Activity 3- Interviews and Reflection

I went a bit out of the box and decided to talk to 2 people in education but in different organisations- (going global?!) - a facilitator of an online education service for a early childhood certificate and diploma program (Lesley)  and a university lecturer (Steve). 

Utilizing the 5 dimensions of flexibility to guide my questions (Casey & Moonen, 2005):  I have chosen to concentrate on 2 areas on that illustrate the contrasts between the 2 interviews

Time:   Lesley:  The majority of students are looking for time flexibility as to when their study can be worked on.  The students often have external circumstances that mean that traditional face to face sessions or meeting up are not optimal- whether than be location, family situation, financial, work or have tried face to face in past and not benefits from the experience.  There are no on-campus courses.  Students have the majority of their resources from the beginning of the course (course folder) or online so they can set out how their time will be allocated (also full or part time).  There are 3 admissions a year to start the papers.  Interaction within the course participants is minimal but there is for online linking between students through an asynchronous forum.  Lecturers have set guidelines for contact e.g. If a student contacts by email, then the return has to be within 2 days.   

In comparison, Steve’s undergraduate students have a set schedule and timetable for classes; with all his lectures face to face. In this case, according to Collis and Moonen (2001), the time dimension is ‘fixed’. 

Regardless of when a student completes to work or in what context, a study by Neuhauser (2010) looked at a course presented online and asynchronous and the second as face-to-face.  The results showed no significant differences in test scores, assignments, participation grades, and final grades. So, in terms of time and grades, the student can be as flexible or fixed and have the same outcome.  For some students, the choice of time may be based on their particular learning style or personal situation. 

Instructional approach:  Lesley:  Online work mostly asynchronous or reading of material from folder at own pace.  The online education service has an online library- interloan and articles sent online.    Instructional organisation- email in assessments, monitoring is by email or phone and often when a student is having an issue.

Steve- instruction is face to face utilizing a few forms of pedagogy- powerpoint, slides, pictures, vidoes,  lectures, occasional groupwork.  There is an increase in referring students to online material although students have access to the library.  Students can make appointments, email but usually ask questions in tutorials.

In reading the article by Akyol, Garrison and Ozden (2009), we would assume that there is a social presence in the face to face lectures and tutorials- however, university lectures and tutorials can vary in size from 10-200- (‘social presence was better in small groups’ p. 75).  Without talking with the students, this would be difficult to ascertain.

I also make note of Delivery and logistics Lesley’s students need computer with internet access (this has been one of the few areas that is fixed).  University- has computer labs so a student does not necessarily need a computer but need to be able to get to the face to face lectures.  Course materials and information about assessments are online.  Location is set for lectures.  

According to the flexibility grid, university has a level of ‘not flexible’ overall.  The online institution fits overall into the medium category with some aspects of more flexibility (Casey & Wilson, 2005).

In my reflection, it is a personal preference or learner choice (Casey & Wilson, 2001) for the student as to how they choose to study and the degree of flexibility.  It is important for institutions to offer varying choices to students to enable them to be able to make informed decisions about their study based on their own situation, needs and goals. Learning styles and contexts of the student lives come into the decision.  We need ensure that prospective students are informed of the different methods of time, delivery, instructional methods, entry, and resources needed- so the student can be successful in their study no matter what degree of flexibility they choose.

References

Casey, J., & Wilson, P. (2005).  A practical guide to providing flexible learning in further and higher education. Retrieved from http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/docs/publications/flexible-delivery-a-practical-guide-to-providing-flexible-learning-in-further-and-higher-education.pdf

Collis, B., & Moonen, J. (2001).  Flexible learning in a digital world. Open and Distance Learning Series: Kogan Page Ltd.

Neuhauser, C. (2002).  Learning style and effectiveness of online and face to face instruction. American Journal of Distance Education, 16(2), 99-113.

Akyol, Z., Garrison, D.R., & Ozden, M.Y. (2009).  Online and blended communities of inquiry: exploring the developmental and perceptual differences.  International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 10(6), 65- 83.  Retrieved from  http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/765/1463

Flexible? Technology can be either way...

Sometimes I wonder if students who are not used of technology/ programs we use such as moodle, wiki's, exe packages, 'books' and other methods for blended delivery feel like this cartoon?
  Or, in the case of our campus at times, packages may not be compatible with the systems in place.  Always a reminder that to enable people to be flexible, we need to ensure there is a good foundation (and training in place) for the methods we are using. 
Oh, and the famous question:  Are you using 'Firefox'?!

Cartoon by Dave Walker

<img src="http://www.weblogcartoons.com/cartoons/you-v-tech.gif" alt="cartoon from www.weblogcartoons.com" />
<p>Cartoon by <a href="http://www.cartoonchurch.com/blog/">Dave Walker</a>. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at <a href="http://www.weblogcartoons.com/">We Blog Cartoons</a>.</p>

Activity 2 What is Flexible learning?

When I started to read the questions, flexible learning conjured up thoughts of technology and location- distance learning (how ironic that the Collis and Moonen (2001) article title is 'It's not just about distance')- however, through reading and my 'buddy' discussion with Annette, there are other ways to be flexible within the course I am involved in. Our location makes us flexible in itself with Hamilton being a 'satellite' to Dunedin. Blended learning is such an integral part of the course, and the technology in itself can either be a help or hinder flexibility.

Flexible learning is providing an environment and various mediums in which learners may have choice and access to their learning through different methods, times, location, and styles- that choice or 'fit' may enable students of different backgrounds, learning styles, needs and goals to access materials and courses that may not be otherwise accessible to them.

The statement that resonates with me about flexible learning from Collis & Moonen is that flexible learning is about a shift from decisions and learning methods being made solely by the lecturer or school to where we offer a 'range of options from which to choose' (2001, p. 10) - looking at time, content, entry requirements, approach and resources and delivery and logistics (fig 1.2 p. 10).

　

Why it is necessary to use a more flexible approach in my work?

The make up of the Occupational therapy cohort has changed since I was a student (predominately, school leavers). Evidence for the changes in student ages has been noted through reading for this topic- Collis & Moonon (2001) discuss changes in characteristics from school and also age, educational background, experience and internationalism. Abell, Gilmore, McLennan, Sedcole (2002) completed research on computer based learning products for mature vs school leavers at Lincoln University and noted that there was a larger proportion of mature students completing higher education. (I would need to do further research to look at statistics).

Noticeably, the majority of students at the Hamilton campus for occupational therapy are mature students. With this, comes the life experience, varying live situations beyond study and goals. We also have school leavers or 'non mature' students (under 20 years old) who have met level 4 in NCEA.　 Various students and what they bring to the program- diversity- with this comes the need for flexibility to accommodate peoples various needs for successful outcomes and goal achievement.

　

To be able to provide opportunities to a wide range of students, we need ensure that the methods we use at the school are as flexible as possible while still ensuring that students are able to be meet the competencies on fieldwork as well as ensuring that the students exit the program as competent entry level practitioners at the end of the training as deemed by the Occupational therapy Board of New Zealand. There are students who have varying learning styles and learning needs. By being more flexible in my approach (and the school approach) we can offer methods that may suit students and lecturers who also have varying lifestyles. Also, looking at potential students, we need to ensure that in this competitive market, we are offering flexibility that is inclusive to anyone who wants the opportunity to participate in the training.

I need to ensure that students have the skills to be able to be choice makers in how they would work with the flexibility to ensure that work that is needed is completed. Self directed learning skills would be vital. What are students views on lectures vs. self directed learning packages and then lecturers being available to ask questions? What about night classes? How about 3 options for coming in or calling or emailing to talk with a 'live' lecturer after completing a module? Could the courses be run as modules?

Some students like structure and some like the self directness. Again, this is personal preference. It would be interesting to look at students preferences for learning in-depth.

The debate about group work vs individual work would need to be explored- The interactivity and study options (Collis & Moonen, 2001). I could instantly hear myself thinking 'but we need to work in multi disciplinary teams, so we need students to work in groups to get used of this, work with others that may have different views and justifications for their learning'. So, I would need to reflect myself on some of the (opposition) points raised wouldn't I?!

　

What do I need to explore for this to happen?

There are some concrete steps that I can take/ explore:

Pedagogical approaches- explore some categories (Collis &Moonen, 2001 p. 20). Adobe connect for undergrad students, Video conferencing for links between students in Dunedin and Hamilton (or do students even need to be based in Dunedin or Hamilton?).

VARK or the survey that Bronwyn mentioned

Assessments- how are we assessing the students and is this achieving what students need to do/ complete in practice?

My goals for using flexible learning:

A goal is to ensure that the courses that I am a part of are as flexible as possible (within the current constraints or by changing some of the constraints). I would like to look at the pedagogical approaches to start with.

Also, another area is to learn about flexible learning methods and how these have impacted on students learning for those that have used these methods (flexible alternatives).

Throughout the course, I would also like to reflect to be able to debunk some of the constraints to learning flexibility (Collis & Moonen, 2001).

References:

Collis, B & Moonen, J. (2001). Flexible learning in a digital world. Open and distance learning series. London: Kogan Page Ltd.

Abell, W., Gilmore, H., McLennan, T., & Sedcole, R. (2002). An investigation of differences in mature and younger students’ use of a computer-based learning package.  Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10182/992

 

Next time I work on a blog post, I am going to try recording myself- I write as though I am talking sometimes. By the length of the blog, you can see I talk a lot! So, my goal is a recorded blog...

　

　

What does the term flexible learning mean to me?

Flexibility day to day

I decided to start a list of conscious decisions I have made this week to increase my flexibility while working and see what the outcomes were/ are:

- Cellphones can be kept on the desk and used as a reference tool-  previously, cellphones were to be turned off during class time.

-  When compiling a student list and dividing into groups- I did not stipulate that there were to be no group changes (as with previous lists).  I put out the timetable and the group lists together- a few weeks in advance of normal

-  I had a 2 hr slot (8-10 am) allocated but only 1 hr of teaching to be completed.  I asked students what time they wanted to start...  (OK, so this is small but hey! I was being flexible!).  The outcome I thought would be 9-10 but actually the students chose 8.30-9.30 so they had a 1/2 hr break to get a coffee before their next class.

I worked with Annette this week on activity one- we had an interesting discussion that ventured into many different areas (and pontificating about flexibility not necessarily just to the task at hand).  I will post my views next.

Activity One Intro and goals

Hi, As this my first time completing a blog post, I am already learning something new!

Something about me: I have a passion for travelling and new cultures. I enjoy meeting new people and finding out about them and where they live and what they do in their day and lives. I guess this plays into my profession as an OT- finding out about others, their roles, structure in their day and differences in societies.

I have taken on the role as a lecturer for the School of Occupational Therapy (based in Hamilton) for Otago Polytechnic- utilising my occupational therapy practice experience and skills to facilitate others learning in a tertiary environment. I have a lot to learn about being an educator and still define myself as an OT first.

As we work in a blended learning environment, I 'think' we are flexible in how we offer our programme, but is it/ are we/ am I? We ensure that students complete the VARK assessment at the beginning of the course for learning styles. This then is an indicator of how to present material to students and structure a tutorial/ whole class session.  I know flexible learning is more than this though- just can't list everything flexible we do!   Technology has played a big role in being able to run the program across 2 sites (Dunedin and Hamilton).

My goals for the course vary and some revolve around a general increase in knowledge  from an educational perspective.  Some more specific goals are:  Define what is flexible learning within different learning environments and use what I learn to ensure that what I am presenting and facilitating is flexible. I am interested in looking into strategies for flexible learning that will benefit students. My question as I am moving through the course:  Am I planning my sessions to meet the majority of students learning in a 'flexible' nature?  I am interested in the culture and being flexible within this.
One day I hope to feel like I have all the skills and knowledge to identify as an educator first! I plan to build on this introduction through blogs and look forward to activity 2 with Annette here in Hamilton.