Flexibility in Education

Nowadays flexibility is a popular concept in education. What does flexibility actually mean? Collis and Moonen (2001) call flexibility ‘a movement away from a situation in which key decisions about learning dimensions are made in advance by the instructor or institution, toward a situation where the learner has a range of options from which to choose with respect to these key dimensions’. When we talk about these ‘key dimensions’, we talk about five different kinds of flexibility. These five kinds of flexibility will be discussed (Collis & Moonen, 2001).

1.   Flexibility related to time

This kind of flexibility focuses on different aspects of time. The starting and finishing time of a course is an example, but you can also think about the flexibility for submitting assignments and interacting within the course. Another example of flexibility related to time is the tempo or pace of studying (Collis & Moonen, 2001). Some advantages of these flexibilities is that a motivated student can classify his/her own time, the student has more freedom and you can determine your own pace of studying. So a predictable disadvantage is the possibility that students who are not motivated won’t do anything. It also will costs a lot of work to manage all the individual ‘programs’, because everybody has a different pace.

The moments of assessment can also be flexible (Collis & Moonen, 2001). In this way students can decide by themselves when they want to make an assessment, but in way of logistic aspects it can become unmanageable, because of the different schedules and the availability of classrooms.

2.   Flexibility related to content

The content of learning can also be flexible or fixed. An example is the topics of a course. It is possible that students can pick their own favorite topics for a specific course. Another example is the sequence of different parts of a course, this could also be fixed or very flexible. Next to that, the orientation of the course can be fixed or flexible. It is possible that students can decide whether the course is totally theoretical or practical or a combination of them. Some last examples about flexibility related to content are assessment standard and completion requirements (Collis & Moonen, 2001).

When the learners has flexibility in choosing their own content he will probably only pick out the topics that he likes. Thus it is possible that a student never learns some main topics. Flexibility related to context has also to do with motivation. For a very motivated student it can be good to choose their own content, because this student knows exactly what he/she needs. A student who is not that motivated will have problems with choosing the important topics, probably he/she will choose the nicest topics.

3.   Flexibility related to entry requirements

If you talk about flexibility related to entry requirements, you can think about the different conditions that there can be for participation in a course or a whole study program (Collis & Moonen, 2001).

When we think about a course it is possible that you have to complete one or more other courses to participate. An advantage is that all the students have the same prior knowledge about the content, so it is easier for the instructor to create lessons. A disadvantage is that it could be that you will get very small classes. When it is hard to complete course A to participate course B, the class at course B can be very small. It is also possible that there are conditions for participation in a study program. In that case there will be a ‘selection process’, what will lead to a study with only the ‘best’ students. A disadvantage is that you have to disappoint students who are not allowed to join the study program.

4.   Flexibility related to instructional approach and resources

The pedagogy and the resources can be fixed or flexible. A well-known example is the social organization of the learning process. This can be face-to-face, in a group, individual, etc. Another example is the language to be used during the course. This depends on the nationality of the students. Do they all speak English? Or do you need some different teachers who can speak different languages. Some other kinds of flexibility related to the instructional approach and resources are the instructional organization of learning and the learning resources (Collis & Moonen, 2001).

An advantage of flexibility in the social organization of learning is that you can choose what fits you the best, face-to-face, group or individual work. The organization must not be too flexible, because when students can do whatever the like, it will probably mess up. For every student it is important to have social contact, so when a student only want to do individual work it won’t be good. The flexibility in learning resources is growing nowadays. You have a lot of possibilities in learning resources. In order to this course you can think about technology. Maybe it is better if there is a part fixed, like a real instructor and face-to-face lessons. When the student can decide everything about the resources, he/she can stay at home and surf on the internet whole day long.

5.   Flexibility related to delivery and logistics

This kind of flexibility is about logistics aspects like time and place. Many times people associate flexibility with learning on distance, but as you have discovered now, it is not. Many people think about the time and place where contact with instructor and other students occurs. This can be flexible or fixed. Another example is the types of help. How do you communicate? How do you use technology to communicate? This kind of flexibility is also about the location (Collis & Moonen, 2001).

A huge advantage of distance learning is that you can learn wherever you are. There are a lot of online learning environments, like Blackboard. In this way face-to-face contact is not necessary, the student can do everything from out of home. The student has more freedom in this case, but it can also be a disadvantage that there is no face-to-face contact. To communicate by technology is not that personal. In a physical conversation it’s easier to explain what you mean.

I think flexibility in education can be a good thing, but you should watch it. The motivation of students is an important aspect in flexibility. If someone is really motivated in studying, he or she can handle the flexibility, but if you are not that motivated the flexibility can be misused. The use of technology in education can improve the flexibility and I think it is a good thing, but never throw the face-to-face contact away. I think personal contact with your co-students and teacher is an important aspect of studying..

Collis, B., & Moonen, J. (2001). Flexible learning in a digital world: Experiences and expectations. London: Kogan Page.