This document discusses flexible developments in education. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of flexibility, promote existing flexible initiatives, and progress flexible developments. Flexible learning can take many forms, including open educational resources, prior learning assessments, seamless learning experiences, and feedback to guide students. The document advocates developing flexibility in curriculum, learning approaches, and assessment. It asks institutions to consider their current flexible offerings and how flexibility can be further progressed to meet the needs of 21st century learners.

1. © University of South Wales
Flexible Developments
Professor Jo Smedley
Head of Flexible Development & Student Success
Centre for Excellence in Learning & Teaching (CELT)
March 2014

2. © University of South Wales
Seminar Aims
• Raise awareness of the importance
of flexible developments
• Promote existing flexible initiatives
in local and global contexts
• Progress flexible developments

3. © University of South Wales
Learner Journeys
• 19th century learning
• 21st century learning
• Learning here and now

4. © University of South Wales
Learner Journeys
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CHOICE

5. © University of South Wales
Developing Flexibly
Curriculum
• Open Educational Resources
• Flexible Mechanisms
Learning
Approach
• Prior learning
• Seamless learning experiences
Assessment
• Assessment and learning
• Feedback and feed-forward
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6. © University of South Wales
Moving Forward
• What is your current flexible “offer”?
• What works? Why?
• What is your flexible developments “dream”?
• How could they be progressed?
• What would be needed to move forward?
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7. © University of South Wales
Summary
• Email: jo.smedley@southwales.ac.uk
• Skype: jo_smedley
• Webpage: http://celt.southwales.ac.uk
– Flexible Developments
– Student Success
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8. © University of South Wales
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Joseph Newton Smedley
(1853 – 1925)
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9. © University of South Wales
19 March 2014 9
What are OER’s?
• Learning and teaching materials made freely
available online for anyone to use
– Full courses, course
modules, lectures, games, teaching materials and
assignments
– Text, images, audio and video, interactive.
• Sharing: iTunes U, SlideShare, YouTube, Jorum.
• OERu

10. © University of South Wales
19 March 2014 10
OER:
Raising Awareness
“The most compelling argument for the
release of OER is the marketing opportunities
that it provides. The more you release, the more
people know about you.”
Mary Stuart, Vice Chancellor, University of
Lincoln
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11. © University of South Wales
Traditional/Blended/Online
(QAA B3 Chapter)
• Programme
delivery, learner
support and
assessment are all
provided by staff of
the degree-
awarding body on
its campus(es)
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• Distance-learning with:
– no direct contact with the
degree-awarding body, its
staff or other students
– a programme of study
delivered and learning
supported by an
organisation that is not the
degree awarding body.

12. © University of South Wales
Learning through
technology
• VLE
• Core Systems
• Online assessment &
feedback tools
• e-portfolio tool
• Lecture capture
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• Blogs, wikis, online
reading lists
• Webinar tool
• Unified calendar
• Off-air recording
• File-sharing
• Data storage
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13. © University of South Wales
• Understand employer needs
• Review and refine work-related and work-
based curriculum and learning
• Support participants in work-related and
work-based learning developments
• Review and refine work-related and work-
based learning quality procedures
• Virtual in nature and presence
Flexible Learning in
Employment and Community
Scenarios (FLECS)

14. © University of South Wales
Level (7)
Management in
education
and training (30)
Strategic
Management &
Accountability (30)
Level (6)
Strategic
Management (20)
Law for Managers
(20)
Customer Service
Excellence (20)
Level (5)
Performance
Management (20) -
APA
Contemporary
Management
Practice (20)
Level (4)
Recruitment and
Selection (10) -
APEL
Contract Law (15)
Psychology in the
Workplace (10)
WBL
Curriculum
Work Based Learning within the Flexible Framework

15. © University of South Wales
Modules
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Reflective
content based
on work-
experiences
Learning Outcomes
Assessment style and approach
Prescribed
content based
on academic
learning
Learning Outcomes
Assessment style and approach
+
Traditional “Shell”
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16. © University of South Wales
Drawing on experience
• APL: accreditation of prior learning
• APCL: accreditation of prior certificated learning
• APEL: accreditation of prior experiential learning
• APE/CL: accreditation of prior certificated and/or
experiential learning
• APL&A: accreditation of prior learning and
achievement
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/flexiblelearning/Flexiblepedagogies/Review_of_Transfer_of_Credit_Report.pdf
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17. © University of South Wales
Assessment for
Learning
• Assessment for learning
– Promoting learning as the basis for reflection and
dialogue between staff and students (formative)
• Assessment of learning
– To determine student attainment against
predetermined criteria (summative)
• http://celt.southwales.ac.uk/resources/af/
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18. © University of South Wales
Feed forward & feedback
(QAA B6 Chapter)
• Timely and supportive with personal challenge;
• Assessment using those criteria;
• Feedback based on the criteria and timed so that
students can use it constructively in their next
stage of learning;
• Ongoing dialogue between students and
staff, students and peers, and students and
employers.
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