REEMA KHURANA (kreema@imt.ac.in)
Thu, 7 Oct 1999 23:28:17 +1300
From: REEMA KHURANA <kreema@imt.ac.in> Subject: [IFETS] Second summary of the discussion on "Flexible Learning :Can we really please everyone " Date: Thu, 7 Oct 1999 23:28:17 +1300
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Details of current discussion: http://ifets.ieee.org/discussions/discuss.html
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Hello,
Nichol Cameron ( < NICHOL@svhm.org.au> ) points out that "Chalk ,talk and
trainee sponge .." is not the only way of learning .Infact he finds flexible
learning and delivery a very useful concept which allows him to introduce
his staff to varied ways and means of learning .These includeintranet sites
,list servers and other print packages.Also according toNichol this method
can be used to allow to let people learn what they wantand when they want
it. Thus Nichol's staff has an option to adopt a selfdirected approach to
learning
In a separate message posted on the same day Nichol says"According to
Michaelangelo he didn't really sculpt statues, he justreleased the figure
that already existed in the marble. His statue of Davidis a generally
acknowledged masterpiece.It started with a bunch of sweatyquarry men with
dirty great big drills.Even when Michaelangelo got the rockhe didn't get out
the polishing tools,he took to it with the big chisel andproceeded to smack
off huge hunks.He worked his way down until he was usingthe fine, up close,
finishingtools, but even then he didn't bother to etcheach hair. He had the
skilland it certainly would have been impressive buthe didn't need to. "
Here though not very effectively but I think he is trying to make the
pointthat the design of the flexible learning course should be such that
theright tool whether it is a CD-ROM ,web based learning , intranet sites
etc..is so used as to let the learner create the learning on his own just
likeAngelo released the statue and not designed it afresh .Thereby
implyingthat delivering education is not creating a student with information
orknowledge base but it is shaping the existing student so that he
realisesknowledge .Cameron further states that the right mix of media is
important to delivereducation effectively .The right mix he says depends or
is determined by the DEEP issues .He writes" It should not be a matter of
"either/or",it should be considered more along the lines of "hybrid vigor".
Thisincludes recognition and "acceptable"compromise on the DEEP
issues(Dollars, Empires, Egos and Politics). "
Jeff Finlay ( jfinlay@umuc.edu >) commented on Cameron's observations as
"Hi, Cameron. It sounds to me like you are describing what the work of the
contemporary educator has become. (Old school folks are going to disagree --
they've already been passed by and don't know it). "
Alan Holzl ( a.holzl@mailbox.uq.edu.au ) adds on to his discussion paper
by further reiterating the central issue his paper revolves around .
He writes
"The main theme of my paper was to question the way that flexible learning
has been marketed as a "magic bullet" which can solve all the problems
currently facing the higher education and vocational training sectors in
Australia "
He writes that the idea of the discussion paper is to generate a worldwide
debate as to how flexible learning should be sold or rather.. " how it is
being "sold " " .
Alan is particularly keen on finding out how the Asian markets react to the
online courses as they are the major targets of these courses .
He writes
"I would be very interested in hearing from those Asian countries which
have been targeted as potential consumers of the online education programs
which we are going to design for our own culture and then deliver to them.
Do they feel it is a form of cultural imperialism or do they welcome the
additional opportunities they provide to improve the quality and quantity of
educational programs available to their citizens? "
Normabenesdra (benesdran@sinectis.com.ar ) in her reply to Jeff Finlay
Norma seems to agree with Cameron when she says that
"I don't think the "knowledge" is "acquired" in education, rather that a
fact is understood, a> problem situation is developed or/and behaviour
and/or outlook are changed> in the student.
Norma further points out that with the example of language learning that the
aptitude and the will to learn has to be there .Learning can happen from
any of the diverse linguistic resource .
Norna writes that
"Little by little, with my teaching and their
willingness to learn, they become richer in their discourse, more correct
and eventually more fluent. They also grow in comprehension of what other
people say or write and in the ability to defend their own viewpoints. I do>
this by means of such old teaching techniques as memorizaton and such new>
ones as internet sites. "
Norma points out that flexible learning is the technique of learning which
allows a student to use any tool for learning it could be using
translation , paraphrasing , memorizing , exemplifying etc..
Arun .K .Tripathi advices IFETS users participating in Flexible
Learning discussion to refer to another paper titled "SUPPORTING ONLINE
TEACHING AND LEARNING: EXPERIENCES AND ISSUES AT MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY
written by David Rich, Peter Love and MareeGosper Macquarie University,
Australia <http://www.cfl.mq.edu.au>The paper is available for full reading
at<http://www.edfac.unimelb.edu.au/online-ed/mailouts/1999/Sept13.html>
Jeff Finlay ( jfinlay@umuc.edu >) clarified to Norma that in his
IFETS -DISCUSS comment on Cameron's satisfaction with flexible learning as
a way of working he just offered the opinion that " trainers in flexible
learning environment are evolving in to the rpesent and future of
education "
Jeff commented that he would prefer the term " flexible teaching " to
flexible learning " to the technique Norma has proposed for language
learning .
He says
"I think you have described a system that amounts, for you, to flexible
teaching. However, as I understand it, 'flexible learning' is a phrase that
is specifically used to describe education designed in such a way that
students cantake classes outside of the usual frameworks (needing to be in a
room at a giventime and place, etc). I've seen 'flexible learning' used as a
synonym, most usually in Australia; in the US, the phrase often used is
'lifelong learning orworkforce training'; in the UK it seems to be
'continuing professional development.' Allof these are about redesigning
education so as to be flexible to learners who may fora variety of reasons
be unable to take courses in conventional settings. "
Mark Nicholas (M.Nichols@ucol.ac.nz ) poses a very interesting question
when he asks
"What is flexible delivery ?"
He further points out that if flexible learning is "student centred
approach to learning then the need of pleasing our target audience
becomes students . Thus the question now is to customise courses to please
the students .thus ,Mark points out that
" If we decide that flexible learning is being 'student-centred', then
thequestion of pleasing everyone becomes an education design issue. Do we
have the resources to provide customised education? For most institutions,
andwith existing technologies, this sort of approach would be a logistical
impossibility. "
Mark further points out that on the basis of his experience and semantics it
is not possible to bring about 100% satisfaction amongst diverse student
community .
He feels that there are students who want the teacher to spoon -feed them
,there are others who would much rather have flexible attendance schedules
etc.
He feels that the student community would not be satisfied unless they ask
for education instead of education being thrust upon them
He says
" The student attitudes described in the discussion primerrepresent a major
issue for flexible delivery. Until students are able tomake 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. "
He concludes with a comment that both "flexible learning "and "flexible
delivery "are promising concepts but whether they bring about complete
happiness in the target audience is another issue !!
Ted Nunan (ted.nunan@unisa.edu.au ) whom Alan has quoted in the
proposed discussion paper on flexible learning says
"'the use of the word flexible in educational writing (reveals that) it
has multiple meanings. The word is usually coupled with other educational
concepts such as learning institutions (flexible organisations), delivery
systems (flexible delivery) and learning (flexible learning), indicating its
relevance for managers, educational workers, and students alike. It is
associated with the notion of reform in higher education and is often cited
as
a response tot he change from an elite to a mass system. It is viewed as a
response to globalisation, new information technologies, and new ways of
consumption by educational 'consumers' in post-Fordist societies. It is
connected with student-centred learning, reaching national training and
educational goals to achieve a productive and competitive workforce, and is
also seen as a way of competing in the local and global markets that are
being
created for educational services. Educationally, flexibility is both a means
to, and an end of, lifelong learning; lifelong learning creates flexibility
and
flexibility of educational provision makes possible lifelong learning. "
He further agrees with Alan to say that when you interrogate the term
flexible the most possible answer it cam generate is "It depends ." .It
depends on the social ,political ,economic ,institutional issues behind the
question
Reema Khurana
Professor
Institute of Management Technology
Ghaziabad
India
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