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 - 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 - this is not available to non-Otago Polytechnic staff - apologies.
- 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 and 7 October, 2009 - fortnightly on Wednesday evenings - 7.30 - 8.30 pm via the [1]Elluminate meeting link].
- Meeting dates:
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 partial recording of Anna Hughes facilitating an activity called: Where do you Stand - which got a lunchtime group thinking about issues around 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?
