Flexible Pedagogy, Flexible Practice:
Notes from the Trenches of Distance Education

About the Book

Flexibility has become a watchword in modern education, but its implementation is by no means a straightforward matter. Flexible Pedagogy, Flexible Practice sheds light on the often taken-for-granted assumptions that inform daily practice and examines the institutional dynamics that help and hinder efforts towards flexibility. The collection is international in scope, drawing on the experience of specialists in distance education from North America, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore, and Japan. Contributors to the volume were asked to reflect candidly and critically on questions that include:

• What precisely is flexible learning?
• Who or what is driving the flexibility agenda, and for whose benefit? And
• who or what is resisting it?
• What challenges must be overcome in order to achieve flexibility, and what are some of the compromises it can entail?

In addressing these and other issues, the authors offer a wealth of theoretical insights and a frank assessment of their practical experience. Their report from the trenches will be invaluable to anyone seeking to broaden the reach of higher education.

“Essentially, the book is about what happens when the canonical concept collides with the ‘rough terrains of practice,’ and in addressing this question, it succeeds admirably. . . . And there’s more – much more – from the thirty-three contributors, in addition to the insightful ‘wrap-around’ provided by the editors. . . . Your thinking will be both challenged and informed.” —David Murphy (read the rest of the review at David Murphy’s Occasional Blog)

About the Editors

Elizabeth (Liz) Burge is professor of adult education at the University of New Brunswick. She is a past president of the Canadian Association for Distance Education/Association canadienne de l'éducation à distance.

Chère Campbell Gibson is professor emeritus of adult education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She established the Certificate of Professional Development in Distance Education and has served on numerous editorial boards.

Terry Gibson is professor emeritus of adult education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research has focused on instructional settings in the home, in the workplace, and at educational institutions.

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Copyright: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. It may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes, provided that the original author is credited.

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DownloadFront Matter

DownloadTable of Contents

DownloadForeword
Frits Pannekoek

DownloadIntroduction: Why Look at Flexibility?
Elizabeth Burge

I. Clarifying the Concept

DownloadIntroduction

Download1. Flexibility in the Twenty-First Century: The Challenge of Web 2.0
Denise Kirkpatrick

Download2. Students' Perceptions: Flexing Pedagogy and Practice
Julie Willems

Download3. Structured Flexible Learning: Making Informed Design Choices
Der-Thanq (Victor) Chen, Rose Liang, and Yu-mei Wang

II. Identifying Driving and Restraining Forces

DownloadIntroduction

Download4. Flexible Distance Education for Social Transformation
Milly Daweti and Jean Mitchell

Download5. Politics, Pedagogy, and Productivity as Drivers of Flexible Learning
Cathy Gunn

Download6. Cultural Perceptions of Flexibility in Asian Higher Education
Colin Latchem and Insung Jung

Download7. Openness and Flexibility in New Zealand: Victories and Challenges
Mary Simpson and Bill Anderson

III. Surviving the Swamps of Everyday Practice

DownloadIntroduction

Download8. Before the Fall: Breaking Rules and Changing Minds
Darcy W. Hardy

Download9. Implementing an Online System: Voices of Experience
Andrew Higgins and Mark Northover

Download10. Adding Flexibility to Higher Education Using OERs: Lessons from the Open University
Andy Lane

Download11. From "Here" to "There": The Rocky Road to Flexibility
Kay MacKeogh and Seamus Fox

Download12. Where Has the Effort Gone?: The Quest to Sustain Momentum
Darien Rossiter

Download13. An Elephant's Lifetime, the Patience of Job
Yoni Ryan

Download14. The Garden of Learning Delights: The Librarian's Tale
Non Scantlebury and Gill Needham

Download15. Reflecting on Swamp Life
Arthur L. Wilson

Download16. Mapping the Driving and Restraining Forces on Flexibility in Higher Education
Chère Campbell Gibson and Terry Gibson

IV. Admitting Compromises

DownloadIntroduction

Download17. The Fog of Flexibility: The Riskiness of Flexible Post-secondary Education in Australia
Terry Evans and Peter Smith

Download18. Flexing Costs and Reflecting on Methods
Greville Rumble

Download19. "Which Is to Be Master"?: Reflections on Ethical Decision Making
Melody M. Thompson and Lorna Kearns

V. Voicing Contrarian Opinions

DownloadIntroduction

Download20. The Paradoxes of Flexible Learning
David Harris

Download21. Transformational Technologies: Exploring Myths and Realities
Adrian Kirkwood

Download22. "Plenty of Saps"
Alan Woodley

Download23. What Happens in the Stretch to Flexibility?
Katherine Nicoll

DownloadConclusion: The Challenge of Weaving Principles with Practice
Elizabeth Burge, Chère Campbell Gibson, and Terry Gibson

DownloadIndex