There was overall agreement among participants in this project that online education
falls under the framework of flexible delivery.
For practitioners with flexible delivery experience, the move to online technologies was
another incremental step in continuously improving flexible learning opportunities.
For others an interest in online education has been the catalyst for introducing
flexibility into their program delivery. In so doing, utilising new technologies creates a
double-barrelled challenge for these practitioners.
Variations in usage of online technologies
Like any other flexible delivery option, there are various ways online technologies are
being used within the VET context.
Common patterns of use include:
- information dissemination - the Internet is used as a course information and
administrative tool, but not for instruction.
- a course supplement - online technologies are selectively aimed to enhance rather than
replace other methods of delivery including face- to-face, workplace or distance
deliveries.
- a principal teaching medium - major course components including content, learning
activities, learning support assessment and administration are online.
A key challenge
Flexible delivery is based on two ideals:
- access - opening up opportunities for people to take part in education and training by
offering just-in-time, just-enough and where-I-am opportunities and
- learner-centredness - providing learning in ways that cater for diversity in learning
preferences.
A key challenge is balancing the tension between access and learner-centredness.
An emerging issue for this project was a constant tension between where effort was focused
- on access (the what) or learner-centredness (the how). The favoured pathway was
influenced by:
- the underpinning educational intentions of the online designers
- the logistics available to support them.
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