Developing a framework for sustainable growth of flexible learning opportunities

Posted on : Apr 13, 2019 | By : Eduparc.in

Article

Developing a framework for sustainable growth of flexible learning opportunities
Maureen Snow Andrade ORCID Icon & Bethany Alden-Rivers
Pages 1-16 | Published online: 25 Mar 2019

Higher Education Pedagogies, 4:1, 1-16, DOI: 10.1080/23752696.2018.1564879

© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

ABSTRACT
Flexible learning increases access to higher education, particularly for traditionally undeserved students. First-time entrants, who may lack the cultural capital to be successful, may also be more likely to participate in flexible learning than traditional students, and particularly in online and blended courses. We posit that success for all students enrolling in flexible forms of learning can be achieved through course design and responsive pedagogies. For these efforts to be successful, competency frameworks must be developed, and initial and ongoing training provided for teaching staff. This paper discusses a theory-based and practice-informed framework for the scalable expansion of flexible learning, which in our case, encompassed online learning, blended learning, competency-based education, and open educational resources. We provide a context for the framework, introduce the framework, discuss the steps for developing and implementing it, and share initial findings and implications.

KEYWORDS: Flexible learning, framework, course design, pedagogical training

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Disclaimer: This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.