Jeff Finlay (jfinlay@umuc.edu)
Wed, 06 Oct 1999 13:27:53 -0400
Date: Wed, 06 Oct 1999 13:27:53 -0400 From: "Jeff Finlay" <jfinlay@umuc.edu> Subject: Re: Can we really please everyone?
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> If we decide that flexible learning is being 'student-centred', then the
> question of pleasing everyone becomes an education design issue.
Mark, I've always thought 'student-centered' or 'learner-centered' needed to be used with caution.
Many pedagogies claim to be learner-centered but in practice few are; and as you say, to be truly
learner-centered means customizing every class, every course according to the preferences of the
learner -- a steep logistical barrier, as you infer, if one is to do so within a normative
educational framework.
But beyond the fact that many so-called learning-centered pedagogies are not what they claim to
be, there is the reality, much more to the fore in these times than at others, that it is the
needs of the global market that drives education and that impacts so profoundly on curriculum
design. I do not think it is correct to say that flexible learning centers on the learner's needs,
and only on the learner's needs, when clearly many schools and training institutes are designing
courses with the express hope of serving the needs of industry. (Does the phrase 'niche markets'
ring a bell?)
> Until students are able to
> make the significant shift from the 'pour it in me' to the 'set me free'
> models of learning, flexible learning will probably be viewed as a
> rationalisation of teaching contact time and a cop-out.
Clearly a lot of industries, publishing firms, airlines, hospitals, government agencies, nonprofit
organizations, schools, colleges, education brokers and other entities that have embraced flexible
learning are going to disagree with this assessment.
> Finally, let me say that I believe that flexible learning has the potential
> to make learning a more effective and efficient experience. It has brought
> fulfillment to most of my students, but has buried some others - just as
> traditional teaching has done. Flexible delivery makes sense, provided it's
> properly implemented. Whether or not it brings universal happiness is
> probably a side issue.
What interests me in your statement is whether flexible learning merely repeats the
retention/dropout trends of traditional (distance) education or whether flexible learning can
possibly redesign the practice of education in such a way that it reaches everyone. I'm not
suggesting it should bring everyone in a flexible learning environment to the same performance
level but -- can it allow different learners to find variegated paths of access to knowledge?
Jeff Finlay, Asst Director
Center for the Virtual University
Univ Maryland Univ College
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