Flexibility learning has a broad meaning, but its key idea is learner choice in different aspects of learning experience. According to Van den Brande (1993, p. xxi), "there must be more flexibility to meet the needs of the learner, through adaptability to different learner needs, learning patterns and settings, and media combinations".
Collis, Vingerhoets, & Moonen (1997, cited in Collis & Moonen, 2001, p.3) classified the five key dimensions as time, content, entry requirements, instructional approach and resources, and delivery and logistics, described as the following.
1. Time: Learners can have the flexibility related to time. For example, they can choose the times for starting and finishing a course, choose the times for submitting assignments and interacting within the course, adjust the tempo or pace of studying, or decide the moments of assessment.
The flexibility of time is advantageous because learner can learn at their own paces. However more flexibility represents more responsibility of the learners. Learners have to motivate themselves to do the studies efficiently. Otherwise, they may put off the studies too long and lose the eagerness.
2. Content: As regards flexibility related to content, it is about the topics of the course, the sequence of different parts of a course, the orientation of the course, key learning materials of the course or the assessment standards and completion requirements.
The flexibility of content can be advantageous for learners can also participate in finding more relevant materials to increase the multiplicity of the content. Except that, offering more flexibility of content may cause the decrease of quality because learners do not have the knowledge about what they should acquire within the domain.
3. Entry Requirements: the flexibility related to entry requirements is about learners’ conditions for participation. Each educational institution has its entry requirements to ensure the perspective students have the least prior knowledge and abilities. If the flexibility related to entry requirements is offered, it may take the educational institution much time and resource to fix the gap of the learners’ basic knowledge and abilities. As for learners, they have to spend as much time catching up with the intended courses.
4. Instructional Approach and Resources: the flexibility related to instructional approach and resources means the social organization of learning, language to be used during the course, learning resources, or instructional organization of learning.
This flexibility is very advantageous to the learners. Each learner has its own learning preferences such as groups vs. individual, native languages, or the way to attain resources. With the flexibility, learners can choose the combinations of all the elements mentioned above that fit them the best. In contrary, the institution or instructors would have more workload because they have to prepare more to meet learners’ personalized needs.
5. Delivery and Logistics: place and procedures of learning can also be flexible such as time and place where contact with instructor and other students occurs, methods or technology for obtaining support and making contact, types of help, communication available, technology required, location or delivery channels.
This flexibility is also very advantageous to the learners. The reason is the same with the one of instructional approach and resources. Everyone has its own learning preferences. The more flexibility they have, the better they learn. At the same time, it also means the institution or instructors have to take more efforts to offer learners various options.
Collis, Vingerhoets, & Moonen (1997, cited in Collis & Moonen, 2001, p.3) classified the five key dimensions as time, content, entry requirements, instructional approach and resources, and delivery and logistics, described as the following.
1. Time: Learners can have the flexibility related to time. For example, they can choose the times for starting and finishing a course, choose the times for submitting assignments and interacting within the course, adjust the tempo or pace of studying, or decide the moments of assessment.
The flexibility of time is advantageous because learner can learn at their own paces. However more flexibility represents more responsibility of the learners. Learners have to motivate themselves to do the studies efficiently. Otherwise, they may put off the studies too long and lose the eagerness.
2. Content: As regards flexibility related to content, it is about the topics of the course, the sequence of different parts of a course, the orientation of the course, key learning materials of the course or the assessment standards and completion requirements.
The flexibility of content can be advantageous for learners can also participate in finding more relevant materials to increase the multiplicity of the content. Except that, offering more flexibility of content may cause the decrease of quality because learners do not have the knowledge about what they should acquire within the domain.
3. Entry Requirements: the flexibility related to entry requirements is about learners’ conditions for participation. Each educational institution has its entry requirements to ensure the perspective students have the least prior knowledge and abilities. If the flexibility related to entry requirements is offered, it may take the educational institution much time and resource to fix the gap of the learners’ basic knowledge and abilities. As for learners, they have to spend as much time catching up with the intended courses.
4. Instructional Approach and Resources: the flexibility related to instructional approach and resources means the social organization of learning, language to be used during the course, learning resources, or instructional organization of learning.
This flexibility is very advantageous to the learners. Each learner has its own learning preferences such as groups vs. individual, native languages, or the way to attain resources. With the flexibility, learners can choose the combinations of all the elements mentioned above that fit them the best. In contrary, the institution or instructors would have more workload because they have to prepare more to meet learners’ personalized needs.
5. Delivery and Logistics: place and procedures of learning can also be flexible such as time and place where contact with instructor and other students occurs, methods or technology for obtaining support and making contact, types of help, communication available, technology required, location or delivery channels.
This flexibility is also very advantageous to the learners. The reason is the same with the one of instructional approach and resources. Everyone has its own learning preferences. The more flexibility they have, the better they learn. At the same time, it also means the institution or instructors have to take more efforts to offer learners various options.
Hi Lorraine,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your ideas about Flexibility! You mention five different kinds of flexibility options and you give the advantages and the disadvantages. As you can see in your own description it is sometimes hard to implement a specific kind of flexibility because of contradicting advantages and disadvantages. Imagine that you want to implement more than one flexibility option... It would be nice to include some kind of conclusion or reflection in your next post!
Petra
Hi Lorraine, great that you have your own weblog! I will be one of your followers ;-) You can use your weblog not only for your assignments, but also to post information about other extra information that you might find interesting for others. And of course you can use your weblog whenever you want to post thoughts and ideas about "Pedagogies for Flexible Learning supported by Technology"!
ReplyDeleteHi Lorraine!
ReplyDeleteI think you wrote a very clear summary of different kinds of flexibility! It is also nice how you make a distinction between (dis)advantages for the learners and for the instructors/institution in the three categories you name last (i.e. Entry Requirements, Instructional Approach & Resources and Delivery & Logistics).
What do you think the advantages and the disadvantages for the instructor/institution are in the first two categories (i.e. Time and Content?
Best regards,
Leonie