Flexibility

In the course pedagogies for flexible learning supported by technology we talk about flexibility. A lot of people think about distance learning when they talk about flexible learning. In the class we also discussed it and we thought of many more other things that are also part of flexible learning. Like Collis & Moonen (2001) say: “it’s not just about distance”. To explain this, here I will describe 5 kinds of flexibility. Also I will give a web-based technology that supports flexibility.  

Collis & Moonen (2001) describe flexibility related to 5 different things. These are: time, content, entry requirements, instructional approach and resources, delivery and logistics. So this are 5 kinds of flexibility. I will describe all these kind of flexibilities and also give my opinion about how easy it would be to implement this in a course or study.

Flexibility related to time

Flexibility related to time is about the time a course starts of finishes. But it is also about the time you interact with each other. Like at which time the lecture of the course is. Time is also about the tempo of studying and the moments of assessment. So time is really about when. If a course has a lecture every week at a specific time, this is not flexible. Also if it starts and ends at a specific moment and there are deadlines for assignments, it is not flexible. Making time flexible is very difficult in a course. If you want to have lectures and meet with the students, this has to be at a specific time. Otherwise not everybody can be there. Making the start and end of a course more flexible is easier. If a student needs more time and ends later, this doesn’t have to be a problem. As long as the teacher is able to follow the student for that long and if the student doesn’t need to finish this course before starting a new course that starts at a specific moment. So time is difficult to make flexible if there are lectures or meetings and if the course is needed to finish before starting a new one.

Flexibility related to content

The content can also be flexible. The content is about the topics of the course, the sequence of the different topics, the orientation of te course, the learning materials and the assessment standard and completion requirements. Also the program and study materials are part of the content. If a course wants to be flexible in the content, the students must be able to choose about which topics they want to learn, which topic should be the biggest and which the smallest and also what materials they use should be flexible. For a course this is pretty difficult. Starting a course, it should be clear what the course is about. Especially if students have to choose the course, they should know what it is about. So the students can’t be totally free in choosing the topic. Also the teacher has to be able to teach about the topic, so the overall topic should be clear. Within the course it could be free to the students to choose in which sequence the sub-topics will be discussed in the course. With the study materials it is possible to give the student a chance to choose. If there are different options, you can let the student choose. The assessment is more difficult, because it should measure  if the students have learnt something and it should fit with the content of the course. If the students can choose their assessment it may not fit with the course and it maybe will be too easy to finish the course. So the content is a kind of flexibility that can partly be used within courses, but it is difficult. Within a whole study it is easier to give flexibility by giving elective courses, so the students can choose their own courses and so choose what they will learn.

Flexibility related to entry requirements

This kind of flexibility is real short, it are just the conditions for participation. If there are different things that you must have done or different diploma’s you need to participate in a special course or study. For courses it is easy to be flexible. You can say, everyone who want can join. It than is your own responsibility to make sure you have the knowledge needed to follow the course. For studies it is more difficult. Someone who didn’t finish high school can’t go to university. If there is too much flexibility by entering a study, it is possible a lot of students that aren’t capable enough or doesn’t have te right knowledge will start the study. If that happens, a lot will quit and that’s not what you want. So to make sure the students will be capable enough to do a study, you can’t be too flexible with the entry requirements.

Flexibility related to instructional  approach and resources

This is about the social organization of learning, the language that is used, the learning resources and instructional organization of learning. So do you meet every week to talk to each other or do you meet through video conferencing or don’t you meet at al. Also the language is a kind of flexibility and is part of the form of communication. Not only the language is a form of communication, but also if it is face to face or through pen and paper or skype or e-mail etc. A blog like this is also a form of communication. The learning resources I spoke about earlier, when talking about the study material. The learning resources can be books, the internet, newspapers, everything. So that is something that can be really flexible. The instructional organization of learning is about how the teacher gives the instruction. Explaining the content for the whole group or let the students figure it out themselves. It are all different possibilities and things that can be flexible. I think this kind of flexibility isn’t that hard to offer. Letting students choose which language they speak, if they want to see each other in class or talk through e-mail, a blog or anything is something you can easy let the students choose. At the course integrating technology in school that is also what happened. We could choose through which media we wanted to share our ideas. Also the materials we use are a little flexible. We have to search for literature. What kind of literature and from where is up to ourselves. So it is possible to make it flexible. But to make everything flexible isn’t possible I think, because than it would be a mess. There has te be a certain structure and someone has to decide, because everyone choosing what he or she want is not possible in a group of 20 people.

Flexibility related to delivery and logistics

The last kind of flexibility is about the time and place, the methods, technology and making contact. Also the types of help, location and delivery channels. So it is about where the course is, when and how. You can say everything that is said above is in here. Again it is about the time, it is about the location, where you will follow the course or the study. Also it is about the method, so the learning materials but also the instructional organization is part of the method. The type of help is also part of the instructional organization and the delivery channels is about the technology that is used. How do you share the information and how do you communicate. All these things are about the same as above and I think it is possible to make it flexible. The time is a little bit different, but the location is easier. You can study at home and follow everything through skype or videoconference. Also the channels to share information can be flexible and you can let the students choose.

I found an example of an technology that can support flexible learning. It is an learning platform. It is called its learning. Here is explained what it is: http://www.itslearning.net/product

As you can see it is student-centered and it give space for individual learning plans, so everyone can choose his own study plan. In the picture you can see what it looks like. On the Dutch site you can see some more pictures: 

its learning

http://www.itslearning.nl/itslearning-leerplatform#1

So I think flexible learning is in some ways possible, but not always. Too much flexibility can give problems and make the learning too difficult. If you think otherwise, let me know and maybe you can change my mind!

Reference: Collis, B., & Moonen, J. (2001, second printing 2002). Flexible learning in a digital world: Experiences and expectations. London: Kogan Page.