This presentation shares lessons learned and tools refined while developing and delivering flexible learning modules from the perspective of an instructional designer and instructor. Presenters will share strategies for differentiating learning resources, time, place, and interactions to better suit student learning style and needs.
This presentation shares lessons learned and tools refined while developing and delivering flexible learning modules. Presenters will share strategies for differentiating learning resources, time, place, and interactions to better suit student learning style and needs.
After this information session, attendees will be able to:
- Define flex learning
- Describe the purposes and goals of flexing the learning environment
- Identify the major steps and key elements of designing a flex learning environment
- Identify stumbling blocks
Using examples from a two-year project, the presenters will share an outline for designing flex modules, lessons learned from the perspective of an instructor, student feedback, and a list of sources related to research in flexible and differentiated teaching and learning.
Background: Flex Learning is a newer form of course delivery, affording students and faculty more opportunities for individualized teaching and learning. Hill (2006) defines flexible learning as being “concerned primarily with facilitating the individual student’s learning process. The goal is to provide quality learning experiences through consideration of the learner’s personal characteristics, learning styles, work responsibilities, learning needs and desires, and personal circumstances” (p. 188-9). She goes on to note that the key aspects of flexible learning include student choice in: 1) what is learned, 2) where learning occurs, 3) when learning occurs, and 4) how learning occurs. For the past two years, we’ve been flexing course modules on advanced pharmacy calculations. In this flex learning environment, content and activities are delivered and accessed both online and face-to-face. Students have the choice, each module, to attend either the regularly scheduled class session, access the asynchronous online resources, or both. This design allowed us to differentiate the learning for students. In a literature review on differentiated instruction, Tomlinson et al. (2003) found that attention to students’ learning styles through flexible teaching helped to improve learning gains. The hallmarks of effective differentiation, they argue, include: 1) proactive rather than reactive differentiation, 2) flexible use of small groups, 3) variation of materials, and 4) learner-centered pedagogy.
Our Implementation: The presenters are a partnership of instructor and instructional designer who designed and implemented flex learning modules for pharmacy calculations in a large pharmacy skills course. The design was refined over two years based on student feedback, reflection, and research.
Before the release of content for the first session, students take an online learning self-assessment to gauge their readiness to learn online. Once they complete this and review the feedback, they can then access all course materials through the course Learning Management System (LMS). Students who wish to attend class can interact with the instructor during active learning sessions where calculations are attempted and instruction provided. Those who choose to remain in the online environment receive the same materials, but work through the modules on their own.
Modules in the LMS contain content videos instructing students on the basic concepts underlying the pharmacy calculations (created using Camtasia) followed by calculation videos (created using an iPad and ShowMe) and problem sets. The calculation videos walk them through the calculations on each type of problem and are provided in three formats, scaffolded to allow the student to ease into calculating on their own.
Student response (based on survey and focus group feedback) was positive: 88% strongly agreed/agreed they were satisfied with the design, while 83% reported strongly agreed/agreed that the flex sessions helped them to better understand the material. Exams scores rose slightly (1.5%) on the topics covered in the flex sessions when compared with scores in the previous year.
Using examples from a two-year project, the presenters will share an outline for designing flex modules, lessons learned from the perspective of an instructor, student feedback, and a list of sources related to research in flexible and differentiated teaching and learning.
Hill, J. (2006). Flexible learning environments: Leveraging the affordances of flexible delivery and flexible learning. Innovative High Education, 31, 187–197.
Tomlinson, C., et al. (2003). Differentiating Instruction in Response to Student Readiness, Interest, and Learning Profile in Academically Diverse Classrooms: A Review of Literature. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 27(2/3), pp. 119-145.