What Is Flexible Learning?

The Meaning of Flexible Learning

From what I have learnt so far in my readings, Flexible Learning has no one definition. It is therefore a complex concept! I think that Choice for the learner is the key concept in Flexible Learning.

Why Use A Flexible Approach?

From our Flexible Learning course material it is noted that “one of the reasons for introducing more flexibility into teaching and learning is so that all students, regardless of their diversity, have an equal chance to learn”. This links well to our School of Midwifery Programme Document which states that the Flexible/Blended Learning Strategies we employ aims “to enable students previously restricted from accessing the midwifery programme because of geographical location or social restriction, to successfully undertake the programme and to gain registration as a midwife” (Otago Polytechnic & Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology [OP & CPIT], 2012).

This programme is structured in this way to:

·               Enable students from diverse geographical areas to access the programme;

·               Attract more students to the midwifery programme;

·               Maximise midwifery practice opportunities for students;

·               Support students to undertake most of their study through a blended delivery model that includes:

o        A range of online learning resources

o        Local face-to-face tutorial groups

o        Distance synchronous online tutorials

o        Local midwifery educator support

o        Face-to-face blocks (‘intensives’) in Christchurch, Dunedin and Kapiti

o        Midwifery practice experiences in rural and provincial areas as well as main centres

·               Enable flexibility in programme delivery and learning to support students managing home, work and study requirements;

·               Build learning communities amongst the student groups;

·               Build a sense of professional collegiality between midwives in the communities and the smaller groups of midwifery students in these areas;

·               Enhance local maternity services through provision of educational resources to areas outside the main centres.

(OP & CPIT, 2012).

Our challenge therefore is to provide this flexible programme that promotes student participation, engagement with the course and ultimately student success. As you can see this is also about ensuring the sustainability of the midwifery profession in Aotearoa/New Zealand, which also benefits from the Flexible delivery of the Bachelor of Midwifery programme.

References

Otago Polytechnic & Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology. (2012). School of Midwifery Programme Document, Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago Polytechnic.

Flexible Learning In My Area

When thinking about the notion of Flexible Learning within the School of Midwifery, I automatically thought “yep we are pretty flexible”. However when you look at the Five dimensions of Flexible Learning (Collis & Moonen, 2002) in depth, I began to think differently. My initial thoughts are as follows:

• Time                      Start and end dates of the overall course are not flexible, but the timing of some tutorials (recorded) and the accessibility of the course material on Moodle at any time is flexible. Block intensives (face to face), and local SPF tutorials are not flexible. When ‘Follow Through’ women birth is not flexible! Self-rostering of practice shifts gives some flexibility, but the times of shifts and the timing of the blocks of shifts are not flexible.
• Content               Course content is developed and shared between CPIT and OP Schools of Midwifery.  There is choice to read more widely if students choose by following suggested links, and plenty of resources/references are provided and we are beginning to try to ‘flag’ these as need to know or optional. The Midwifery Council of New Zealand sets the Standards for approval of pre-registration midwifery education programmes therefore our theoretical content and practice requirements are influenced by these.
• Entry requirements        Minimum entry requirements are also influenced and guided by the Midwifery Council of New Zealand. These are essentially present to ensure students have a foundation from which to enable student success in a demanding course.
• Instructional approach & resources          There is plenty of room for creative and flexible delivery within our Blended course. Within our local tutorials, for instance, we can tailor the session both to needs as they arise, and also to learning styles.  Within Intensive sessions, we have the freedom to maximise the large group experience, and the opportunity to not only 'lecture' but have lots of clinical hands on practise. Moodle allows us to link to video clips, websites, podcasts and utilise discussion forums. However, the technology employed to enable the flexible delivery of the programme has sometimes proved to be challenging. For example, our transition to using an alternate synchronous online tutorial programme was fraught and impacted on student (and staff) experience. It is vital that we have the technology and platforms to allow the delivery of a flexible programme.
• Delivery & Logistics         As a result of having a blended programme, there has been significant travel for some (both staff and students) however this is limited to set times of the year. I do not believe this was initially anticipated to impact as much as it has on staff workload. As a result we are collectively working to be more savvy and sustainable about firstly what needs to be delivered face to face, and secondly who will deliver this (local or distant staff taking in to consideration areas of expertise and passion). Likewise we need to consider the experience of the student, particularly in relation to travel.

Collis & Moonen (2002) state that “Flexibility implies a move to greater student autonomy and responsibility. Make sure that the pedagogy and administration can foster this move”. Regarding autonomy and responsibility, I am not certain that we can assume that students want greater autonomy and responsibility. However, for student midwives there is inherent responsibility in their choice of career, and autonomy is one of the underpinning principles of our profession (Standard 7: The midwife is accountable to the woman, to herself, to the midwifery profession and to the wider community for her practice, New Zealand College of Midwives, 2005).

The Blended model we are utilising in the School of Midwifery is innovative and creative. It has been born out of a well designed and effective destination programme. We have had successful graduates so it could be said that the programme is achieving our goal of having successful students, and from feedback they are ‘work ready’ (Otago Polytechnic Strategic Direction, 2011 -2013). The model now needs to be evaluated, which is currently the focus of research in the School of Midwifery.

Although restricted in some elements of flexibility, such as the timing of the course, and content covered, it is a varied course, giving lots of choice within assessments, the ability to access most course content at times that suit the student, and ultimately allowing students to remain in their own area for most of their programme.

My goals

There are some areas that could be more flexible in approach in our programme, and one such idea is the use of an e-portfolio to demonstrate that the student has met the course requirements. Currently we have a hard copy Portfolio which is given to each of the midwifery students, and this is built on in each year of the course, and forms the basis of some assessments. It makes sense in a Blended programme to be able to offer this in an electronic, web-based format. Despite many discussions about the benefits of this approach, the logistics have not yet been examined in depth, and I intend to investigate this as part of the Flexible Learning course.

I am also interested in providing opportunities for learners which cater to different learning styles. As a beginning facilitator/teacher I have tried to integrate this in to sessions with some positive results which has inspired me to continue to explore this area.

References

Collis, B., & Moonen, J. (2002). Flexible learning in a digital world. Open and Distance Series. London: Kogan Page Ltd.

New Zealand College of Midwives. (2008). Midwives handbook for practice. Christchurch: New Zealand College of Midwives.

Otago Polytechnic. (2011). Strategic Directions 2011 -2013. Retrieved from http://www.otagopolytechnic.ac.nz/fileadmin/DepartmentalResources/Marketing/Strategy_2011-2013/OP-Strategic_Directions_2011_-_13_final.pdf

 

Characteristics of the Learners

The Bachelor of Midwifery is offered by Otago Polytechnic in both the lower South Island and the lower North Island. There are six satellite areas; Wellington, Palmerston North, Whanganui, Dunedin, Central Otago and Southland.

Within the School of Midwifery we have a diverse range of students in age, ethnicity, academic background, life experience, and socio-economic background. The age range is wide, from school leavers to those in their sixties. Some have prior degrees, some are parents, and some are working as well as studying. Many have attended births, but some have not. Some learners are IT savvy, but many have a steep learning curve regarding IT as they proceed through the course (likewise the tutors also have varying experiences & knowledge of IT).

Gender is not diverse as all students are female. It is important to note there is no restriction on males enrolling in the course.

The reasons for being drawn to the midwifery profession do tend to unite the students in that most report a passion or calling for midwifery, and many have been working towards this for some time. However this does not mean that everyone comes with the same skill set.

The diversity of the learners is important, as within midwifery we need this to cater for the diversity of the women we are working with.

Barriers to Learning

Financial Barriers This is a concern for students in general however the effects may be particularly felt by midwifery students, as they are unable to work while studying (unless the job is very flexible and for few hours) due to the on call nature & shift work requirements of the course. The academic year is longer which reduces their availability for work over the traditionally long tertiary break over the Christmas period. In addition many students have dependent children.

On the other side, the benefit of the course having a longer academic year is that students are able to enter the workforce after three years rather than four. Therefore there is financial reward earlier.

There are travel expenses to consider as students need to travel Intensives and to and from shifts and midwifery appointments in the community.

On the flip side, students are able to study in their own community rather than having to move themselves to a destination based course site.

The cost of internet access is also a barrier, and I can think of at least one student who has had this ‘cut off’ as she has been unable to pay the bill. This has a significant effect on the flexibility of her study as she now must go to a facility to study.

Students have access to wireless internet on a campus close to them which can reduce their costs.

There are some scholarships available such as the Irihapeti Ramsden Memorial Midwifery Scholarship, and Hauora scholarships through the Ministry of Health for Maori students. There is some financial assistance available through the Student Support Services at OP.

Access to resources Some students perceive that they are limited by lack of resources due to the satellite structure of our courses. However they have access to library services both at local contracted institutions and also the OP distance library services. We have models and equipment available locally but this does take planning and flexibility on the part of the local tutor to coordinate student’s access to these. Most student support services are available at a distance, however they are unable to access student health services in the satellites.

SPF structure addresses some barriers

Students are allocated to small tutorial groups which are arranged geographically, and called SPF groups. The SPF groups are beneficial in promoting student involvement, discussion and guided reflective practice. It also helps to review how students are navigating through the blended learning programme, and gives students a chance to pass on strategies and tips related to how they are approaching their learning. This is really beneficial to students and assists them to navigate barriers to their success. It is helpful to me to find how they learn best, and to occasionally steer them in another direction if this is needed. Within my group of students, I have introduced them to the VARK Categories of learning styles (Fleming, 2010).  Subsequently, I have been able to tailor these sessions to their learning styles as there is flexible in delivery of the sessions. So I become the facilitator and resource person which Brandes & Ginnin (cited in O’Neill & McMahon, 2005) present as a main principle of student-centred learning.

Within the School of Midwifery there is a clear focus on fostering a learner-centred learning environment. Students have consistently identified when surveyed about the programme that their weekly SPF tutorial is a highlight of the programme.  I believe it is essential within the blended learning model we offer, and reflects the learning-centred learning strategy.

Fleming, N. (2010). Vark a guide to learning styles. Retrieved from http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=categories.

O’Neill, G. & McMahon, T. (2005). Student-centred learning: What does it mean for students and lecturers? Emerging issues in the practice of university learning and teaching. Retrieved from http://www.aishe.org/readings/2005-1/oneill-mcmahon-Tues_19th_Oct_SCL.html