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Flexible learning
From WikiEducator
| Course blog |
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Flexible Learning Practice blog |
Flexible Learning is a type of curriculum design applied in formal education and training so as to offer people more choice, personalisation and control of their learning.
This course has been developed by staff in the Educational Development Centre of Otago Polytechnic and is designed to help you access and interpret information about flexible learning, so as to engage in professional dialog about flexible learning, and to design and present a plan for developing a flexible learning curriculum. Facilitators are available to assist your progression through the course and will coordinate events aimed at encouraging exchanges with professionals in the field. Upon completing the assignments, assessment and certification services are available by contacting the course facilitators via the course blog.
This is a 17 week, level 7 course registered with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
To join this course: This course is free. You can start at any time by simply working through the schedule at a pace that suits you, or you can join with others in the next facilitated course:
(
: The next facilitated course starts 27 July 2009)
Contents
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Learning objectives
At the successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Discuss principles and processes of flexible teaching and learning to facilitate culture sensitive adult learning;
- Critique the design and application of existing flexible teaching and learning options in relation to the literature;
- Analyse and evaluate challenges that arise in the design of flexible learning environments;
- Explore and justify the strategies for the development of flexible learning environments;
- Create and evaluate a plan for the implementation of a flexible learning experience.
Schedule
The next facilitated course will run from 16 March – 5 July, 2009 and facilitators will use the course blog to make announcements, give feedback and set the pace. Participants should feel free to set their own pace using this schedule as a guide if they prefer.
If you are looking for the 2008 course schedule please click here
Orientation and introductions
Orientation to the course. Who are you? Who are we? Are you in the right place? Can you manage the time commitment? What's involved? Who can I get help from?
Estimated time: two weeks - 16 to 29 March 2009.
To do
- 1. Please take the Pre-course survey.
- 2. Watch this video that explains this course.
- 3. Introduce yourself to the course by setting up your blog, posting an introduction, and leaving the link for your blog as a comment on the "Join" page.
- Tell us:
- who you are and your area of expertise (making sure to mention any experience you might already have with flexible learning;
- your reasons for doing this course and what you aim to achieve by taking the course;
- any questions or comments from the orientation week or course schedule.
- 4. Why not put a face to your introduction using a simple web cam and Youtube?. Here's Leigh to start it off :)
- 5. Listen to the recording of the session for the first workshop on Elluminate - this is if you were unable to attend the face-to-face workshop or wish to review the proceedings of the 18 March session.
For online meetings, it is a good idea to test your access well in advance of the class sessions and you will need a headset with microphone. The meeting link will remain open for the duration of the course. No password is needed, just enter your name. Meeting link. Please refer to the Help section for details about IT support.
This was a chance for you to meet your facilitators - Bronwyn Hegarty and Leigh Blackall - and others in the class. It was also an opportunity to ask questions about the course and the assessments and discuss your interests around flexible learning.
- The proposed schedule for the session was:
- An overview of the course, assessments and help;
- Open discussion.. what do we aim to get out of this course?
- Support for you in the course - library and digital resources, Community Learning Centres, Learning support.
- The proposed schedule for the session was:
An overview of the discussion is on the course blog.
extra resources
- Text: How to use a webcam with Youtube
- Video: How to set up a blog
- Text: Create and maintain a basic weblog
- Search result: How to embed Youtube into Blogger?
- Audio: Rachel Gillies - A course participant from 2007.
- Audio: Interview with Ruth Lawson, a course participant from 2007 speaking about her flexible development plan for the course and what she is doing now.
- Text: List of other participant blogs
What is flexible learning
Most vocational education and training organisations have an early history providing flexible learning. Part time courses or after hours workshops and training sessions for people outside normal working hours, or so as to not interrupt industry production schedules or people's normal routines. Today this continues, with many individuals wishing to further their personal development or skills and qualifications outside their working hours, or through part time and/or distance learning options, or even through recognition of prior learning processes.
Estimated time: two weeks - 30 March to 19 April 2009 (includes Easter break).
To do
- 1. Read more about flexible learning from the perspective of the Australian Flexible Learning Framework's Flexways site and the extra resources below.
- 2. On your blog, write a short story about a day in the life of someone who is considering doing your course. This person, called X, has a range of flexible learning needs. Your story should highlight issues that X may have for NOT doing your course, as it is set up at the present time.
The person called X may have some of the following issues: has a full time job and can't afford to leave it for study; is unable to move towns to attend classes; has difficulties learning in classrooms and at the pace of others; is unable to pay fees; believes your course does not fit exactly the range of things X wants to learn, may not feel comfortable using computers, has a disability, has family responsibilities...
The purpose of you writing this story is to consider as many reasons as you can where people might NOT be able to access your course (or an aspect of your course). HINT: If you are able, it is best to base your story on a real situation which you have encountered or heard about.
- 3. Leave a comment and/or suggestion on another participant's blog.
- 4. Attend workshops
- An experiential session on how to write effectively for a blog in this course - 2 April 1-3pm in H311. This was also offered in an online session and here is the recording. Make sure you check out the Blogging handbook which was used in the session and look at the Writing effectively section. A three-step framework and template was used in the session. Watch this space for the presentation.
- Library session - effective use of online databases and Google Scholar - Thursday 9 April - 1.30-2.30 in BG1 (back room ground floor) at the Bill Robertson library - 135 Union Street East, Dunedin. Jacinda Boivin will show you in a hands on session how to become more effective at finding online information using the online databases and Google Scholar.
- If you are unable to attend this one, please email Bronwyn Hegarty - bronwynh@tekotago.ac.nz - to let me know a day and time which suits.
extra resources
- Video: Youtube playlist on Flexible learning
- Text: Wikipedia article on Flexible learning
- Text: Australian Flexible Learning Framework's Flexways site
- Leigh Blackall's blog posts on flexible learning.
Examples of Flexible Learning
Today, many organisations are working out new ways to offer flexibility in their learning programmes. A combination of distance and face to face contact, flexible start and end dates, the full assessment of an individuals skills and understanding prior to starting a course, smaller courses to pick and mix, individualised assessment, open access for wider participation. In this topic we will look at a few examples and consider the methods used to achieve flexibility.
Estimated time: three weeks - 20 April to 10 May 2009.
To do
- 1. Read or listen to the article: Annand, D. (2007). Re-organizing Universities for the Information Age. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, Vol 8, (3), 1-9. Audio version
- 2. Watch this overview of flexible learning Distance Learning & Flexible Study - University of London External System.
- 3. Attend a panel discussion between people who have experience developing learning flexibility into their courses.
- Access and listen to the recording of the online panel session on the course blog.
- 4. Consider the plans and presentations of previous participants of this course
- 5. Look at some examples of flexible learning.
- Willie Campbell speaking about the Centre for Assessment of Prior Learning (CAPL) and her work in RPL - recognition of prior learning.
- An example of a RPL case which Willie Campbell was working on and has told us about in a presentation done for a previous class.
- 5. Write to your blog your notes from the above. What ideas have struck you? What things interest you most? What are your concerns and problems - and what do you think the solutions to those might be? Its often a good idea to browse around what other people in the course have written. Try to reference the things you talk about with hyperlinks.
Extra resources
- A working definition of open teaching - including many insightful comments.
- Notes on flexible learning methods - By Leigh Blackall
Flexible learning in educational organisations
In this topic you will explore and justify the strategies for the development of flexible learning environments.
Estimated time: one week - 11 to 17 May 2009.
To do
- 1. Watch these two TV adds for Kaplan University and consider their motivations for marketing themselves this way:
- 2. Locate your educational organisation's strategic plan (or equivalent). It is usually a public document with mission statements, aims and objectives, and performance indicators.
- 3. Highlight statements that refer to or relate to flexible learning.
- 4. Write to your blog a critique of the online presentation of Otago Polytechnic's Chief Executive, Phil Ker talking about how his organisation is approaching flexible learning development. Alternative audio files available here.
- 5. Interview a colleague you know who has experience in developing flexible learning, and find out from them how they have developed flexible learning options in their practice. Post that interview to your blog.
extra resources
- Videos: Youtube playlist on Flexible learning
- Text: The Otago Polytechnic Charter
- Links: Otago Polytechnic staff who publish notes on their efforts
Considerations for flexible learning
In this topic we will consider some wider issues that affect flexible learning such as sustainability, access and equity, and cultural inclusiveness. As you think about your own flexible learning development ideas, see if opportunities present themselves whereby you may be able to develop more equitable and sustainable practices? In what ways might you offer better services to people from different cultural backgrounds? How might you improve the levels of access and equity your course affords? Can you reduce the demand your course directly or indirectly places on natural resources and ecosystems?
Estimated time: three weeks - 18 May to 7 June 2009.
Access and equity
- Research Universal Design and in a new post to your blog consider how these design principles could be applied in your course or new flexible learning development.
Cultural sensitivity
- Post to your blog a brief outline of how you identify yourself culturally
- Join a meeting with representatives from Otago Polytechnic, where we will talk about how cultural relations in New Zealand and how we might improve the cultural sensitivity of the Flexible Learning Course.
- Meeting date:
- Face to face -
- Online -
- Meeting date:
Sustainability
- Because flexible learning often entails self directed, or self paced learning, people can lose sight of what would be a reasonable workload. In a new post to your blog, highlight useful points from Fred Lockwood's paper: Estimating student workload, readability and implications for student learning and progression
- Listen to this panel recording (TBA) with people who have implimented flexible learning plans talk about issues with sustainability
- Finally, write a post to your blog that summarises these issues and relate them to your own ideas for developing flexible learning. How do you think you might treat these wider issues when you start developing your flexible learning idea?
extra resources
- Slide presentation: Access and equity in online learning.
- Zondiros, Dimitris (2008). Online, distance education and globalisation: Its impact on educational access, inequality and exclusion. The European Journal of Open and Distance Learning (EURODL)
- Ngā Kiwai Kete: The e-Learning Toolbox - Mau tena kiwai o te kete, maku tenei - You at that handle and I at this handle of the basket: A web site with resources that support development of elearning, with particular emphasis on services for Maori and Pasifika students
- Slides: Dump the Drone: Easy steps to livelier eLearning By Cathy Moore.
Whats your idea?
This is where you complete assignment 1 - bringing together all the topics you have blogged about so far, and formulating your idea for developing flexible learning in your course. The notes you make to your blog, and the feedback you manage to gather, will help you prepare your presentation (assignment 2 of this course).
Estimated time: two weeks - 8 to 21 June 2009.
To do
- 1. Write to your blog, an outline for an idea you might have, or if you don't yet have an idea - post your thoughts in an open question type of way covering each of these areas:
- What is your idea for flexible learning?
- What examples of Flexible Learning does your idea draw on?
- How does your flexible learning plan fit with an educational organisation's strategic directions?
- What are the considerations, risks, concerns that you will need to resolve before you can implement your plan for flexible learning
- 2. Send a link to your post to the course email forum
- 3. Leave comments, feedback or suggestions to at least three other particpant's ideas.
Extra resources
- Consider the plans and presentations of previous participants of this course
Develop a presentation
This is assignment 2. You need to prepare an online presentation. At the same time we are going to push you into using online multi media of some sort. Your presentation could be another Youtube video. It could be an audio recording, or it could be a slide presentation on Slideshare or Myplick. There are many ways to publish ideas online, these are just a few.
Estimated time: two weeks - 22 June to 5 July 2009.
To do
- 1. Prepare a presentation that outlines your idea for developing flexible learning. In it refer to some things you have learned in this course, and importantly, use your presentation as an opportunity to clearly explain your idea. Think of it as "selling" the benefits of your idea to someone who needs convincing. Your boss, your potential students, a funding agent. As a suggested starting structure:
- Background information that led you to your thinking;
- Blow by blow, what is it you plan to do?
- A day in the life of students who will get to enjoy the flexibility of your course - remember to include considerations such as access and equity, sustainability and cultural sensitivity;
- What do you need? Where will you get it from?
- 2. Publish your presentation online and embed it into your blog.
- 3. Give feedback to at least three other participants who have published their presentations to their blogs
What to do with feedback you get on your plan
Once you get feedback on your plan, make sure you write this up on your blog and describe how your plan may have changed as a result. Remember if you wish to illustrate or confirm key points about your plan which others may query, you can link to previous posts you have made on any of the topics. For example, if someone says "but what about sustainability considerations", and you know you have already written a post about this, then you can link to the post. However you may still have to explain how the sustainability issues you previously wrote about relate to your plan as it is now. (The date the post was made is a permalink and by right clicking on this - if using a PC - you can copy it.) If in doubt please ask for help.
Course mini conference
- Over this week you present your work at a course mini conference and attend the presentations of other participants
Estimated time: one week - 29 June to 5 July 2009.
To do
- This is when you complete assignment 2.
- 1. Confirm details of your event listed in the course mini conference.
- 2. Assist in promotion of the events and in getting people to attend.
- 3. Present your work at the course mini conference and attend as many if not all other events in the conference.
- 4. Help document the conference by posting commentary about other presentations to your blog.
Extra resources
Assignments
The following assignments are used to formally assess learning outcomes in this course.
- Weblog (blog) of your ideas and plans for flexible learning;
- Presentation of a flexible learning plan.
Assignment One: Topical web log (blog)
This assignment begins on day one and is assessed when you indicate that you have completed course. Your blog is your learning journal for this course. It should be used to document as much as you can about your efforts and progress, as well as for completing the tasks in each topic (this will help you develop your ideas and plans for flexible learning) and submitting assignment 2.
To do
- set up a blog. If you do not already have one you can get a free one from Blogger.
- follow the course schedule and post to your blog:
- personal notes on your efforts, participation and progress in the course;
- responses to the tasks in each topic of the schedule;
- Feedback on the work of others in the course.
Assessment
When assignment one is assessed, your writing (or other media) will need to demonstrate the following:
- Documenting your progress through the course topics, and the formation of a flexible learning development plan that is made up of those topics. At the very least your blog should include seperate posts for the following:
- Your own explanation of what flexible learning is;
- Examples or methods of flexible learning that inspire you;
- How those examples or methods might fit within your own educational organisation;
- Thoughts on how to address access and equity; cultural sensitivity; and sustainability;
- Over all conclusion to your efforts in the course.
- Relation of flexible learning course topics, including critiques of flexible learning methods and your own issues and considerations, to your own educational setting;
- Links, references and attribution to a variety of information, including those provided by others in the course;
Extra resources
Here are some self help resources to get you started:
To track the blogs of other participants, you may wish to set up an (RSS) news reader and subscribe to their blogs:
Assignment Two: Presentation of flexible learning plan
In the latter half of this course you are required to develop a digital presentation about your ideas and plan for flexible learning in your own context. This presentation should include coverage for each of the topics in the schedule.
Assessment
When assignment two is assessed, you will need to demonstrate three things - coverage of each topic, a web-based plan available to others, feedback about your plan.
1. A plan available made available on the Internet (web-based) for others to consider.
2. Coverage of each topic including the following:
- a concise explanation of your flexible learning plan;
- examples or methods that inspired your plan;
- how your plan fits within your educational organisation;
- how you are addressing access and equity; cultural sensitivity; sustainability;
- concluding comments.
3. Has been presented to a group of people and feedback obtained and considered in a write up to your blog. NB. We are aiming to organise a course mini conference in early July where everyone will have a chance to present their plans and benefit from the ideas of others.
Suggestions for the web-based presentation
- A slide presentation with supporting audio published on a popular media sharing network (ie. http://slideshare.net or http://myplick.com)
- Youtube with a webcam on yourself.
- Audio recording of yourself loaded to Blip.tv and/or Archive.org
- A video recording of yourself giving the presentation, and loaded to Google Videos
- A recorded web conference (http://elluminate.tekotago.ac.nz) or a recorded web presentation (ie. http://ustream.com)
Suggestions for gathering feedback
- Add a survey poll to your blog and invite people to respond.
- Ask people to fill out a survey distributed by email.
- Invite people to comment on your blog
- Organise a face to face or online presentation and discussion time
HELP
Remember, those who are formally enrolled in this course with Otago Polytechnic have access to learning support services. Please contact the facilitators for help with the course content and assessments. Please contact Otago Polytechnic's Community Learning Centres in Forth St, Princes St Mosgiel or Alexandra Community Learning Centres for help with computer and internet access as well as technical assistance with blogs, RSS and related Internet research and communication skills. The Bill Robertson Library is available for support with information research. And the Student Learning Centre in F Block of the Forth Street Campus is available for one to one tutorial support in all of the above. For those who are formally enrolled but have limited access to these services, when in New Zealand please call 0800 762 786 and ask to speak to any of these services.
- Student Service Desk for technical computing assistance, e.g., Elluminate (computer conferencing) is available from Otago Polytechnic by phone and email. Check out the website for the list of services.
- Phone: 0800 765 948
- Email: itssATtekotagoDOTacDOTnz
Ensure you tell them your name, lecturer's name, name of the course, and a brief description of the problem. They may ask for your username as well.
This course is also used in
Acknowledgements
This course has been developed by the Educational Development Centre of Otago Polytechnic drawing inspiration from the Introduction to Open Education course by David Wiley and Composing free and open educational resources by Wikiversity users has influenced to the design of this course.
