive regulation strategies as part of their learning. Together we will explore the principles of flexible learning and how to design practical strategies that you can use in your teaching. To find out more about the programme check out the links to the other GCTLT courses. And then there was also the opportunity to take advantage of the far better set of study materials that was becoming symptomatic of distance learning materials, due to its adoption of instructional design principles and rigorous course team processes. And I credited distance education for articulating and putting these concepts into practice as in the case of the design and deployment of the learning and teaching transaction for learners separated in time and space from their teachers and the educational institution. The last article, ‘Refining success and dropout in massive open online courses based on the intention-behavior gap’ by Maartje Henderikx, explores this phenomenon and its implications for a better handle on the design of the student learning experience. But this kind of flexibility does not end there. Flexible Learning will be closed for winter break December 24 - January 3. But as information and communications technologies including electronic mail began to supersede the use of print and the postal mail, the concept of written correspondence via the postal service was no longer an adequate descriptor of the educational transaction that was taking place. Flexible learning principles Can you say ‘yes’ to the following assertions? And the article ‘Pedagogical practices of NetNZ teachers for supporting online distance learners’ by Kwok-Wing Lai shows how this might be possible. This is about the design of productive learning experiences for learners that are effective, efficient and engaging, and which include integrating flexibility in the assessment of learning outcomes. The determination of the nature and levels of flexibility in learning and teaching in a given context depends on several interacting variables, such as the nature of the subject matter, the level of study, location of students and teachers, and their readiness for flexible learning including their access to technologies and the necessary infrastructure. Along with the importance of learning experience design, another critical indicator of success for any educational enterprise is the flexibility with which its learners are integrating with the educational institution. We will return to the office January 4. Failed to load RSS feed from http://flexible-learning-course.blogspot.com/rss.xml|Date|short|max=1: There was a problem during the HTTP request: 404 Not Found. Meaningful learning happens in environments where creativity, awareness, inquiry, and critical thinking are part of instruction. First up is the article by Cheryl Hanewicz, Angela Platt and Anne Arendt, ‘Creating a learner-centered teaching environment using student choice in assignments’. Support for students. Aim. The print technology and the postal mail service formed the backbone of this learning and teaching transaction. Universal Design for Learning ( UDL) is an educational framework based on research in the learning sciences, including cognitive neuroscience, that guides the development of flexible learning environments and learning spaces that can accommodate individual learning differences. What is flexible learning? Wikipedia Dec 06 Flexible Learning Model . However flexible learning in itself is complex, and not as simple as this definition implies. When you apply stretching techniques on a regular basis over time, you will be rewarded with a myriad of benefits in range of motion and flexibility as well as improvement to the muscles. This page was last modified on 10 May 2013, at 10:53. This article focuses our attention on the widely, and often loosely used term learner-centeredness or student centeredness with an example of how the concept can be operationalised with offering learners choices in relation to their assessment tasks. It reports a case study of the integration of successful pedagogical practices by online educators in the secondary school sector, where there is a paucity of evidence on best practices along these lines. The whole approach is much broader than this and is best realised by integrating the benefits of electronic communication with more traditional modes of delivery in a pedagogically principled way. Schools may restructure traditional schedules to … A fundamental component of flexible learning is an emphasis on relationship development. A message from Professor James Knowles. Key principles for a blended learning model include: class teacher retains responsibility for planning and organising children’s and young people’s learning regular high quality face-to-face learning and teaching a shared understanding between home and school of the blended learning But that term had issues as well, as an accurate descriptor of this activity, as the concept of distance implied a physical separation, when that was not always the case. For learners, flexibility in learning may include choices in relation to entry and exit points, selection of learning activities, assessment tasks and educational resources in return for different kinds of credit and costs. For example, most people never forget how to ride a bicycle because they actively participated in the learning process. It is a value principle, like diversity or equality are in education and society more broadly. 2. I am writing this editorial from my new role as inaugural Pro Vice Chancellor, Flexible Learning and Director of the Centre for Flexible Learning at the University of the South Pacific (USP), where I am driving this agenda causing me to reflect on its operationalisation. It is a value principle, like diversity or equality are in education and society more broadly. Get the best teachers. With space, students may be given dedicated breakout rooms to work collaboratively. Also there are five dimensions which can impact:time; content of the course; entry requirements; instructional approaches and resources; delivery and logistic… Additional sessions will be negotiated. Modes of flexible learning Flexible learning does not simply equal using various forms of electronic communication to deliver a course. Learner engagement with assessment activities: This is about choices learners have in relation to the fulfillment of their assessment requirements. And in the context of distance, online and distributed educational settings with the separation of learners in time and space, these variables take on new meanings and a new level of importance. Flexibility, when incorporated into curriculum design enables people more choice in their learning. See also Sanjaya Mishra’s exhortations in his reflections in this issue on the contradictions and confusions among those who are supposed to be promoting the adoption of open educational practices. In the early days of this initiative, flexible learning opportunities at USP went by the name of extension studies suggesting an effort by the university to extend credit-bearing learning and teaching opportunities beyond the boundaries of its physical campuses. 3099067 And I will look forward to hearing your own thoughts on the issues, questions and controversies raised by the contributions in this edition. Flexibility in learning and teaching is relevant in any mode of study including campus-based face-to-face education. Openness and flexibility are the norm, but what are the challenges? Educators will have to adapt these learning experiences to a remote setting with and/or without access to devices and the Internet. Principles. Learner-content engagement: This is about learners’ engagement and interaction with the subject matter in ways that suit individuals, their styles and approaches to studying and its time, place and pace. By closing this message, you are consenting to our use of cookies. Flexibility in learning and teaching is relevant in any mode of study including campus-based face-to-face education. Enjoy the contents of this shipment. As such flexible learning, in itself, is not a mode of study. This study explored the barriers to online learning that learners with this kind of disability face and what might be the best approach to their support and engagement with the learning organization. The purpose of the following materials is to present current research and theory on student learning in a way that can inform and guide effective teaching practices. Look out for it! Universal Design for learning is a set of principles that allow teachers with a structure to develop instructions to meet the diverse … Flexible Learning In his article on flexible learning, Ian Hart traces the origins of the flexible learning movement. The model provides some key principles of organisation for online learning materials, the most central of which is using the Learning Outcomes to structure the weeks of teaching and also to create progression. The article, ‘Facilitating student learning in distance education: A case study on the development and implementation of a multi-faceted feedback system’ by Samantha Uribe and Michelle Vaughan reports on such a study and its impacts on student performance. Learner-centered: Design courses that offer students flexible options to participate fully in the … Hybrid-Flexible Course describes the experience of instructors who have taught using this approach, focusing on common challenges and successes they’ve encountered. The learning activities should be experiential rather than just informational. Regular announcements will be made on the Flexible learning blog. To enhance the understanding of flexible teaching and learning principles and processes, and their application to the design of flexible learning practices. Its distributed nature required the university to engage in flexible approaches to learning and teaching to open up access to further enrich the educational experience of students beyond its conventional campus-based educational operations. Flexible Learning. Chapter 2.2 Learning in a Hybrid-Flexible Course reports significant and common student experiences associated with learning in a HyFlex environment. How flexible is flexible learning, who is to decide and what are its implications? Little is known about the effect on classroom behaviour. Classroom designs should aim to provide flexible learning environments for all who teach and learn in them. Sometimes it also referred to as personalized learning. A useful approach to embedding flexibility is to consider it in relation to how, and to what extent it is being integrated in leveraging key dimensions of learning and teaching, and these are as follows: Learning experience design: This is about the design and development of productive learning experiences so that each learner is able to make most of the learning opportunities they afford. Flexible learning is a state of being in which learning and teaching is increasingly freed from the limitations of the time, place and pace of study. After the renovations, the sixth grade learning communities will have a flexibility that didn’t exist in the prior layout. FACULTY OF HUMANITIES Flexible Learning Getting started with Flexible Learning and Blackboard Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. To do so, he has defined eight principles that he says are “central to the implementation of a flexible learning policy” (2000). Learner engagement with the learning environment: This is about adaptable access, interaction and engagement with the learning environment (such as with mobile devices, Wi-Fi access and innovative use of study space). The article ‘Barriers to students with mental health disability studying online’ by Dean McManus, Rachel Dryer and Marcus Henning highlights its importance in relation to the support and engagement of students with mental health disability in the online distance education context. Workload and interaction: UNISA’s signature courses – a design template for transitioning to online DE? As such flexible learning, in itself, is not a mode of study. King Phillip of Macedonia employed the greatest scientist of … Learner-learner engagement: This is about choices learners have in relation to the mode and method of their engagement and interaction with their peers in small and large groups, and in offline and online educational settings. To learn about our use of cookies and how you can manage your cookie settings, please see our Cookie Policy. Responsive learning environments adapt to the individual needs of each student and encourage About then distance education emerged as a term that better captured the nature of this learning and teaching transaction taking place away from the physical campuses. Chapter 2.3 “flexible learning is an alternative to the face-to-face teaching model traditionally associated with higher education” Cybinski & Selvanathan (2005, p. 252) “FlexLearning is a course delivery strategy that allows student to have the option to take course either completely face-to-face, or completely The first class is on Friday 28 Feb: 13:00 - 14:30 in G104. Please note: the blog address was changed on 10 March 2014 - was 2013 Flexible Learning blog. This learner-centered perspective is a hallmark of the Eberly Center’s approach to teaching. Registered in England & Wales No. The point here is about factoring individual goals and intentions and how they might differ from institutional goals, to be able to give a more accurate picture of persistence and attrition in open and distance learning contexts. Providing equivalent learning experiences in various modes which lead to equivalent learning outcomes may be one of the greatest challenges in the HyFlex approach. And depending on its composition and character, this form of learning and teaching activity has been labelled variously as online learning, elearning, blended learning, distributed learning, and disaggregated learning. There is a need for different approaches to learning and teaching, with different levels of flexibility, structure and guidance for different cohorts and learning contexts, while the threshold principles of all approaches remain the same. And these principles are about open and equitable access to learning opportunities, flexible approaches to learning and teaching, and the adoption of open scholarship in its education practices (see Naidu, 2016). But it is a regular university nonetheless, and so flexibility in learning and teaching has boundaries at USP. Web conferences are offered via Adobe Connect You may wish to begin by reading the Course Outline and Getting Started information. Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine. But learning experience design is about a lot more than getting right the design of assessment tasks and provision of feedback to learners. Learner engagement with the institution: This is about choices learners have in relation to their engagement with the services of the educational institution. Flexible learning can occur anywhere, anyhow, anyway. In particular, flexible learning provides learners with choices about where, when, and how learning occurs. Learner-teacher engagement: This is about choices learners have in relation to the mode and method of their engagement and interaction with their teachers and tutors. This includes an accurate understanding of why students fail to persist or choose to withdraw from programs (see Hülsmann & Shabalala, 2016). personal learning paths, competency-based progression, and flexible learning environments.4 In many ways, the principles of personalized learning stand in stark contrast with traditional classrooms: students move at their own pace, pursue learning that aligns with … It’s harder for many students to “watch” instruction via video livestream than in a … At the successful completion of this course, participants will be able to: https://wikieducator.org/index.php?title=Flexible_Learning&oldid=869562, Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike License. Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab. He quotes Nunan (1996), who said: “…there are progressive interpretations of flexible learning which are structured around competing social and humanist values, which have Flexible 1. Flexible access At USP, a unique institution that is owned and run by 12 independent countries in the south-west Pacific region, flexible learning is central to its ethos and culture. Flexibility, when incorporated into curriculum design enables people more choice in their learning. Flexible Learning is a set of educational philosophies and systems, concerned with providing learners with increased choice, convenience, and personalisation to suit the learner. Learning should permit and encourage active participation of the learner. This study found that when given a choice of assessment tasks, learners actually did a lot more than they were required to do to earn top marks in the course, and they did it for none other than their own personal benefit. Some of the reasons for this had to do with being able to take on courses which might not have been offered at the time students needed to, or wanted to take them. separate out “flexible delivery” (technology or economically driven strategies) from true “flexible learning” (an educational goal). Globally, many schools are replacing traditional classrooms with innovative flexible learning spaces to improve academic outcomes. Teaching is relevant in any mode of study in flexible ways with the institution: this is about choices have..., like diversity or equality are in education and society more broadly design! In doing so speeding up the duration of their learning definition implies retain that learning longer in so. Never forget how to ride a bicycle because they actively participated in the learning activities be. Fall Dates are subject to change due to COVID-19 web conferences are offered via Connect! 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