Pleasing most of the
people most of the time
How can technology help us meet the needs
of a wider range of learners?

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Pleasing most of the people most of the time
JuliaTaylor, Jisc Subject specialist - Accessibility and inclusion

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Too many hats?
All students will need digital skills so the aim is independence
Pixabay. Eak_kkk
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More tools than ever
Technology gives us the tools for digital diversity
Pixabay. Cocoparisienne/
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Making a difference
Personalisation: Everyone has different needs and styles of learning
Pixabay. Chahaoriginal
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Meeting expectations…
>Personalise and customise the learning environment
>Get text books in alternative formats
>Find out about the access features of loan devices and platforms
>Get accessible course notes in advance of lectures
>Use productivity tools and personal devices everywhere
and go beyond…
We encourage learners to check if they can:
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Changing practice
“Usually I hate fieldwork. I’m disorganised,
make illegible notes, can’t make sense of the
data because we’ve only got little bits of the
picture until the evening write up…
But this was easy – Google Forms.Twitter
hashtags. Everything on the phone.To check a
technique we scanned the QR code to watch
the video. I felt like a proper biologist …not
just a rubbish notetaker.”
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Changing practice
“Because of my issues I would NEVER speak in
a group…
but because we use theTextWall most
sessions I’ve become much more confident at
contributing. I’ve also noticed that my points
are among the better ones so that has
boosted confidence hugely.”
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Changing practice
As a dyslexic I thought “Me? A blogger?You’ve
got to be kidding”. When they told me it was
compulsory for this module I complained
like mad.
Then I looked at the guidance where it said
how to use voice recognition in GoogleDocs,
and how to do podcasts and link them in.
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The accessible induction
“What was brilliant was that I felt totally
normal.Whenever we were shown how to
use a university system they automatically
showed us the accessibility options as if it
was just a feature that anyone might use.”
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The accessible network
“I can’t believe the browser plugins they’ve
got. It’s like an Internet Swiss Army knife –
voice recognition, text to speech, note taking...
I wish I’d known about this for my A levels...”
“I love the “Free ProductivityTools” folder –
I’ve downloaded several on my own laptop”
“The Speak button on the Quick Access
Toolbar inWord is so cool! I never knew you
could do that.”
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The accessibleVLE
“My course resources area is great – a really good
mix of handouts, slides, video and audio clips.”
“We’ve got some long documents to download
but they’re all structured so you get an instant
overview in the Navigation pane.”
“My tutor’s presentations are great –simple
thought-provoking images but all the info
you need is there in the notes field.”
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The accessible library
“I was amazed when they showed me how much I
can do just with my phone”
“So much of my reading list is available as e-books
– it makes study much easier for me: I can do it
even on bad days when I can hardly walk.”
“The guidance on ebook accessibility
features has made my study so much
more efficient.”
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How can technology help us meet the needs of a wider range
of learners?
Mike Sharples, Institute of EducationalTechnology,The Open University
14/03/2017 Pleasing most of the people most of the time

Preparing for the future
http://careers2030.cst.org/jobs/
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Now more than ever we need open, global
education, with people from many perspectives and
backgrounds engaging in conversations for learning
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FutureLearn
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5.6 million learners
400 free courses
70 partner institutions
70% of learners from outside UK
61% female
22% without tertiary education

Learning as conversation
All human learning involves
conversation
We converse with ourselves
to reflect on experience
We converse with teachers
to understand their expert
knowledge
We converse with other
learners to try and reach
shared understanding
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Logical and Critical Thinking course
2
0
University of Auckland

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22

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Opportunity: blended learning
US DoE 2009 meta-study of comparisons
of online and face to face teaching in
higher education
On average, students in online learning
conditions performed better than those
receiving face-to-face instruction
Bigger effect in studies that blended online
and face-to-face
Blended conditions often included
additional learning time and instructional
elements not received by students in
control conditions
Distinguish hype from reality
B. Means et al. (2009) Evaluation of Evidence-Based
Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and
Review of Online Learning Studies. US Department of
Education

Blended learning
Blending campus and online
Campus students accessing MOOCs
Flipped classrooms
Embracing multiple cultures and languages
Combining new methods of teaching, learning
and assessment
Distinguish hype from reality

Opportinity – Hybrid courses
Open MOOC courses linked to a
degree program
Campus students benefit from
rich global discussion and online
study
MOOC learners benefit from
grounding in a university campus
(e.g. sense of belonging, remote
access to labs)
Opportunity to take modules for
credit
Pay for additional services such
as online tutoring
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New models of provision
Blended learning Flexibility of study – location, pace
New modes of learning (e.g. flipped
classroom)
Hybrid courses Global access to higher education, including
free courses
Global conversation and knowledge sharing
Credit transfer Broader curriculum
Disaggregation Affordable education – pay for use

Learning platform
Need for a new 21st century learning platform that:
● supports free (MOOC) and accredited courses (which a funnel of registration)
● enables accreditation and credit transfer, as well as badging
● is open source and modular, with a strong developer community
● is responsive – accessible on mobile devices
● supports a wide range of pedagogies: constructivist, social-constructivist,
instructivist, inquiry-led, problem-based
● is based on interoperability standards, e.g. LTI, QTI
● is cloud hosted
● integrates with 3rd party services for tutoring, assessment, examining
● integrates with social media
● enables analytics for learning
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How can technology help us meet the demands of a wider range
of learners
Mike Snowden,Convenor: UniversitiesAssociation for Life Long Learning:
Flexible Pedagogies Network/Senior Lecturer Behavioural Sciences University
of Huddersfield
14/03/2017 Pleasing most of the people most of the time

How can technology help
us meet the demands of a
wider range of learners
Mike Snowden Convenor: Universities Association for Life Long Learning: Flexible
Pedagogies Network/Senior Lecturer Behavioural Sciences University of
Huddersfield

Defining flexible learning
“Flexible learning concerns institutions constructing and continually
evaluating infrastructure, policies and practices that offer the widest
possible opportunity for successful student engagement and belonging
of all stakeholders in higher education” p4 Davitt-Jones, et al (2017)

Key principles of flexible learning:
 Barnett (2014)…The conceptualisation of flexible learning is diverse and needs to
be recognised at four key levels: sector, institutional, pedagogical and learner
flexibility…
 Institutional agility to be able to proactively implement responsive infrastructure…
which requires institutional systems and structures to be designed for flexibility
rather than homogeneity
 Pedagogies that contribute to learner empowerment should be integrated into
everyday learning and teaching practice
 Inclusive, equitable, personalised and contextualised approaches should underpin
all flexible learning processes
 Successful engagement does not begin at HE entry but occurs much earlier as part
of a lifelong learning process and commitment
 Mindful that access without support is not opportunity (Engstrom and Tinto (2008, p50)

Link to HEA framework - Barnet
 The framework is both evidence-based and experience-informed and
is aligned to the UK Professional Standards Framework. It can be
adapted and applied to different disciplines, modes of study and
institutional contexts by a wide range of users. The Framework
recognises that successful flexible learning is student - centred
and empowers students to become independent and autonomous,
fostering graduate attributes that will enable them to manage
the complexities of 21st century life (p.2).

What flexible learning embodies
 It requires the ability to embrace and lead disruptive thinking as a positive
force for change and this requires effective leadership to create confidence in this
ability
 Within flexible systems there needs to be preservation of some existing
archetypes
 A flexible learning ethos actively seeks out ongoing dialogue about the purpose
of higher education in an evolving context. Organisations should embrace this
dialogue as part of their normal everyday practices.
 Flexible learning needs to be considered holistically: you cannot 'do' flexible
learning partially or add it on…key areas for flexible learning: institutional systems
and structures; technology enhanced learning; pedagogical approaches;
employability.
 Flexible learning at its best combines many collaborative networks and
interconnectivities which can be multiple and, at times, overlapping

Flexible Learning is not…
 It is not an approach driven purely for student consumption
underpinned by the sovereignty of individual choice and one's ability
to navigate such choices as part of a successful HE experience
 It is not a marketing charter based on a set of transactional
relationships between higher education providers and students
 It is not driven primarily by delivery convenience, in which
technology enhanced learning (TEL) becomes the default position for
flexible learning
 It cannot be 'added on' to a prevailing system

Some Implications and considerations:
 Adopters of a flexible learning ethos need to be prepared for
resistance.
 To develop flexible learning holistically staff will have to unlearn
some of their thinking and practices in order to become more
effective facilitators of flexible learning in partnership with
students
 Flexible learning inevitably involves working in different ways and
this necessitates relinquishing some aspects of power…this may lead
you to challenge your own perceptions of professional identity and
underlying assumptions
 Awareness of the core values underpinning flexible learning is
pivotal. There are many operational considerations and logistics
involved in developing flexible learning concerning… how; what;
where and when it is delivered…

Implication and consideration for
institutions
 Demonstrating a commitment to flexible learning and implementing new ways of
working require considerable courage to go beyond maintaining the status quo;
 It requires transdisciplinary ways of thinking in which different bodies of knowledge
and ways of working are used to transcend hierarchy. This involves finding authentic
working practices instead seeking collaborations and interconnectivity as productive
forces for student success
 Leadership for innovation in which a creative culture of managed risk-taking is
encouraged, especially when supporting flexible learning innovators from within the
institution
 When building a flexible learning ethos institutionally, there will be challenges to a
whole array of prevailing staff identities that need to be pre-empted by senior
leaders and shared with all key stakeholders
 Institutional flexibility necessitates working with wider communities and agencies in
order to see the bigger context for any large-scale decision making

An example…
Why….flexible, engage, creative empowered
learners…
…develop flexible learners who are equipped to manage the complexities, uncertainties and
challenges of 21st century life and work.
Vision….
 Embrace the principles of self determined learning – heautogogy
 How, what, where and when to learn
 Solution focussed teaching and learning
 Mentor Assisted Learning

Key Feature…
 Student as architect

How?
 Mentor Assisted Learning (including pre entry)
 Self defined learning contracts
 Negotiated learning and delivery
 Vle…social networking e.g. “yammer” (uni learn; facebook)
 Real world learning and teaching
 Collaborative learning
 Assessment - student centred and choice
 Teaching – 1/1; small group; lecture (recorded)

Success?
 Confident engaged learners
 Enhanced performance
 Employability (?)
 Enhanced satisfaction
 Empowered learners!

Challenge…
 Resource extensive – (pre-entry preparation; preparation and
planning teaching and assessment )
 Academic culture (Institutional and individual)

Implications and consideration for
practitioners
In considering the value of flexible learning at all levels, practitioners might wish to reflect on the
following questions to aid decision-making:
 Can you align your own practice to the values underpinning flexible learning and how might
this be approached with others?
 How inclusive is your style of teaching and how does this translate into facilitation of learning?
For example, are you prepared to relinquish power to become more flexible?
 Can you draw upon evidence-informed approaches so that you can use well-considered risk
taking as part of a predictive scenarios process? For example, have you considered who your
future students are likely to be from demographic and socio-economic perspectives and how
this analysis fits with the overall strategic direction?
 How can you create the necessary Conditions of Flexibility (Barnett, 2014) and the resultant
types of relationship-building deemed essential for enhancing flexibility at all levels?
 What are the challenges that might emerge when trying to reconcile conflict between
practitioner and institutional aims for flexible learning?
 What is your perceived identity and how might that change if practising more flexibly?

Flexible learning references and related
resources
 Barnett, R. (2014) Conditions of Flexibility: Securing a more responsive higher education system York: Higher Education
Association.
 Beck, U. and Beck-Gernsheim, E. (2001) Individualization: Institutionalized Individualism and its Social and Political
Consequences London, Thousand Oaks and New Delhi: Sage Publications.
 Davitt Jones, S. Arnold, C. and Snowden M (2017) HEA Flexible Learning Practice Guide York, UK: Higher Education Academy
 Engstrom, C. and Tinto, V. (2008) Access without support is not opportunity Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning 40 (1):
46-50.
 Higher Education Academy (2015) Framework for Flexible Learning in Higher Education . Available from:
https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/downloads/flexible-learning-inHE.pdf
 HEFCE (2011) Opportunity, Choice and Excellence in Higher Education . Report 22 Bristol: HEFCE.
 Johansen, B. (2009) Leaders make the future: ten new leadership skills for an uncertain world . San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler
Publishers.
 Ryan, A. and Tilbury. D. (2013) Flexible Pedagogies: new pedagogical ideas York: Higher Education Association.
 Scearce, D. and Fulton, K., (2004). What If? The Art of Scenario Thinking for Non - profits . Emeryville, California: Global
Business Network.
 Snowden, M (2016) “Heutogogy in an emerging curriculum. In: The Pedagogy of the Social Sciences Curriculum. : Springer
International Publishing. pp. 25-38. ISBN 978-3-319-33866-8
 Stacey, R. (1996) Strategic Management and Organizational Dynamics . (2nd Ed.) London: Pitman.

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jisc.ac.uk
Except where otherwise noted, this work
is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND
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JuliaTaylor
Jisc Subject specialist, Inclusion
Julia.taylor@jisc.ac.uk
Pleasing most of the people,
most of the time
14/03/2017 Pleasing most of the people most of the timeSlide46