Different kinds of flexible learning

Nowadays flexible learning is a hot issue, and many people think it has something to do with distance education. This vision is very limited because flexible learning can involve many dimensions. Collis and Moonen (2001) describe different kinds of flexible learning, and the problems and challenges involved.

According to Collis and Moonen (2001) these 5 kinds of flexibility can be distinguished:

1. Flexibility related to time.

2. Flexibility related to content.

3. Flexibility related to entry requirements.

4. Flexibility related to instructional approach and resources.

5. Flexibility related to delivery and logistics.

I will describe these different dimensions by giving some examples and I will describe some advantages and disadvantages.

1. Flexibility related to time

Time limits are a big problem in the educational world nowadays. A question that rises immediately is: Will there be more time left when you give students and teachers more flexibility?

The flexibility of time can be divided into 4 sub factors, namely:

- Times for starting and finishing a course

- Times for submitting assignments and interacting within the course

- Tempo/pace of studying

- Moments of assessment

There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages accompanied with this kind of flexibility. I will describe some of them into terms of the instructor, the learner and the institution.

The instructor:

Advantage: they can alter their own times of working.

Disadvantage: the time burden on the instructor and support provider will become constraints on the goal of flexible support for the learner. It’s more time consuming when the instructor has to train all the students in an individual way then in a standardized approach. It becomes almost unmanageable.

The learner:

Advantage: the learner can schedule his/her own lectures, assignments and can work in a pace that he/she likes.

Disadvantage: the learner who can work perfectly on his own, won’t come to the lectures in class so there’s no interaction between students. He/she is not motivated at all.

The institution:

Advantage: the institution will attract students from abroad because of the flexible learning style that is offered to them.

Disadvantage: the institution will encounter conflicts in delivery and organization, like the times that lectures are scheduled and the time-tabling of rooms. Another issue is the scheduling of final examinations.

2. Flexibility related to content

The content of a study program never fits to everyone’s needs and thoughts within the program. The question that accompanies this idea is: When the content of a study program can be composed by the learners and the teachers, will it fit the student’s needs towards the study?

The flexibility of content can be divided into 5 sub factors, namely:

- Topics of the course

- Sequence of different parts of a course

- Orientation of the course (theoretical, practical)

- Key learning materials of the course

- Assessment standards and completion requirements

There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages accompanied with this kind of flexibility. I will describe some of them into terms of the instructor, the learner and the institution.

The instructor:

Advantage: they can choose from a wider range of approaches, material and learning settings in order to make these options available in response to the wishes of different learners.

Disadvantage: the more choices the learner has, the more demands and thus challenges there are for the instructor. There’s no teacher who can adapt his content and way of teaching to 30 individual students.

The learner:

Advantage: the learner can choose which content he/she thinks is important and interesting for the study. This means that the learner has more responsibilities.

Disadvantage: more flexibility brings with it more independence but also the need for more self-direction and more self-motivation. Some students can’t do this on their own.

The institution:

Advantage: the institution will attract students who like to compose their own learning program that contributes to their needs and wishes.

Disadvantage: the institution will encounter conflicts and complaints from students because they didn’t attend to a certain course and don’t have the knowledge that is required for the final examination.

3. Flexibility related to entry requirements

A lot of students like to go to a school they like, but very often they can’t go to that school because of entry requirements. The question that rises, is: Can every student attend a study program he/she likes by making the entry requirements very flexible?

The flexibility of entry requirements has one sub factor, namely:

- Conditions for participation

There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages accompanied with this kind of flexibility. I will describe some of them into terms of the instructor, the learner and the institution.

The instructor:

Advantage: the students in the classroom of a specific course are very interested and are committed to the subject-matter because they can follow courses that fit their needs.

Disadvantage: the students in the classroom don’t have the same prior knowledge so it’s a big challenge for the instructor to address the instruction to all the needs of the students. It also can result in negative results because of students who fail for an assignment.

The learner:

Advantage: every student can develop his/her own competencies by following courses of another study program. It also addresses their whishes when they can follow some other courses they’re interested in.

Disadvantage: a lot of students can’t estimate their own level of competencies for a specific study program. Maybe they’re very interested, but don’t have the knowledge to pass the examinations.

The institution:

Advantage: the institution will attract students who like to compose their own learning program that contributes to their needs and wishes. When the entry requirements are very flexible, there will be a lot of students on your school.

Disadvantage: the institution will encounter a lot of demotivated and failing students because of the flexible entry requirements. When they make the entry requirements very strict, it can be that almost no one would come to your school.

4. Flexibility related to instructional approach and resources

Nowadays there are a lot of ways to construct your knowledge and to get instruction. The question that is accompanied by this kind of flexibility, is: Can every student choose his/her own instructional preferences and resources when it’s presented flexible to them?

The flexibility of instructional approach and resources has 4 sub factors, namely:

- Social organization of learning (face-to-face, group, individual)

- Language to be used during the course

- Learning resources: modality, origin (instructor, learners, library, WWW)

- Instructional organization of learning (assignments, monitoring)

There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages accompanied with this kind of flexibility. I will describe some of them into terms of the instructor, the learner and the institution.

The instructor:

Advantage: the instructor has a wide range of teaching opportunities, like face-to-face, group and individual.

Disadvantage: the instructor has to deal with too many options when the student can choose his/her own organization, language, resources and instruction. It’s unmanageable for a teacher to do that.

The learner:

Advantage: every student can address the instructional and social organization to his/her own needs and wishes. He/she can learn the subject-matter in a language he/she can understand very well. Besides that he/she can learn in a way that fits their way of learning.

Disadvantage: when all the students of a class study the subject-matter at home, using the WWW. There will be no interaction and face-to-face lessons for the individual student who needs this. So there has to be a combination of teacher-leaded lessons and self-study.

The institution:

Advantage: the institution will attract students who like to deal with the social and instructional organizations in a way that they feel comfortable with.

Disadvantage: the institution will encounter a lot of demotivated and failing students because they need to have the face-to-face lectures, but didn’t get it because the classes where too small.  

5. Flexibility related to delivery and logistics

Thanks to the technology of today, students can give shape to their own study program in a way they can manage because of distance constraints. The questions that rises, is: Can a student, that lives abroad, follow the same courses and pass the final exam as a regular student when it’s offered in a flexible way?

The flexibility of delivery and logistics has 5 sub factors, namely:

- Time & place where contact with instructor and other students occurs

- Methods, technology for obtaining support, and making contact

- Types of help, communication available, technology required

- Location, technology for participating in various aspects of the course

- Delivery channels for course information, content, communication

There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages accompanied with this kind of flexibility. I will describe some of them into terms of the instructor, the learner and the institution.

The instructor:

Advantage: the instructor has a wide range of teaching places, like classrooms, the real environment etc.

Disadvantage: the instructor has to deal with too many options when the student can choose his/her own way and location of learning. He also has to deal with different kinds of help, time and communication.

The learner:

Advantage: every student can follow the lessons, get help and communicate with other students without going to the university. They can also study form abroad and use the WWW as an important way to construct the knowledge of the courses.

Disadvantage: when all the students of a class study the subject-matter at home, using the WWW. There will be no interaction and face-to-face lessons for the individual student who needs this. The communication is also less personal and often less interactive.

The institution:

Advantage: the institution will attract students from abroad who don’t want to emigrate (for a while). They also will attract students who have a job and will study in the evening using the online learning environments that hare available.

Disadvantage: the institution doesn’t have a clear vision of the way the students are studying and making their assignments. They can only test their knowledge by using exams etc.

Like I’ve said in the introduction part, flexible learning is not as simple as you think. The flexibility needs to be limited to a level so that every teacher and every student can benefit from it, but can work with it very easily and flexible.

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