Flexible learning

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Enjoy the water - Learning to breast stroke, a photo by Tom@HK
Course blog

Flexible Learning Practice blog


Flexibility, when incorporated into curriculum design enables people more choice in their learning.



(image:comment.gif: The next facilitated course starts on 11 February 2010)


Workshop times - face-to-face and online are on the weekly schedule in the Course Outline.


The Flexible Learning course has been developed by staff in the Educational Development Centre of Otago Polytechnic. This is a 17 week, level 7 course accredited by NZQA. You are welcome to enrol formally for accreditation, or participate informally and enrol later on if you wish to be assessed.


For enrolment enquiries: contact 0800 762786 in New Zealand or edcenquiries@tekotago.ac.nz Enquiries about the content of the course: email bronwynDOThegartyAtopDOTacDOTnz


Learning Outcomes

At the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Discuss principles and processes of flexible teaching and learning to facilitate culture sensitive adult learning;
  2. Critique the design and application of existing flexible teaching and learning options in relation to the literature;
  3. Analyse and evaluate challenges that arise in the design of flexible learning environments;
  4. Explore and justify the strategies for the development of flexible learning environments;
  5. Create and evaluate a plan for the implementation of a flexible learning experience.



Web-conference class meeting link

Online meetings will be on Elluminate. No password is needed, just enter your name. Dates and times of presentations and discussions are on the course schedule.

Test your access well in advance of the class sessions and you will need a headset with microphone unless this is built into your computer. Please refer to the Help section for details about IT support.


Contents


Isolation and the Falling Stars by 802

Library of Resources

In this section, all the resources for flexible learning which we use as well as extras we find are collected in one area for easy access. Please feel free to add items.

Schedule

The next facilitated course will run from 11th of February to the 25th of June, 2010 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.

Click here if you are looking for the 2009 Semester One course schedule or the 2008 course schedule

Orientation and introductions

Orientation to the course. Who are you? Who is the facilitator? What's involved? What are your goals? Who can you get help from?

There is an expectation that you will keep some sort of record of your progress in the course. This can be visual, auditory, text-based, hard-copy or electronic, private or public. To start with you may wish to start a private journal where you record what you are doing each week, what you find out about flexible learning and your perceptions of the topics, plus your responses to the questions which are posed for each topic. This log can be just for yourself, and you can choose what will be shared with the class. Some people like to create visual journals with pictures, charts and drawings, others like to have a space where they can store digital material. You can keep both.

To promote communication and interaction with the class, we ask that you also set up a weblog (Assignment one), where you post the material from your private journal which you wish to share with the class, plus your responses to the tasks for each topic. You can add in video, audio and links to information and media you wish to share.


Estimated time: two weeks - 11 February to 25 February 2010.

To Do

1. Listen to a recording of the first Flexible Learning workshop on Wednesday 29 July 2009 - apologies as the recording is noisy due to microphone problems. There will be a summary put on the course blog (also a feed from the blog and a link on this page) soon so watch this space.
2. Carry out the orientation exercise about how your teaching fits with flexible learning (if you did not attend the first session). Bronwyn has started you off with a blog post about flexible teaching for flexible learning which includes a couple of video clips.
3. Decide on the type of learning log/journal you will keep - public, private, hard copy, electronic, both.
4. Introduce yourself to the others in the course by setting up a blog, posting an introduction, and leaving the link for your blog as a comment on the "Join" page.
Tell us on your blog - using text, and/or audio and/or video:
  • Who you are and your area of teaching (making sure to mention any experience you might already have with flexible learning;
  • What is important to you as a teacher and how you see flexible learning can help with this - the orientation exercise will have guided you with this part;
  • Your reasons for doing this course and your expectations;
  • What you aim to achieve by taking the course - your goals and how you will action them;
  • Any questions or comments from the orientation or course schedule.
5. If you wish to put a face to your introduction using a simple web cam and Youtube - Here's Leigh to start it off :)

First workshop

This is a chance for you to meet your facilitator - Bronwyn Hegarty and others in the class. It is 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 is:
  • Exercise to explore how your teaching fits with flexible learning;
  • An overview of the course schedule, assessments;
  • Open discussion. What do you aim to get out of this course?
  • Support for you in the course - library and digital resources, Community Learning Centres, Learning Support.



Extra resources - Orientation and introductions

What is Flexible Learning

Flexible Learning in Wikipedia by Leonard Low

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 - 10 to 23 August 2009.

To Do

1. Reading - Read the book chapter from: Collis, B. & Moonen, J. (2001). Flexible learning: it's not just about distance. Supplied in hard copy. Full reference below.
2. Writing - On your blog, write a short story about a day in the life of someone who is considering doing your course. This person has a range of flexible learning needs. Your story should highlight issues that he or she may have for NOT doing your course, as it is set up at the present time. If you can think of some solutions to assist this person, please add your initial ideas now and give suggestions to others in the class about their example.

The person you write about may have some of the following issues: 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 he or she wants to learn, may not feel comfortable using computers, has a disability, has family responsibilities etc....

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. Supporting - Leave a comment and/or suggestion on another participant's blog.
4. Attending - Attend workshops (optional): Face-to-face - weekly on Wednesdays 1200-1300 in H208A - an meeting link online web-conference link will be set up as well. Online fortnightly - 19 August 1930-2030 using the web conference (Elluminate) meeting link.
  • Discussion about flexible learning and an experiential session on how to write effectively for a blog in this course - will be the subject for the face-to-face (19 August) and online meetings (19 August). The topic on effective blogging was previously offered in an online session in semester one and here is the recording. Make sure you check out the Blogging handbook which is 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 - Monday 10 August 11-12 and Thursday 13 August 9-10 - BG1 (back room ground floor) at the Bill Robertson library - 135 Union Street East, Dunedin. One of the library staff will show you in a hands on session how to become more effective at finding online information using the online databases and Google Scholar.

Chapter Reference: Collis, B. & Moonen, J. (2001). Flexible learning in a digital world. Open and Distance Series. London: Kogan page Ltd.

Extra resources - What is Flexible Learning

Examples of Flexible Learning

It's how Lawrence Welk learned to play the accordion. Photo of poster by Uh...Bob

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 - 24 August to 13 September 2009.

The weekly face-to-face session is on in H614 - 1200 to 1300 - when we will take a look at the relevant aspects of the Otago Polytechnic Charter and Profile and discuss the importance of organisational support for flexible learning. An online version of the session will run on Wednesday 23 September 7.30-8.30 pm on Elluminate. I hope you can make one of these times.

To do

1 a. Listen or read the article: Precel, K.,Eshet-Alkalai, Y. & Alberton, Y. (2009). Pedagogical and Design Aspects of a Blended Learning Course. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning,10(2).
1 b. You may wish to search for more articles in the open online journal The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning.
2. Watch a video featuring a paper entitled: Programme design that puts the 'me' back into learning experiences and spaces presented by Hazel Owen. It was give virtually at the DEANZ 2008 conference "My Place, My Space, My Learning" - Distance and Virtual Education Sunday 17th August - Wednesday 20th August, 2008 Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand, Wellington (http://www.deanz.org.nz/conf2008).
3. Explore some examples of flexible learning.
  • Watch and listen to the Elluminate recording of the class discussion about 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.
4. Write to your blog your notes from your exploration of the topic. 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.

You may wish to return to the story you wrote previously, and add some further solutions which will help the person to study more flexibly.

5. Attend the weekly sessions in H614 - face-to-face and online via web-conferencing (Elluminate).

Extra resources - Examples of Flexible Learning

Flexible learning in educational organisations

Let's get flexible...? Photo by Finsec

In this topic you will explore and justify the strategies for the development of flexible learning environments.

Estimated time: one week - 14 to 20 September 2009.

To do

1. Listen to or read 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.
2. Locate your educational organisation's strategic plan, charter or profile (or equivalent). It is usually a public document with mission statements, aims and objectives, and performance indicators. For example, the 2008 - 2012 Strategy for Otago Polytechnic.
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.
6. Watch these two TV adds for Kaplan University and consider their motivations for marketing themselves this way:

Extra resources - Flexible learning in educational organisations

Considerations for flexible learning

Someday Robots will Rule the World by Oskay

''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?

Some more questions to consider: How can you ensure equal access for students to your course materials? Is it possible to be flexible in assessment strategies while still maintaining equity for each student? How does your course address the specific needs of people that have varied cultural backgrounds? How do you support cultural respect and diversity while maintaining equity and a supportive learning environment for all? What is sustainability? How can you reduce the long term negative impact from your course on the environment and in the community? How are sustainable practitioners developed within your course?

Estimated time: three weeks - 21 September to 18 October 2009 (includes one week semester break). The semester break is: 28 September to 2 October 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 to support access and equity.

Cultural sensitivity

  • Post to your blog a brief outline of how you identify yourself culturally and your understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi (NZ) (or indigenous or ethnic groups in your own country) obligations in your organisation, and how they might be integrated into your teaching.
  • Check out the Maori Strategic Framework on Polybase at Otago Polytechnic - password required.
  • Join a meeting to talk about how we might improve the cultural sensitivity of teaching and learning.
Meeting dates:
  • Face to face - Wednesdays 1200-1300 in H614.
  • Online - 23 September, 2009 - fortnightly on Wednesday evenings - 7.30 - 8.30 pm via the [1]Elluminate meeting link].

Sustainability

Finishing the Activities on this topic

  • Finally, write a post to your blog that summarises what you have discovered about the considerations of Access and Equity, Cultural Diversity and Sustainability, 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 - Considerations for flexible learning

  • Access & Equity:
  • Pacific Island students:
Research on Pasifika in Higher Education in Aotearoa/New Zealand]. Look for the following:
  • Critical Success Factors for Effective Use of e-Learning by Pacific Learners;
  • Statistical Profile of Pacific Students in Tertiary Education and Engagement in e-learning;
  • e-mat. A place to find resources and ideas about Pacific e-learning.
  • Sustainability:

What's your idea?

Image by Cambodia4kidsorg of people playing the Social Media Game

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 - 19 October to 1 November 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:
  1. What is your idea for flexible learning and why have you chosen it?
  2. What examples of Flexible Learning does your idea draw on?
  3. How does your flexible learning plan fit with an educational organisation's strategic directions?
  4. Be sure to include any risks or 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 - Whats your idea?

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 - 2 to 15 November 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 and why?
  • The type 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? This can include strategies, technologies, how you will redesign - content, assessment, communication methods, activities - integrate learning theories.
  • HINT: Outline the strategies which will be used to introduce flexibility into the learning situation you have chosen before choosing the technologies. For example, strategy - to increase class interaction (online and face-to-face) through group work. Technology - Group discussion space online (wiki, blog or Learning Management System or email forum), social bookmarking, e.g., Delicious.com - to share resources etc. Ask the facilitators for help with this;
  • (It can be helpful to link the strategies to the particular learning theory you are utilising, e.g., experiential, inquiry-based, action learning, mastery, holistic, student-centred, constructivist etc.)
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

Conference, Stockholm Hall

Image courtesy of alisdair


Over this week you present your work at a course mini conference and attend the presentations of other participants

Estimated time: one week - 16 to 22 November 2009. Last assignments due in - 27 November 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.


Assignments

The following assignments are used to formally assess learning outcomes in this course.

  1. Weblog (blog) of your ideas and plans for flexible learning;
  2. Presentation of a flexible learning plan.


Assignment One: Topical web log (blog)

Original image by Leigh Blackall

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

  1. Set up a blog. If you do not already have one you can get a free one from Blogger.
  2. 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:

  1. 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 separate posts for the following:
  • Your own explanation of what flexible learning is and how it can assist your teaching;
  • 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 - this is a summary of your posts on each of the topics - please link back to posts you have done already.
  1. Relation of flexible learning course topics, including critiques of flexible learning methods and your own issues and considerations, to your own educational setting;
  2. Links, references and attribution to a variety of information, including those provided by others in the course;

Extra resources - Assignment One: Topical web log (blog

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

Original photo by Hummanna resampled by Leigh Blackall

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

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 staff at 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.

Retrieved from "http://wikieducator.org/Flexible_learning"
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