2008 - 2013 Flexible Learning Course

For some of you this week is getting close to the finishing line. Even if you are taking the pace more slowly, the presentation session this week will be very useful and your class mates will need your input. See this as a celebration and sharing of your ideas for flexible learning.

Presentation session: Friday 20 June, 10.00-12.00, H206a/b - H block.

If you will be presenting your draft plans and gathering feedback please make sure we know so a list of speakers can be drawn up, and it will also help us with organising refreshments. If you can only attend part of the session, this is fine, just make sure we know so you can have a slot to present.

To do

1. Invite colleagues who may be interested in your plan;
2. Notify others about the link to your presentation on your blog - unless you have negotiated other arrangements;
3. Gather feedback on your plan you are presenting, for example, you may wish to do this via:

• a poll on your blog;
• an online survey;
• feedback in a face-to-face meeting;
• discussion with colleagues.

There has been lots of activity this week with draft plans whirling around like the snow flakes which have started to arrive. I hope you can all rev up the effort and give each other feedback on your plans. This is a really important part of the creative process as our artist colleagues can tell us - critique and constructive suggestions from your peers. I have had the privilege of talking to a few people about their plans and/or giving electronic feedback.

Hopefully you all received the email about the presentations session this week. More on the next post. Meanwhile here's what has been happening.

Chef at Flexible frying is "practising what is being preached" for week 13: National and nternational support for flexible learning development, and also week 14 - preparing the draft plan. Congratulations are in order for the Otago Polytechnic innovation funding which he and colleagues obtained. Now the creation and editing of video resources will be much easier - the right tools for the job. Great to see your presentation at the teaching and learning forum too. A question - are students able to subscribe to the video material as podcasts so they automatically download onto their ipods? Next stop national funding.....

Chef has been very innovative with his presentation, putting his draft flexible development plan on Youtube and his blog. It has wonderful pictures of food as well and is very interesting listening. I really like the mix of strategies such as web-based materials, slide presentations, video and ipods and DVD resources in your plan for those who have compromised access to the Internet.

Megan at Nutrition matters has been zooming along, posting about sustainability and she discusses some good practical examples of how to embed sustainability into curriculum areas such as midwifery and sport, eg informing students about sound food practices such as buying local produce. Check out Megan's plan on her blog presented using an innovation called print2flash.

Athena is reaching the end of the Odyssey and has details of her plan available for your scrutiny - the use of WikiEducator for Occupational Therapy programmes. It was interesting meeting on an atoll to discuss her initial ideas and hear how the crew might make use of WikiEd in the future. Be sure and fill out the poll.

Alli has been firming up her plan and her work policy requires that she does most of this off the radar. You will be able to hear all the detail about it in her presentation this week. I can promise you, it is a very intriguing topic and an adventurous plan. She is also on the lookout for funding and a Learning Management System.

Something like Moodle which is an open source system can be hosted externally or on organisational servers might be useful. It works like any other LMS with passwords but has the advantage of being constantly developed by an open community and there are no licence fees. Or as Leigh has suggested in the comments, post materials using CDs and use email. The important thing will be to assess the needs of the target audience - the learners.

Tracy has mentioned in her latest post, her dilemma about whether to present her ideas for a plan as they stand at the moment. As the draft plan does need to include some of the issues with flexible learning such as the modern internet, sustainability, access and equity, cultural diversity, perhaps it is not quite time yet. I hope you can attend the presentation session to listen and if there is time near the end, present your ideas as they stand at the moment and get some input from the group. It can be a bit like finding your way across a river blindfolded if you don't have all the information on hand when creating a plan. Scary! Tracy has also posted about some feedback she has received.

Annalynn has been doing some major catching up and writing about the issues. To start with her post for week 6 - open and networked education is very thorough and she critiques writing by Stephen Downes, Dale Spender and Christine Geith. Annalynn says, "there may be a danger of technology outrunning social changes needed in education to enable teachers to keep pedagogical practice in line with technology." Some of her reasoning around this make for a very interesting read; watch out for the "mosquito" as an example of how technology and the generation gap can be put to good use. Annalynn has also been listening to Willie Campbell's presentation and discussion session about RPL - recognition of prior learning. She was wondering, "What was the difference between APL (assessment of prior learning) and RPL (recognition of prior learning).” See what you think.

Annalynn has also done a week 7 post with some excellent ideas for her flexible development plan. This is around an online solution to help students with group work and "making of a video to illustrate group concepts", and how to cater to diverse learning styles.

In her week 8 post, Annalynn has some wonderful discussion around that week's question about the modern Internet: What are some of the issues that the video, the debate and other participants in this course highlight that you think are significant in terms of what the modern internet has to offer flexible learning? See if you agree with Annalynn's discussion about the items by Stephen Downes, Christian Dalsgaard and David Weinberger and Andrew Keen - recommended in the course schedule.

If people are feeling a bit behind, reading Annalynn's weekly critique will give you some direction of where to go, as she is following the weekly schedule and presenting some excellent discussion around the topics. She is also demonstrating how to link to other people's discussion about the topics on their blogs.

This week the course schedule is guiding you towards the many ways you can get financial support for flexible learning developments. Some organisations provide contestable funds for innovations, others include it in the money allocated to departments, and others distribute money for development according to strategic priorities.

What does your organisation do to fund FL?

Since the advent of eLearning nationally in Australia and New Zealand, there have been lots of funding opportunities. For example, in Australia, The Flexible Learning Framework was predominant, and in New Zealand a lot of money was poured into the eLearning Collaborative Development Fund (eCDF) and the Innovation Development Fund (IDF). At the moment the closest fund to these is administered by the Tertiary Education Commission - TEO Component Funding - encouraging and supporting innovation.

Part of your brief in this course is to identify funding opportunities that could be appropriate for your plan (assignment 3). You are asked to write to your blog a brief outline of how you would apply for funding and incorporate it into your overall development. Remember to include notes of funding opportunities in your presentation (assignment 2) and in your plan (assignment 3).

Last week we had a very interesting presentation by the Chief Executive of Otago Polytechnic, Phil Ker. He stimulated some lively discussion about flexible learning strategy, and gave us some examples of his own involvement in creating flexible courses. You can tap into the recorded Elluminate session to hear for yourself. Also available are audio recordings of this session. The regular CE update is now posted on an organisational blog.
So who has been posting about organisational flexible learning so far?
Ali mentions in her weekly post how strategic statements are all well and good, but unless attitudes can be changed, flexibility will be very hard to implement in her organisation.

Watch this space for more posts about organisations and flexible learning. The Otago Polytechnic Profile document has plenty of information about the organisation's strategic direction for FL.

Some people are not posting weekly, but are still doing the readings and exploring their interests. It is okay to combine several topics in one post, and Susan did this very well around access and equity and cultural diversity which you will discover as you read further.

Several people already have definite ideas for a flexible learning development plan (listed at the end of this post - apologies if I have missed anyone) and others are still dabbling.

Posts on other topics
Chef@Polycrom has written some important points about access and equity in his post for this topic. Namely ways in which he can assist his students to access eLearning. For example, organise for translation of digital media into other languages, particularly important for students who have recently arrived in New Zealand. Open platforms are a great facility for developing materials with language translation. For example, Wikipedia, Wikiversity, Wikibooks and WikiEducator all provide this service to varyng degrees. Check out the sites to see the range of languages that are available including the multilingual hub on Wikiversity. Plus the wiki platform provides a dynamic space for you to keep your material current.

It was also heartening to see that the Disabilities Service presentation by Pam McBride at Otago Polytechnic has been informative. Chef is now aware of the need to ensure that both online and hard copy materials easy to read for people with sight impairment.

Chef@Polycrom has also posted about cultural diversity recently, and his account of a tricky situation around race-based scholarships illustrates that it is not always easy to keep the punters happy. What is fair and equitable for one person, may be seen as disadvantageous to another. I am really enjoying reading Chef's stories, and I really like the way he is applying his learning to his experiences in hospitality.

I wonder has anyone else had similar experiences?

Susan has written about cultural diversity and access and equity in one post. There is an interesting tip for finding about others' beliefs in the classroom which Susan heard about in Kate Timms presentation on cultural diversity. I like the way, Susan is applying her thinking to design for flexibility, and she gives us an excellent example about the "western classical music tradition" which caters to a minority, yet it is globally very powerful.

Susan's most recent post about disability, diversity, access or exclusion provides us with some information about "sustainable practices from ...Otago Polytechnic Strategic Plans"(Graduate profile, learners' needs etc), as well as a critique about Universal instructional Design. For example, social inequity can impact on learners leading to a natural disadvantage which is compounded by disability and exclusion for other reasons. Check out the Bob Dylan video clip as well which alludes to "the direct connection between materialism and social justice and cultural issues". Good listening and an illustration of how music in a refreshing way to teach literacy (also mentioned by Susan).

Susan asks, "Is online learning an inducement for someone who has already has somehow have fallen through the gap. . .".

On the surface we might not think so, because online learning often necessitates some sort of skill in being a self-directed learner. However, if the learning is more relevant for the student, then it has more chance of engaging and interesting them. I am sure people working in Youth skills and Foundation Learning would have opinions about this.

There is some good discussion about the impact of modular learning on students - are we turning them into dependent and passive learners by doing this?

Also Susan has some good ideas for how to gather information about the needs of the learners right from the outset. For example, their skill set on entry into programmes. I believe that this is being done to some extent, now that Otago Polytechnic has a policy for open entry, perhaps the staff in the Foundation Learning programme will know.

At then end of this post, Susan asks "What is the logical conclusion for sustainability via strategic goal setting as the Otago Polytechnic has been doing. I wonder." She would love your opinions about this am sure.

Annalynn has recently put up two great posts in response to the following questions:
Week Four post.

• How can distance, correspondence and/or online learning create flexible learning opportunities in your context? Response One.

This post is great because it is in the context of Annalynn's teaching practice - a "person-centred" and experiential model. She describes some of the issues for the programme now that it is moving towards degree level, and states, "Most respected counselling training programmes emphasise the importance of an interactive social context on a frequent basis so as to enhance trainee learning". The dilemma for AnnaLynn is how to find some creative ways to offer distance learning, so that her students can learn to "be with" clients by experiencing some situations for themselves e.g. conflict resolution, and at the same time maintain confidentiality when discussing topics in groups.

My suggestions were: One way to do this would be via web-conferencing and/or telephone conferencing. Video conferencing using Otago Schools is also a solution. Web-conferencing via Elluminate requires access to a computer, but the Community learning centres in Alexandra, Queenstown, Wanaka and Cromwell are available to all OP students. All options would enable social interaction, and confidentiality could be maintained.

Asynchronous discussion, perhaps in the form of weekly activities, on a closed discussion board such as Blackboard, is another option. Each discussion topic could counts towards a final piece of work, and could be discussed online and then written about in more depth in a subject journal which requires a weekly entry. The framework would encourage their entries to include ideas from others in the class and references to the literature.

Week 5 response.

• My impressions of a historical context for flexible learning generally.
• How does flexible learning exist today and where it is headed in the future?
  

As you will read, a lot of effort has gone into this post. Annalynn has written a wonderful critique of "Beaumie Kim’s review of social constructivism", and Crotty (1998) in her discussion of constructivism and constructionism theories. Some excellent links to the material she is writing about as well. Well worth a look.

I wonder do you agree do we all learn best in a social context and when we are able to construct our own knowledge?

More plans are appearing
Michelle has posted her plan for bringing fundamental mathematical skills to her class using a variety of tools and communication methods. Some interesting assessment ideas including the use of blogs.

Sustain Fashion has been reasonably quiet for several reasons and is now back. She has posted some initial ideas for a plan and would love some feedback from the class. Her plan will integrate a research project and includes the use of blogs and reflective writing.

Ali has had her plan up for a while now so make sure you take the time to give her some feedback.

Flexible frying has posted some initial ideas for his plan.

Several other people have mentioned ideas in various posts, but have not pulled them together into a plan as yet. It is all very interesting seeing your ideas evolve. The recent poll about the usefulness of the presentations was not well enough represented to give the facilitators any useful information, so we are still in the dark about your preferences. Perhaps next time.

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

This week, Otago Polytechnic's Chief Executive, Phil Ker will present via a web conference, and discuss with you the ways in which Otago Polytechnic is approaching flexible learning development. Friday 30 May, 11.00-12.00 on Elluminate - meeting link.

I hope you can make the session and contribute to what should be a lively discussion.

As our local economies become exposed to more and more global influences, our services need to develop sensitivity to the increased cultural diversity. Social changes like increased cultural diversity can happen rapidly but many of our service sectors respond slowly, such as education. As a result many people suffer stresses to do with unintended insensitivity and sometimes even prejudice. Individuals within dominant or subcultural classes, people with indigenous cultural identity, migrants, gender and sexuality, religious preferences... everyone has a need for sensitivity. What can we do to help alleviate the stress and pressures that many individuals can experience when interacting with larger bodies or organisations that tend to generalise their services for people?

This week you need to think about any observations you have made of systemic cultural insensitivity in an educational organisation or institution, and ideas on how you as an individual might address those problems through the development of flexible learning.

Check out the To do section for the course on WikiEducator and the extra resources.

• Join Kate Timms from Otago Polytechnic's Educational Development Center in a web conference on Thursday 22 May at 10am (UTC 10pm 23 May) to hear stories relating to cultural diversity in educational institutions. Learn about the Polytechnic's policy for cultural inclusion and discuss thoughts and ideas on how to be more culturally sensitive in our work designing for flexible learning practices.

Make sure you check out the Assessment Criteria on the course wiki. These are designed to help you assess whether you are meeting the requirements for the assignments. We ask that you fill these out prior to submitting your assignments to check if you are covering all the necessary bases. Please submit your self-assessment with your assignments.

Please fill out the polls as your feedback is very helpful so we can offer the type of learning experience you need. And if you want to catch up with what was discussed in the last presentation on access and equity, and contribute to a discussion about assessments and flexibility, do check out Bronwyn's blog post.

How did you get on this week with the topic around access and equity? So far there are no posts on the topic, and a few on the previous week's topic about sustainability. Some people were not sure what was required - read on further to find out more.

Important notice: Fiona has organised a time for DFLP participants to get together over a coffee - Tuesday at 10 am in the Student Centre in the upstair mezzanine area. I will put a poll on the blog so she can get an idea of how many might show.

Or you can email: fionamainsATtekotagoDOTacDOTnz (words instead of symbols to deter Internet robots picking it up) to let her know if you are coming.

This last week, we had a response from Derek Wenmoth to last week's summary. A great example of how you can bring in perspectives from outside if you are open with your teaching and learning strategies - sustainable.

It looks like a few of you are unsure about what is required to answer the question on this week's topic about sustainability. "What is the equivalent transparent design for teaching and flexible learning?"

There is no right answer, and to answer this question you need to discuss the ideas you have already around sustainability, and also ideas from your reading. Then ask yourself, which aspects apply to your teaching and why? Also how could you apply them and incorporate sustainability into the design of your teaching approaches?

What sustainable design also means is how easy it is to maintain an educational practice or resource. Is it cost-effective (economic) when all factors are taken into account - teacher time, development time and materials, teaching hours, cost of technology etc.

For example, a course with a simple design which uses open and free resources, software and content, and includes well designed activities, content, relevant and accessible communication methods and does not cost "an arm and a leg" to deliver - is sustainable.

In contrast if $$$ are spent on a resource with poor educational value, and a teacher has to pour lots of time into the course - this is not sustainable.

There are lots of examples - perhaps you can think of some from learners' perspectives.

Chef in his post has provided us with a practical guide to sustainability which he has discovered. I like the item about workload. So so true...can the course be taught economically ie the true time allocated to it, when the teachers who originally developed and taught it move on? so much of teaching relies on good will....a bit like a "house of cards" - it will all fall down when the good will vanishes.

There is reference to "John Carey and Pam Wilson" - "A practical guide to providing flexible learning in further and higher education".

Susan in this week's post about sustainability has again posted an excellent exploration of a range of ideas from the literature, and has some discussion about the ideas presented in Dr Samuel Mann's presentation. I have to admit, I have not had time to listen as yet. :) She makes a good point about sustainable practitioners and the strategy and how heads of schools are implementing, "triple bottom lines for teaching and learning in their faculty".

I cannot understand how anyone can be a sustainable practitioner if they are not integrating open and networked approaches into their practices as professionals. Here are a couple of examples of unsustainable practices:
1. prepare lecture/learning materials in closed environments and not share them or have them in easily customizable formats.
- When someone leaves, the materials have to be re-created; this adds extra cost through human resourcing and time and development needs.
- everyone "re-invents the wheel" all the time.

2. several courses teach the same topic.
- each lecturer has to spend time preparing materials, whereas if they were developed collaboratively, and shared, the effort and money saved could go into developing more professional and authentic materials.

Fled writes insightfully about Learning Management Systems and her post is an excellent discussion of sustainable versus unsustainable practices in education. "I have become used to Blackboard. When everything is working well I have found it to be a good way of keeping in touch with students and delivering course material. However as I have become more familiar with the world wide web I start to see more and more the limitations in an LMS such as backboard."

Fled also mentions some reasons for more sustainable practices such as making resources open so students can continue to access them when their course of study has finished. Opportunities to interact with a wider group than just those in the course is also important. All this promotes life long learning.

Any other ideas about unsustainable practices?

Some other posts on previous weeks' topics and they make for interesting reading. For example:

Annalyn in her latest post has brought several ideas to our attention "in answer to the question ‘do we need more flexible learning’ or is all this choice a bad idea, - one needs to consider not only the focus on life long learning in relation to the global economy (for which flexible learning creates innovative learning opportunites) but also the diverse learning needs in relation to age cohorts and their differing approaches to digitally based technology. Only by taking these factors into consideration can flexible learning deliver the optimal learning experience."

See if you agree with Anna's discussion around too much choice, flexibility and learning preferences.

I particularly liked a couple of the characteristics she mentions in a list about mature learners from Bowman & Kearns (2007).
"- taking responsibility for learning and for sourcing learning which meets their needs, constraints and learning-style preferences.
- often independent learners - self directed and with a clear idea of their own purpose for undertaking training."

Remember it is not essential for you to post on your blog each week, and as independent learners, you need to find your style. Posts do help others in class to see how others' ideas are forming and can stimulate blog-to-blog discussion, but this may not be "your thing".

Perhaps some people prefer to do some reading and exploring at allocated times every week or fortnight, and write notes in a book. Or like to think through and synthesise some of the concepts around the weekly topics before making a post. This is fine. :) The schedule is a guide to the topics you need to investigate in order to get a good overall understanding about the principles of flexible learning. Once you have done this, you will be able to start thinking through some ideas for your flexible learning development plan.

Susan has written a very thought-provoking post about networked education on the Internet; you can read an excellent critique about some of Stephen Downe's writings; the idea of pulling people towards you (like a magnet I guess) happens when you communicate as an individual in real ways (the so-called "authentic voice"), which people can identify with and respond to in a connected way. Mark Prensky, George Siemens and Terry Anderson's ideas are interweaved well into a picture illustrating the dilemma of open and networked e-learning and formal education. Susan mentions that she has "more questions than answers about open and networked learning and I believe none of us have ever been the people our education system was designed to teach."

Is she right or is she wrong? What do you think?

A tip to help with your blog posts
In your posts you need to write about what you are reading and link it to your context/situation, ask your self why it is so (analyse) and then piece the chunks together to write about your own and others' ideas on the subject (synthesise).

This week we're staying with Issues with flexible learning, focusing on access and equity.

If educational opportunities are to reach as many people as possible - anytime, anywhere, anyhow - then flexible learning design must be inclusive. Providers are accountable and must include learning opportunities which demonstrate sensitivity to factors such as: cultural difference, disability, connection, generation, attitudes, local and global environments, technology.

Pam McBride, from Otago Polytechnic's Disabilities Unit, will present on Thursday 15 May at 2-3 pm NZST (was Wednesday at 2.30pm 14 May) in a web conference to discuss issues with access and equity in flexible learning.

hmm, Week 9 was a bit of a hick up our end sorry. So if you've been up to speed with us and were attempting week 9 this past week then you have no doubt been a bit confused. Everything is in order now. The problem was thatright up until Wednesday last week we were adjusting the course wiki as confirmation of Dr Mann's talk was still being finalised. Unfortunately, we forgot that we had already copied and pasted instructions to the blog earlier in the week! So those of you who have been using the course blog to obtain instructions were out of the loop. In future, I think we will simply link to the course wiki to announce instructions so that this blog doesn't risk neglect like that and we end up putting different instructions out there. We're sorry about that mistake.

Thankfully only 2 people have posted responses to week 9 on Sustainability, and those responses have been understandably brief. Sustainability is of course an important consideration when designing for flexible learning, so I hope people will be willing to have another go. The recording of Dr Mann's talk is well worth listening to.

We are basically trying to get people to take a very broad view of sustainability, through consideration of the triple bottom lines: ecological, economic and social sustainability. From those bottom lines we are asking you to build up and relate them into your plans. How does social sustainability relate to your plan? It might be that by making your course open access, you are helping society become more easily educated in your field and so that might be having a positive affect of a sustained improvement of society. It might be through considering the holistic impact of the professions you are teaching for that you help develop practitioners that are able to have a positive ecological and economic impact in a wider range of areas in their work - this is certainly something Sam Mann talks about.

Once again, sorry for the muck up our end. We will in future be pointing to the wiki instead of copying instructions to here, just in case we have to be making last minute changes.

So, what's been happening in the participant blogs this week?

Athena on the Odyssey has a post in for week 6 earlier this week. It seems that the winds have been calm the past few weeks and the Odyssey may be lagging in the water a bit. But the reports coming in remain rich. This week Athena is exploring open education and informal learning, and has discovered a correlation with free trade:

However, what I have noticed is that when offerings are made (especially to the gods) the omens are often good and trade goes well, and sometimes with abundance. New trade networks are established and information is shared and new merchandise, tools and ways of doing things are acquired.

What I am noticing more and more in Athena's posts is the creative use of hypertext. To the untrained eye hypertext writing reads like unfinished sentences, but to the experienced reader there are levels of depth in those blue underlines that offer more insights for those willing to click. It is a sort of remix efficiency, offering readers the option to skim and get the general ideas, or click and get more in depth ideas. It is also an efficient use of the writer's time as it doesn't waist it rewriting what has already been said, but can (if done well) demonstrate suitable levels of thinking and understanding. As a result, Athena's writing is short and concise for both the writer and the reader, but offering windows into new areas for both to consider. Many people criticise this form of inquiry as shallow and problematic. I disagree with this and think it hints of luddite thinking. Hypertext writing points to a new way of communication and so perhaps a new way of understanding.

Midwikied over at Fled: Flexible Learning Education Design has 2 new posts in this week. Midwikied is taking a wonder again - which is great to see, and is bringing back new topics for us to think about. Her most recent post on Learning Management Systems vs Web Based Resources can easily relate to our week 8 topic of the modern Interent. In this post Midwikied weighs up the benefits and limitations of Learning Management Systems against the benefits and limitations of conducting education on the open Internet (like we are doing in this course). It is a balanced and thought provoking post and well worth considering if you are operating with an LMS.

An earlier post from Midwikied looks at instructional learning and socially constructed learning and how they relate to her teaching philosophy. Another valuable read that will I think become significant in the development of her flexible learning plan.

It is great to see Midwikied willing to take her engagement in this course to such a level.

Alli is someone who has made an attempt on this week's To do.. and although there was some confusion on what was supposed to be happening, and Alli has not yet listened to Dr Mann's talk, she has posted ideas and considerations that certainly relate to the economic and social bottom lines of sustainability. In particular I think this stands out most of all:

The design and therefore the designer needs to be ‘transparent’ to ensure the content is legal, credible and is set at the required level covering the correct content. Designers need to be accountable and responsible for the information they are disseminating. Content needs to be regularly reviewed and altered if necessary to ensure what is being delivered is still relevant and accurate. The transparent aspect ensures tat students who complete the course are set comparable objectives and assessments and therefore the resulting ‘qualification’ will be consistent regardless of where, when, who, why or how a participant studied.

Alli at Polytech Week 9.

I think there is a potentially strong connection between Alli's word's here and Midiwikied's words about Learning Management Systems. The things Alli is talking to imply considerable demands on any one individual. There are however levels of efficiency that smart use of the contemporary Internet can afford many of the things Alli points to. I think it would be a valuable discussion to have, and I hope Midwikied will follow it up with what she might see in the connection.

Chef in the Flexible Frying Pan also notes similar issues relating to economic and social sustainability with his scan of John Casey and Pam Wilson's article A practical guide to providing flexible. learning in further and higher education. (Note the hyperlink there Chef? You might find it useful to link the image you have used to that link). So there's a 3 way conversation to be had. What does the contemporary Internet offer us in terms of shared workloads, transparency, accuracy through peer review, accessibility etc. How do these things affect sustainability exactly? Are there ways we could engage with the Internet better so as to afford us more sustainable workloads AND study loads?

Kristi Carpenter is still in the game and has updated with weeks 3 and 4. In week 3 Kristi mentions that she is interested in how the secondary school sector is preparing people for more self directed learning. I wonder if anyone in the group can help her with that inquiry. Certainly there are lots of secondary school teachers who are blogging their work and reflecting on that same question. Derek Wenmoth would likely be a person who would point you in the right direction, as would Artichoke. Both of these NZ educational bloggers work with teachers around New Zealand and as a result have a pretty good over view of the secondary sector especially.

And that concludes our week 9 round up. It would be good to see more hypertext referencing going on, and if you are going to question something (which we want to see) that you go somewhere towards attempting an initial answer with references and hyperlinks. Haul out those Internet research skills (or practice them) and engage. Engage in commenting, cross referencing and extending your communicative networks. The Internet (our main library in this course) is not static - you must get in there and ask, discuss, bring out what it is you are looking for.

The huge issue of sustainability is typically broken down into a "triple bottom line": Social, ecological and economic sustainability. In terms of flexible learning and its social sustainability we might consider issues relating to access and equity, cultural diversity, and research and education. In terms of ecological sustainability we are considering our impact on our environment, including resources used and waste produced. In terms of economic sustainability we might consider our finance and accounting structures, our work loads, and cost benefits. It is an extensive and complex consideration with increasing levels of importance today

To do

1. Read and investigate links and references in the post Transparent calculator, or socially aware computing? and note down any thoughts or questions to bring to the web conference by Dr Samuel Mann.
2. Listen to Otago Polytechnic's Campus Sustainability Coordinator, Dr Samuel Mann (and author of the Computing for Sustainability blog) talk about Sustainability initiatives at Otago Polytechnic.
3. Post to your blog your thoughts about Samuel's talk and relate it to your planning ideas. Try to address a triple bottom line view to sustainability (economical, ecological, sociological sustainability)

extra resources

• Triple bottom line
• Time management
• Teacher and learner workloads - Because flexible learning often entails self directed, or self paced learning teachers and learners can often lose sight of what would be a reasonable workload. Time management is an important skill to have. It is also important not to overload the learners. Read Koper, R. (2004). Use of the Semantic Web to Solve Some Basic Problems in Education: Increase Flexible, Distributed Lifelong Learning, Decrease Teacher's Workload. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2004 (6). Special Issue on the Educational Semantic Web.

I am not counting the posts this week but activity has been steady and very pleasing and Flexible Learning planning is progressing well. Do not forget to include a way to gather feedback from people about your plan when you present it. If you are happy to receive feedback using the comments facility in your blog, you will still need to invite this. Some of you may wish to use a poll on your blog and stimulate discussion around particular questions. Make sure you read the suggestions for how to present your plan so you can work towards this.

The summary this week includes a snapshot of all the new posts for the week, and not all of them relate to the week 8 topic. Good to see Alli has completed a post for week 8 and is keeping ahead with the schedule.

Chef (Cromwell) has made an excellent start to his flexible learning plan in his week 7 post - the picture there is a change from food but scary. He is planning on "dancing with knives". A nice concise executive summary with some very important areas to be considered. For example, students will be able to study the bulk of the course without coming to class through the use of a range of multimedia provided by use of the "Internet & technology based information".

This triggered a question for me: how to cater for students with no Internet access and how to ascertain the type of technologies which are going to suit prospective students?

In chef's (Cromwell) week 6 post, he alludes to the need for flexibility and open content to increase enrolments and the "two-edged sword" which accompanies it. Quality in the graduates is very important so the reputation of the education providers is not tarnished. There are also some interesting points from a Unesco article abut the pros and cons of distance learning. Chef mentioned his idea to run a survey which got me donning my "evaluation hat" and suggestions.

If people are thinking about implementing flexible learning, it is paramount that you include some form of evaluation - for another course I teach on evaluation for elearning, I prepared a presentation called: Why is evaluation so important? - some of you may find this useful if putting FL into practice.

Raewyn's post last week - Flexible learning today and in the future - really triggered my thoughts about apprenticeship models of learning. You might like to take a look at the post and my comments. I think apprenticeship is a grand way to learn, as long as there is sufficient supervision and theoretical underpinning to support people's learning. This was in relation to nursing but it holds for any profession or trade - see what you think.

Penn was last seen running away from the flexible learning plan template, but hey she came back to describe in her post this week, a very important issue relating to local, distance students and use of the library resources. You are right, your mission is to prepare a draft plan of your initial thoughts and ideas so you can gather feedback for the class. The equity issue around local "distance students" and use of the libraries is appalling.

This is a situation lots of educators find themselves in when trying to provide a high quality learning experience - if systems are not set up to accommodate and support students properly and to provide access in equitable ways, it is the conscientious teachers who become overloaded trying to keep the patchwork quilt together. Then flexible learning options just become too hard and they give up. It will be intriguing to watch your solutions evolve.

Alli in her post for week 8, has provided an excellent critique of some of the issues surrounding the use of the Internet for learning, and says she still prefers face-to-face interactions online. Nothing like chatting over the smell of real coffee - I agree. She provides some very good examples of why there is too much information pouring out of the Internet and why it can complicate our lives. Now she is thinking about getting broadband and buying a big net to filter all the rubbish.

Getting smarter with digital information, and the new technologies we are constantly bombarded with, is a skill we all constantly battle, and I agree with Alli, prioritization is key so we do not become slaves to the Internet. Hopefully you can make yourselves known to Alli on her blog and help her get to know your online persona.

Chef (Dunedin) has made a post about his intended FL plan in brief - some good ideas there and a combination of strategies which we can watch develop in his plan.

Pete has been doing some catch-up in Rotorua and put up three posts. His post of ideas for his plan are great! He has written a very thorough background about the reasons underlying his plan. A second post outlines some ideas for resources for his plan. It sounds as if there is already a good system in place to assess the needs of the learners - their learning styles etc. He mentions being dubious about "put[ting] ..[his] plan into action and how far ...[to] go, It could take quite some time. "

My advice to everyone is - keep your plan simple - you can always build on it - so be realistic in your timelines. And Pete's most recent post refers to Alli's plan and feeling it is not in his league.

Do not be daunted by others' plans - some are much more advanced than others, and if you all work through the FL plan template, yours will fill out as well. I am sure Pete would appreciate someone saying hello on his blog....so far away but much warmer than us down here I reckon. :(

Remember everyone, for this course you only have to prepare a plan of how you will design your course/resources - not actually develop it all. And the FL plan template is your guide. Leigh and I are here to help you develop the padding for it, along with your classmates. :)

Susan in her post for this week, brings home the idea that, "Learner centred design requires adapting the design to suit the individual learner" and helps us question how we can possibly do this - it is quite complicated if you want to do it comprehensively. She also mentions how important literacy and numeracy is for all learners if they are to succeed in digital environments. I agree, becoming digitally information literate to the level we require for our changing work and social environment is complex and time consuming. And Susan says that we now know in hindsight "where learning begins (and ends). Every day can begin with evaluation, reflection and collaboration".

Carolyn in her lastest post is still working through her ideas for a flexible learning plan, and is now looking at some options for a resource within a course rather than designing a whole course. For example a medication administration package, or a resource for assisting learning about the "bones of the pelvis, skull and mechanism of labour"; this would be another excellent resource.

Both ideas would fit in well with the 4C/ID - four components Instructional Design model by van Merriënboer and others. There is a diagram illustrating the four part and explanation about it

Her explanation about the issues around flexibility in midwifery make for very interesting reading. Ah how the open access versus closed enrolment debate rages. Hopefully through the use of the wiki feature in Moodle, staff in the two organisations will be able to collaborate on the development of flexible midwifery courses.

Mereana is working steadily after a late start. Her latest post mentions something I have recently been thinking about the apprenticeship model of nursing myself. As she says it is a compromise and a fine balancing act between clinical and educator experience.

Good to see some statistics about nurses backing up her discussion about the need for flexibility. However, some nursing and midwifery students 2007 were not happy about online learning because they had organised childcare between the hours of 9-3 so they could come on campus - they said they felt "cheated". They had expected more lecture time not study time - nothing like some quiet time in the library or computer lab while the kids play happily with other kids, looked after by others. :)

Great work everyone and it is exciting to see all your ideas emerging.

You may wish to listen to this recording of Willie Campbell and others talking about the practice of assessing prior learning and how it is being used for more flexibility in the education process at Otago Polytechnic. Note that the recording is of an Elluminate web conference. Audio only will be available soon.

Week 7

As with any design, good planning is key to its success. In planning for flexible learning, obviously we start with an idea. To check that the idea is sound, we take it through a number of checks and balances. Is the idea based on a need? What resources will the idea need? How sustainable can the idea be?

To do

1. Identify a course or unit in your organisation where you think you could introduce flexible learning opportunities to do either or both of the following:

• reach potential students/clients;
• enhance learning experiences for existing students/clients.

2. On your blog note down some ideas and seek feedback from your colleagues, classmates and course facilitators; this is an initial investigation for preparing a presentation (assignment 2) and plan (assignment 3) for developing flexible learning in your own context.

• Include in your blog post some references to examples which you can use as a basis or model for your ideas.
• Don't forget to ask other participants and the course facilitators for some ideas and assistance.

3. Familiarise yourself with the guidelines for Assignment Two: Presentation of initial flexible learning plan, in particular the suggestions for methods you can use to present your plan.

• Jot down ideas on your blog about the method you may use for your presentation.
  

extra resources

• Flexible learning development plan template - use as a guide for developing your plan if your place of work does not already have something similar. NB. Link is to a template, please do not edit the template directly.
• Lockwood, Fred. (1998). The Design and Production of Self-Instructional Materials. The Open and Flexible Learning Series. London: Kogan Page. Note: this is a Google Book preview and some pages are missing.

Some excellent activity this week and it is great to see some of you "talking" to each other. Hopefully, the next two weeks will give you all some space to do some more exploring and reflecting in your blogs.

Megan in this week's post, has provided a good overview of part-time, block and blended options taking us back to1914 seems so long ago does it not? It is good to read your historical overview of where Otago Polytechnic has been and where it is going. I wonder, how does "cramming" courses into a longer academic year - across semesters and summer schools perhaps, or by offering intensive block courses benefit learners?

Do we do this to get a certain amount of content across to them in a specified time frame, or to help them explore and create knowledge for themselves? My feeling is that it is for the former purpose. Content and facts to meet industry standards are mandatory. But where is the time allowance for thinking and synthesizing and sharing ideas with others?

Part-time often means students are juggling other responsibilities. I wonder how can we help people enjoy learning through true flexibility?

Athena is sailing in more settled waters this week and mentions the golden fleece of Fl and the long awaited collaboration with another organisation. Athena like others has mentioned the debate proposed by the oracle Yochai Benkler, and she is interested in the benefits of collaboration. It would be good to hear about the ways this might work.

Carolyn also mentions plans for collaborative flexible learning in her post, and like Megan's example the project is between midwifery education providers. There is a very good list of arguments for and against open access. For example, "losing control of the material" may not be a good thing, and "opening up the learning opportunities". Carolyn uses a very good example from Harvard university to illustrate her points and demonstrates a clear argument for open learning.

Alli in her post, has compiled some definitions about this week's topic, and written a good critique relating several items to her work. She mentions that open learning is, "another term for flexible (any where, any time, any place, anybody." The points Alli made reminded me how difficult it is in business and government regulated models of education, to provide "open learning". One aspect of open learning means education which you can start and finish when it suits. This is very hard to do when people have to enrol and conform to organisational time frames and enrolment systems. It can also mean free entry education where pre-requisites are not required.

It is good to see that RPL is an area Alli will be able to incorporate into her "training package design and assessment" because "60% of the participants have received little formal training".

Chef (Dunedin) in this week's post reports on some reading he has been doing about the benefits of open courseware, and states, "using open sources as resource helps flexible learning and student-centered learning.." With respect to open and networked education - I wonder why this philosophy will help "flexible learning and student-centered learning"?

Chef @ polycrom has been doing some thinking around distance and online learning this week. And came to some conclusions about how he could be "more flexible to the idea about distance learning and practical sessions". There is also some great information about problem-based learning to "chew over". Watch chef's space to see what emerges in his design plan.

Pen has some great examples from her discipline and a good critique of the pitfalls. It is a great pity that libraries haven't caught up with the idea that distance for some is not just about geographical location. It seems as if the innovative staff who offer distance programmes before an organisation is fully on board with it, have to battle constantly to get support from the basic services. The occupational therapy dept seems to be very caring towards students and has found some very workable solutions and leapt over the hurdles as you will find out when you read Pen's post.

Susan has made a very good observation about the design of a course and teacher presence in this week's post. I love the new word she has created- "wordverificationnavigationloopsusernamepasswordID" to describe some of the fish hooks which online connectivity can impale itself on. The idea of several levels of interaction in a course such as this is also worth exploring.

Susan's post previously is a good critique of the usefulness of technologies in teaching and learning. She mentions from the reading by Ellis et al, (2006) - "conceptions of blended learning that emphasize technological media at the expense of student learning, tend to be associated with using media to deliver information or to even replace some responsibilities of being a teacher."

For this example, use of 50 min videos in class springs to mind. Teachers are often guilty of this and leave the class to watch while they go away and catch up on admin.

How much better the learning experience would be for students if they were given several short video clips to critique, and a set of questions to ponder and discuss amongest a group. Or if the teacher remained in the classroom and played short sections of the video - then got groups to discuss the item using pre-prepared questions - if the teacher did this all the way through and then summarised the discussions at the end, the learning opportunity would be magnified 20 fold.

Susan has asked some excellent questions and one is: "How do the facilitators think they teach through the emphasis on technological media in their design?"

This leads me to reply that the predominantly online format has been chosen for DFLP due to the current trends in education for web-based resources and social networking as a means of interaction. In this age of digital information and the need for high level literacy and self-efficacy (belief in one's ability & confidence), it is essential that DFLP models innovative strategies for online learning and interaction.

If staff in the tertiary sector are unable to meet the requirements of the Digital Strategy in NZ for online content, confidence and connection with communities, business and government then this will have far reaching effects for NZ's potential in the global economy. See: http://www.digitalstrategy.govt.nz/

On the website you can - "View the Draft Digital Strategy 2.0 online and participate in the online discussions provided at the end of each section, or participate in the digital strategy wiki where you can make suggested edits and add comments."

Submissions close 5pm Monday 12 May.

Many educational organisations are making their course materials freely accessible to anyone on the Internet. Some are using publicly accessible and editable web services to publish and maintain those course materials. Others are accepting free and open access to teaching and learning services in the courses themselves and then offering fee paid services for assessment and certification.

To do

1. Read the articles: Can OER Really Impact Higher Education and Human Development? by Christine Geith for PennState World Campus 2008.
2. Listen to this recording of Willie Campbell and others talking this week about the practice of assessing prior learning and how it is being used for more flexibility in the education process at Otago Polytechnic. Note that the recording is of an Elluminate web conference. Audio only will be available soon
3. Spend an hour or so browsing through some of the extra resources around the concept of networked learning.
4. Write to your blog a response to the following: Do you think open and networked education threatens or enhances formal education generally? Try to use evidence or references to back your statements.
5. Also, now might be a good time to start preparing for the production of your presentation assignment. Post to your blog any ideas you have for your presentation. Explain how you would like to produce your presentation and identify skills you currently have and skills will need to develop to produce this presentation. (If you have questions, post them to your blog also).
   

Extra resources

• CyberOne: Law in the Court of Public Opinion is a course offered by Harvard Law. They use a course blog in conjunction with a course wiki to deliver notes and video recorded lectures. They also use the 3D virtual world platform Second Life to facilitate communication.
• MIT Open course ware offers free access to online learning resources.
• Online information literacy modules developed for the NZ tertiary sector and freely available.
• Educational Development at Otago Polytechnic - Otago Polytechnic has been taking its first steps developing freely accessible and open education.
• Audio: IT Conversations recording of a presentation by Yochai Benkler] talking about how networked economy is transforming the way we capitalize business and culture.
• Open Educational Resources Readings and resources about open educational resources

Great work to all of you who have got your blogs going - some excellent posts are already appearing. There are some really interesting introductions on the wiki Discussion and you may have noticed we have people appearing from the global community. In particular, Dave Wiley on whose design this course is based. See the acknowledgements.

When posting to your blog, it is a good idea to add a label or tag to each post. For this course we are using DFLP08, so I suggest you use this one and any others which will help yo find your posts easily. This will be important later on when you are trying to connect the dots. For example, for this post I used: DFLP08, Wk 2: What is flexible learning?

This week you need to look at the material which will help you answer the question - What is flexible learning? Do not just take our word for it especially as each person will have a different take on the subject. Is the saying "anytime, anyplace, anyhow" when related to flexible learning just a misnomer?

Perhaps you can only offer flexible learning in one aspect? For example, anyplace - meaning students can access the materials wherever they are located. However to do this you may have to provide a variety of modes so that each student has access to them, and this may not be cost-effective. Are you opening a big "can of slimy worms" by even investigating the options? Is it easier to trot out the same old ways of doing things to make life easier?

Generally people investigate flexible learning options because they want to be more creative in their teaching, make it more interesting for themselves and their students, access learners who cannot study at "normal" times and on-campus etc, etc.

The danger of course in becoming more flexible, is that you can easily become inflexible but in a different way. For example, if everything goes online - this can be very inflexible for many students.

So what exactly is flexible learning? No easy answer is there? Especially as all of you will have different ones, and that is why it is so exciting and scarey. :O We are looking forward to reading about your ideas on your blogs.

Make sure this week that you read and comment on your blog on the reading you were given in hard copy - Collis, Betty & Moonen, Jef. (2001). Flexible learning : it's not just about distance. In Flexible learning in a digital world. Open & Distance learning Series. London: Kogan Page Ltd.

Carolyn and Steve have posted some ideas in response to this article on their blogs. Ali has also mentioned the article in her post where she addresses this week's questions.
Bron

There will be a web conference on Elluminate (http://tinyurl.com/2y5o4j) on Tuesday 11 March 4- pm. This will be an opportunity for those of you who missed the face-to-face meeting to say hello to one of the facilitators (Bronwyn) and meet others in the class. Anyone who attended the workshop is also very welcome to attend.

This is a facility being used by lots of people in the polytechnic to communicate with off-campus students and distance teachers as well as for meetings - saves $ on travel. By using it in this course you will become familiar with the software, and find out if it could be useful for your students or for meetings with colleagues off-site.

Note: The meeting link will be open from 9am Saturday morning (8 March) so you can test it out.

• It will stay live until the meeting on Tuesday.
  
• You will need Java on your computer - download from
  
• Allow time for Elluminate to download (allow up to 60 min on dial up).
• A headset with microphone is ideal so you can speak but you can also use the chat facility.

It will be very low key and you will get an opportunity to chat to each other and ask questions - it would also be good to meet more of you.

We can also have a bit of a chat around the Week Two topic: What is Flexible Learning? AND the questions: This will give you a bit of a head start with something to post to your blogs.

• Is flexible learning a new concept or just a fancy new word for an old way of doing?
• What are you already doing in your practice that you believe enables flexible learning?

Talk to you soon.

Bronwyn

It was a great morning with 16 participants including the facilitators attending. After a relaxed start over coffee, we got down to the business of looking at the course schedule and talking about the structure of the course and the assessments. Everyone was given a print out of the course on WikiEducator and asked to keep an eye on the online version as this would be the most up-to-date information. The use of the course wiki and blog was explained and requirements for week one. Some of the session was recorded and these will be put up separately.

Visitors: two people came to talk to us. David McQuillan, a DFLP veteran from 2007 talked briefly about his experience in the course and what he had learned and showed us how he has set up the Diploma of Massage therapy online. He has used Page Flakes as a portal to some online modules which he has developed using WikiEducator. He is using a Course blog for each course in the Diploma of Massage Therapy. Click here to watch and hear his presentation.

Jacinda Boivin, who is the manager of the Bill Robertson library came to tell us about the services and support the library can offer. For example, assistance with using the online databases and accessing information from the Internet. Jacinda is familiar with Creative Commons licencing (some rights reserved) and the philosophy of open content.

Introductions: Following the presentations by our visitors we had a round of introductions with the group - each person filled out their name and area of work on a yellow slip of paper, and added what they were already doing in the way of flexible learning. All the slips of paper were put on a plate and each participant selected one and introduced someone. The exercise generated quite a bit of interest and discussion around flexible learning. It seems like everyone is doing something and every approach quite is different. We also talked about workloads and managing the study and work, also about access to computers and Internet off-site.

For example, some people are working with distance students online and running block courses, others are using Blackboard to supplement face-to-face classes for on-campus students and others are looking for new ideas and ways to keep up with their students. Once everyone gets their blogs up and running, people will be able to see the range of experience and activity already happening.

Support in the course: we talked about where to get help with using technologies - such as setting up a blog for Assignment one. There are people available in the Community Learning Centres - Forth St campus, Mosgiel and Alexandra who have completed DFLP. Participants in the course can go there to get help and also to the Student Learning Centre for peer support. The facilitators are there to help with your assignments and theory about flexible learning. We will be facilitating the communication of the class via the wiki discussion and blogs.

In the last part of the session Bronwyn ran through the use of the Three-step reflective framework template for helping people write reflectively on their blogs and we spent some time on a practice exercise.

A question which came up during the session is something people can think about in the following weeks, and this will be covered further on in the course. How do we provide access to learning for people who do not want to go online or use open materials?

People went away with a reading for Week Two: Collis, Betty & Moonen, Jef. (2001). Flexible learning : it's not just about distance. In Flexible learning in a digital world. Open & Distance learning Series. London: Kogan Page Ltd.

We now have 23 participants in the course. Several of you already have blogs up and running and introductions on the Discussion. This is impressive! The pre-course survey is now available an is also on the wiki. An email has been sent out with a link as well.
Bronwyn

Welcome to the the Designing for Flexible Learning Practice course.

There will be a face-to-face workshop on 5 March - 0900 to 1200 - in H605. (6th floor in H block on Forth St at the main campus of Otago Polytechnic.)

• Preview the course schedule, content and resources and assessment on WikiEducator - please note this is a work in action at present, and not complete.
  
• Handouts will be provided in class.