Thread:Development meeting - 3 10 08 (1)

The new course will be more focused around the process and development of a plan. To this effect it will be renamed Planning for Flexible Learning. Each weekly topic for blogging, will in fact become an entry in a field of the final plan. The initial ideas will be presented on the participant's blog for feedback and followup with the final week spent reviewing the posts at the end of the course to complete the actual plan document.

Learning objectives
At the successful completion of this course, participants 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.

Proposed new weekly schedule:

 * wk 1: orientation - intro and background
 * wk 2 - 4: what is flexible, why it is needed, and looking at examples - what is their idea for flexible learning
 * wk 5 - 6: exploration of learning and design theories and strategies relevant to their learners and FL ideas e.g effectiveness of simulation in nursing [I feel they need this grounding before they can go further - otherwise there is too much emphasis on learning outcome 3 and not enough on 1. & 4. --bron 06:47, 4 September 2008 (UTC)]
 * wk 7:issues and considerations - Sustainability
 * wk 8:issues and considerations - Access and equity
 * wk 9: issues and considerations - Cultural diversity - A statement on issues and considerations relating to their plan
 * wk 10: Flexible learning in educational organisations and funding opportunities - A statement [explanation - would be better--bron 06:47, 4 September 2008 (UTC)] for how the plan meets organisational objectives [AND - National and International support for flexible learning development [feel this should go last after educational organisation strategy --bron 06:47, 4 September 2008 (UTC)]- A statement of what funding opportunities exist for the plan + a draft budget - this posed difficulties in 2008 - I think we should leave budget out - only relevant if applying for funding or advising HoD re capex - can do this afterwards if they want to take it further --bron 06:47, 4 September 2008 (UTC) - best to focus on a manageable ...timeline for the plan
 * wk 11 - 12: Finalise plan by collecting blog entries into a final proposal document with a slide presentation to go with it

Assessments:

 * Blog entries with linked references, feedback and followup
 * A final plan ready for proposal and presentation - due date one month after course ends --bron 06:47, 4 September 2008 (UTC)(spoke to heather re this and is done in other courses).