Is flexible study the future for universities? Kim Thomas The Guardian, Students increasingly want their courses to move in step with the demands of the modern economy, so how can universities introduce more flexible structures while maintaining standards? For a brief period, the popular image of the university student was embodied by Sebastian Flyte of Brideshead Revisited: 18-years old, male, privileged, and ready to spend three years in one of the worlds most elite institutions. But the idea of a typical student no longer holds: todays students are just as likely to be female, or older, or from overseas, or studying part-time while holding down a full-time job. Traditional models of provision no longer work for these students. But how can universities adapt to meet their needs – and the needs of the modern global economy? Conditions of Flexibility, published today by Professor Ron Barnett, emeritus professor of higher education at the Institute of Education, University of London, looks at how universities can offer more flexible structures and the conditions under which flexibility can flourish. Using the report as a starting point, a recent Guardian roundtable sponsored by the Higher Education Academy brought together a group of experts and senior managers in higher education to discuss the future of flexible learning. The roundtable was conducted under the Chatham House rule, which states that comments are not attributed to speakers, to encourage open debate. Integrity The roundtable heard that flexibility is an essential part of a modern higher education system. The 21st century is calling for new kinds of persons, who can adapt and respond flexibly to the extraordinary challenges we see day in and day out, said one participant. The challenge is how to meet the needs of those students without losing internal integrity, he argued. Many universities are working hard to develop flexible approaches that match students to the employment needs of the economy. One participant described how her university works with local employers to create tailored programmes for individuals. Students will come in to talk about their aspirations, their past experiences, their qualifications, their jobs, and a bespoke opportunity will be created for them, which will pick up modules and put them into a special package for that individual student, she said. A successful and high-profile programme, it is nonetheless time-intensive and expensive to run. While universities are encouraged to think in a more focused fashion about the specific requirements of the workplace, many also want to equip students with a broader range of skills that enable them to adapt to the demands of a rapidly changing world. Some degree programmes are moving away from the traditional modular approach – where undergraduates might take 10 short modules a year – to a system of longer courses. One participant said that her institution has built flexibility into this new model: A student might be asked to undertake a particular activity designed to develop a particular aspect of their skills – maybe their critical thinking or their employability skills – but they can choose where they do it within the framework of their discipline. An immunology student, for example, could choose to apply their skills to HIV/Aids or heart disease. Flexibility is also being introduced into assessment. At one university, students on a particular masters programme take five modules, each of which can be assessed in five different ways (such as writing a report or creating a portfolio) and students choose which assessment method they prefer for each module. Another participant described the experimental introduction in one degree course of an option that enables students to study the same module twice, in order to learn better or differently than they did the first time, with students being assessed separately each time. The roundtable also heard about the role technology can play in providing students with greater flexibility in how they learn. One participant talked about his universitys use of lecture capture – recording lectures so that students could watch them again, an innovation that has been embraced with enthusiasm by both staff and students. This approach particularly benefits students with dyslexia, or for whom English is a second language. Analysis of usage patterns can benefit lecturers too, he said: The lecturers can see which bits the students are going back to, so they can see that most people are looking at minutes 40 to 45, and that allows the lecturer to reflect that they could explain that bit more clearly next time around. Other participants argued for a move away from the didactic approach of the 50-minute lecture altogether, and in favour of more active methods of teaching. One spoke of a masters course in which psychology students learning to be expert witnesses worked with law students and computer science students on a simulated criminal trial of a murder case. It ended up being an incredibly rich multi-professional experience that mimicked the real world, she said. Perhaps one of the biggest flexible learning innovations has been the introduction of massive open online courses (Moocs), which enable students to study university-level courses at a distance and for free, using internet-based resources. Advocates believe that Moocs are democratic, opening higher education up to people who would not normally be able to access it. Roundtable participants were largely sceptical about the disruptive potential of Moocs, with one arguing that most of the people who participate in Moocs are PhDs or academics. There are huge levels of dropout, and the quality is pretty poor. She went on to suggest, however, that universities could learn from the Mooc model, and that encouraging collaboration is a really important way forward rather than having closed institutional virtual learning environments (VLEs). What are the challenges to providing more flexible learning in higher education? Some participants felt that students are not ready to learn flexibly, and prefer a traditional model of teaching through lectures and assessment through essays and exams. One argued that many students are unused to choice: When they arrive as undergraduates, theyre so used to being told exactly what to do and how theyll be examined that when we get them into university and give them more choice, they dont know what to choose. Another participant drew attention to the new Scottish curriculum for excellence, which moves away from this narrow focus towards an emphasis on broader areas of study and greater opportunity for reflection and engagement – but it will be two or three years before universities can tell whether that has made a difference to the new intake of undergraduates. Students reluctance to embrace innovation means that universities should take care when introducing flexibility, one participant argued: Weve got a responsibility to try to make sure we structure learning in such a way that students are encouraged to explore outside their comfort zone and engage in different learning approaches, but are unable to default to the lowest common denominator. Quality Assurance Agency Some academics too are cautious about adopting flexible learning methods, the roundtable heard. The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), a regulatory body that monitors standards in higher education, publishes benchmark statements: a set of guidelines for what students should be taught in each subject. One participant said: There is a risk aversion around quality and standards because staff are terribly nervous about getting a poor QAA rating. Perhaps they see benchmark statements as being gospel, and they have to deliver to those benchmark statements rather than considering threshold concepts and letting students just explore between them. Although universities are working hard to develop flexible provision, some participants acknowledged that, both in the structure of courses offered and in methods of teaching and learning, progress is patchy. This sort of exciting innovative activity is going on only in part of the university, not across the institution, said one. The challenge for university management is the day-to-day pressures of resource management, and time to balance the budget with this innovative way of working. But it was acknowledged that universities, despite the best of intentions, operate under external constraints. Progress has been slow in the area of student mobility, for example. Increasingly, said one participant, universities must recognise the desire of students to be mobile on the international stage and to take chunks of credits in different countries and to get work experience in those different settings but still wanting to get a degree that puts that all together. Implementation of the Bologna process, which aims to make it easier for students to transfer between institutions in Europe, is not yet complete. A new visa system that has made it harder for overseas students to come to the UK has not helped matters. There is a tension, one participant pointed out, between good words and actual policy. While successive governments have talked about the importance of increasing flexibility and being employer-led, they operate a funding and policy model which goes back to thinking about 18-year-olds doing three-year degree programmes and going on to a masters if they want. Until governments catch up with the realities of the new higher education landscape, universities may find it hard to provide the flexibility students and employers need.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 14:02:38 +0000
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