Online Learning
What is Blended and Flexible Learning?
Blended and flexible learning, or BFL, is a design approach that examines the relationships between flexible learning opportunities, in order to optimise student engagement and equivalence in learning outcomes regardless of mode of study.
Flexible learning (FL) provides opportunities to improve the student experience through flexibility in time, pace, place (physical, virtual, on-campus, off-campus), mode of study (print-based, face-to-face, blended, online), teaching approach (collaborative, independent), forms of assessment and staffing. It may utilise a wide range of media, environments, learning spaces and technologies for learning and teaching. CSU Interact (Sakai) serves as a portal to the dynamic online learning environment that also includes other technologies such as ePortfolio, lecture and desktop recording and synchronous web conferencing.
An effective application of flexible learning is the blended learning approach, in which engaging the learner is a primary concern, and the mix of face-to-face and online can bring new possibilities of extended interaction spaces, and improved outcomes resulting from blended learning approaches (Normand & Littlejohn 2006; Abraham 2007; Bonk & Graham 2006; Garrison & Kanuka 2004; Bretag & Hannon 2007).
CSU Common Teaching Standards and Blended and Flexible Learning
There are many approaches to good university teaching. It is envisaged that your teaching practice is informed by the common teaching standards. The central areas of assessment practice, timely feedback and subject and course design are core to university learning and teaching and are directly influenced by flexible and blended strategies.
A number of approaches can assist you with extending and developing your teaching practice to consider these important areas. DSL is developing a series of HOW TO handouts which will highlight a number of practical approaches to enhance your students’ learning. Each handout will focus on a teaching approach aligned with the Common Teaching Standards and will clearly identify how these strategies can be applied to teaching practice.
How to…
Would you like assessment tasks to promote student engagement and learning? Do you want students to understand that plagiarism is not acceptable? Do you want students to be engaged in developing their own work?
This brochure is designed to assist you in providing your students with proactive assessment design and practice.
Minimise Plagiarism in Student Work in 5 steps (pdf)