ResourcesInternal and External Drivers
The economic rationale for developing flexible delivery as a more resource-efficient means of providing a high quality learning experience to a larger and more diverse student population in an increasingly competitive market is coupled with the social rationale of increasing accessibility and widening participation to learning. This has resulted in the identification of flexible delivery, underpinned by the application of technology, as a key strategic priority for the sector.
Key drivers for the development of flexible delivery include the following:
Increased student numbers and diversity can lead to high administrative loads for teaching and support staff. Flexible delivery tools and methods provide an opportunity to reduce this load without undermining academic standards.
Increased part-time study is necessary in order to provide learners with opportunities for continuing their education on a sustainable lifelong basis without leaving employment, and flexible access for learners with a diverse range of needs and caring responsibilities.
Competition in the market place within and across national boundaries. Quality and flexibility are major factors in the choice of an institution for students. The changing market for higher education requires institutions to attract more overseas, postgraduate and students from under-represented groups, and greater flexibility can lead to increased recruitment in these areas. The forming of local and international collaborative partnerships for the joint delivery of programmes is regarded as a means of increasing institutional competitiveness. This requires a sharing of resources that flexible delivery is designed to support.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a major growth area. There is increasing professional demand for professional provision that is flexible, online and/or work-based, reflective and informed by practice-based research. Meeting this demand will support the development of links between institutions and industry, professional and statutory bodies, and other agencies.
Retention and progression issues - improved pre-entry guidance and more online information enables better decision-making by students regarding course choice. Appropriate course choice is one of the key factors underlying student retention. The streamlining of application and enrolment processes through the use of technology, and the provision of online information enables staff to spend more time with students in need of support and guidance.
Diagnostic tools in terms of information, study, and IT skills enables support and training in these areas to be targeted more appropriately. More flexible approaches to induction increase the accessibility of this form of support and guidance to part-time and off-campus students.
Learner-centred approaches through greater choice and flexibility of study pathways have led to an increasing emphasis on encouraging students to take responsibility for their own learning. This is supported by developments in Personal Development Planning (PDP). The focus of the learning process has shifted from that of the course content to that of the learner. As a result learners are encouraged to have greater interactivity within the teaching and learning process which is reflected in flexible delivery approaches.
Learner expectations place pressure on institutions to enhance their capacity in terms of the electronic environment, the provision of more flexible entry routes, the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL), articulated routes, distance and on-line delivery, e-learning and blended learning as well as part-time delivery.
Technological development has enabled more opportunities to provide qualifications at a distance and through e-learning on a local, regional, national and global basis. More efficient technological processes and developments in e-pedagogy have enabled institutions to fully embrace the opportunities presented by flexible delivery
Efficiency and costs of the administration of learning can be improved by online application,enrolment and registration, integrated student records systems, online programme information and resources that remove time constraints and avoid duplication of effort on administrative tasks. Asynchronous discussion can support increased personal interaction between staff and students at times convenient to all concerned, thus leading to increased productivity and effectiveness.
The development and articulation of these drivers has been informed by key workshop presentations and discussions during seminars on flexible delivery organised by the QAA:
Enabling Flexible Distributed Learning - George Roberts
Flexible Delivery - Gill Tucker
Much of the development work in the sector has been collaborative in nature, and a significant volume of resources is available on collaboration both as a developmental process and as a driver for flexible delivery. Resources also include tools, processes and materials in support of facilitating progression, collaborative teaching, content development, digital curation, research materials, repositories and resource sharing.
