The Vision

The Flexible Delivery Enhancement Theme affords a major opportunity to initiate a significant cultural change within the Scottish HE sector, coalescing relevant development initiatives in the sector, and drawing on best national and international good practice.

Flexible delivery encompasses modes of study and methods of delivery, together with underpinning support and infrastructure. It provides a learner-centred model of pedagogy and support that is appropriate to the needs of the individual learner located within a high quality learning environment and supported by efficient and effective business and administrative processes. Flexible delivery allows HE institutions to adapt their provision to support mass higher education and to allow greater flexibility for today's large and diverse student body as part of the wider implementation of a learner-centred approach.

Institutions can enable students to make more informed choices about their learning experience, with particular regard to pathways through programmes, modes of study and methods of delivery. They can also support the creation of a more flexible learning environment by exploring different organisational models and delivery methods. Such a shift requires a number of strategic changes over time, which are dependent on technological developments, organisational change and the re-engineering of business processes.

The aim of this briefing and the resources it introduces is to assist institutions in enhancing flexible delivery within the context of their unique missions by providing a vision of flexible learning and tools for a learning environment that address the diverse needs of different types of learners. The focus throughout is on three key areas of pedagogy, learner support and infrastructure.

This resource has been compiled specifically to raise awareness of current initiatives to develop e-learning and blended learning, to provide information on effective practice in the use of e-learning tools, and to promote the development and application and development of e-learning tools to support effective practice. This work is informed by case studies of good practice in HE institutions world-wide, technological projects being undertaken by JISC and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), and changing practice in learning and teaching to promote flexible delivery.